When bonding material through ultrasonic welding, the energy required comes in the form of mechanical vibrations. The welding tool (horn) couples to the part to be welded and moves it in longitudinal direction. The part to be welded on remains static. Now the parts to be bonded are simultaneously pressed together. The simultaneous action of static and dynamic forces causes a fusion of the parts without having to use additional material. This procedure is used on an industrial scale for linking both plastics and metals (figure 5).
Figure 5: Differences in the process for welding plastics and metals with ultrasonics
