By Kerryn Harrington, global product manager, BransonTM Welding and Assembly at Emerson

No matter the industry – automotive, medical, textile, electronics, packaging or others – there are many factors that go into a decision to automate ultrasonic welding operations. Some of these are common issues for virtually all manufacturing or assembly businesses, while others are more market – or product-specific, such as quality or regulatory requirements. And then there are other factors that are particular to a manufacturing environment, the facility, environment, production and quality requirements.

The following steps outline a proven methodology for assessing and identifying ultrasonic welding and automation requirements. Using a multi-step format, it will guide readers through an assessment of many of the key factors and issues that shape automation decisions related to ultrasonic welding.

Step 1: Consider the big picture: What global trends are driving manufacturing and automation needs? Which of these is driving the need to automate?
Accessibility and cost of labor
The quantity and talent of the labor supply widely vary. Many businesses find that sourcing the skills and labor required to grow forces them either to locate where local labor and talent readily are available or utilize automation to multiply the productivity of available labor.

Improving staff utilization
Many businesses lack the automation needed to best utilize a limited supply of labor and management talent. For example, many manufacturers continue to rely on aging equipment built around analog or early-generation digital controls that are hardwired to programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or housed on closed industrial networks.

Because such aging equipment makes it impossible for remote users to interact with the production system, many critical functions – monitoring, control and management of equipment set-up, collection and distribution of productivity/quality/compliance data, or tracking of equipment health/maintenance status – only can be completed by local, site-based personnel. Thus, key people are tied down at a particular location, even though automation – digital communications, web-enabled access and software, and remote management, monitoring and operating platforms – could free them to remotely interact and multiply their value to the business.

Enabling remote access with cybersecurity
Offering remote, web-enabled access and communications for key personnel and functions often involves upgrading aging industrial networks and can entail significant risk. Therefore, any plan to automate production equipment must ensure that proprietary data, communications and networks are securely protected. Such protection is essential to ensure not only the integrity of software and proprietary data but also the integrity of data essential to satisfying product quality assurance, regulatory compliance or traceability requirements.

Managing supply chain shocks
Supply chain disruptions, or sudden shifts in market demand, can place huge stresses on manufacturers, forcing them to make rapid changes in production speed, product mix or product options. Automation adds value because it enables manufacturers to 1) rapidly change product mix in accordance with changing material supplies or shifts in market demand or customer needs, 2) optimize production speeds, cycle times and quality, while reducing costs and 3) expand production capability or flexibility within the same facility footprint.

Keeping pace with evolving industry and automation standards
The future of manufacturing processes and equipment is being framed by IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and Industry 4.0, a blueprint for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Industry 4.0 envisions a new generation of “intelligent” equipment controls that can “learn,” use predictive logic, and employ algorithms and shared data to cooperate with other machines in optimizing processes. Intelligent automation also can assist by increasing production speed, reducing cost and reducing the potential for human error.

Step 2: What critical manufacturing issues or pain points are of greatest concern when deciding whether or not to automate your ultrasonic welding operations?
Typical customer pain points or issues may include the following. (Review this list and note the issues that are of greatest concern for individual operations.)

Improving application throughput speed
Managing/limiting equipment footprint
Gathering weld or process data for:
Real-time analysis
Tracking key performance indicators
Quality assurance
Meeting traceability or regulatory requirements
Future IIoT/Industry 4.0 opportunities:
Preventive/Predictive maintenance
Decision support
Machine learning
Integrating with manufacturing systems and equipment:
Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Welders
Robots
Sensors/Scanners/Other devices
Enabling secure access for:
Remote operations management, control or monitoring
Equipment software upgrades
Remote service and support
Ensuring cybersecurity, including data integrity, secure data storage and encrypted data transfer to comply with:
Component or product traceability and warranty support requirements
International regulatory standards, such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 21 Part 11 and European Union Medical Device Regulation (MDR)

Step 3: What essential application factors and production requirements must be considered and met in a plan to automate ultrasonic welding operations?
Production volume/throughput rate
Throughput speed is the most common driver for automating ultrasonic welding operations. What cycle times/ throughput rates are desired in an operation?

Product or application factors
These include part size and geometry, part materials, part-sealing requirements, product cleanliness or purity requirements, joint type, how many different types of applications/recipes will be performed on the same welder and type of ultrasonic weld (i.e., plunge, continuous, staking). These factors help to narrow the field on which joining technology is needed, at what frequency or level of power and with what types of weld process or actuation controls are required.

Production location/environmental factors
These include requirements or constraints on production space, ongoing manufacturing operations, equipment space/footprint and product cleanliness or purity requirements:

Will welding operations be housed on a factory floor, in an area subject to washdown or in a cleanroom?
Will new welding or assembly equipment be retrofitted or installed new?
What types of power supply/actuator components will be needed to meet space and production requirements?
Horizontal, vertical or rack mounts
Standard height and width, or more compact “micro” sizes
Will noise control enclosures or shielding be required?

Connectivity and data requirements
Any application that requires collection or communication of production data brings up a number of questions:

Is data traceability essential for the application? (For example, medical device applications require the secure collection of traceable weld and manufacturing data, according to the FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11).
What data interfaces or data communication protocols are required?
USB
Ethernet
OPC/UA for communication with MES
Fieldbus

Step 4: Assess configuration, ergonomic and integration concerns for automated ultrasonic welding operations.
The next step in the process is to assess the working configuration of a proposed automated ultrasonic welding system, based on the requirements and needs. Configuration decisions involve budget, availability of labor, throughput and mounting requirements, and whether or not an integrated system is needed or if one is being built with the help of an integrator.

Integrated system or integrator?
There are two ways to put an automated system together: Buy fully integrated equipment and automation services from a manufacturer like Emerson, or have a systems integrator purchase individual components and integrate them. So, that raises the question. Is the intent to:

Select and purchase fully integrated welding systems, consisting of power supply/control, stack, actuator, tooling and connectivity?
Use a systems integrator that needs only a power supply equipped with the proper connectivity options?

System configurations
Basic weld system configurations include:

Semi-automated, manually fed systems (e.g., single actuator welding system with a sequencer or a multi-actuator welding system) to meet low-to-moderate throughput requirements.
Fully automated (e.g., robotic or conveyor fed, single-head or multi-head) to meet higher-throughput requirements.

Mounting Options
System mounting options are concerned with providing good ergonomics (for semi-automated systems) and maximum efficiency in space utilization/footprint. These options include:

Benchtop or base-mounted stand-alone system
Column-mounted stand-alone system
Column and hub mount
No specified mount, for systems that will be configured and mounted by a systems integrator

Ensuring Long-Term Automated Welding Success
Finally, ensure that the decision is made for not only the right equipment but also for the right equipment supplier and partner. Any assembly automation partner selected should provide all of the following:

Immediate, expert advice based on broad industry knowledge and a demonstrated ability to support major assembly operations worldwide.
An extensive range of products (welders, power supplies, actuators, tooling, etc.) to support the business when assembly and product needs evolve.
Easily accessible service and support, including extensive manufacturing operations that ensure minimal product lead times, and global sales, parts and service and technical support.

Before making a final decision on automation options for ultrasonic welding operations, it’s vital to consider all the factors involved. The steps outlined in this article, along with the ideas, concerns and questions from other sources, should provide a roadmap for further action. Following the above recommendations can help with the automation and product selection.

To learn more about Branson’s ultrasonic welding solutions for automated manufacturing, visit www.emerson.com.