The most common application area for ultrasonic metal welding is the firm bond of electrical conductors and contact parts made of copper or aluminum. Depending on the specific application, these parts can also be coated with nickel, silver and gold. Ultrasonic metal welding is the only process that enables firm - and thus extremely conductive and durable - bonds between aluminum wires and copper contacts.
In ultrasonic metal welding, the two parts being bonded are rubbed against each other under pressure at high frequency. While the resulting heat leads to a softening of the metallic parts being bonded, the temperatures are significantly lower than the melting points. Permanent metal bonds are created at the contact surfaces under temperature, pressure and high-frequency friction through short-distance diffusion and recovery processes. As the entire welding process is completed within 0.3 to 3 seconds and the metallic components are welded in a solid state, the impact on the structure of the material is negligible. Ultrasonic metal welding is very similar to classic friction welding and is classified as a cold pressure welding process according to DIN 1910.
Application areas:
The most common applications are in the automotive, battery and electrical industries. Detailed information about the applications can be found in the application examples.
- Wire splices and plug contacts in wire harness production
- Plug contacts on high-voltage cables
- Connections to busbars (contacts, sleeves, cables)
- Cell contacts for batteries
- Battery films
- Power electronics (IGBT, DCB/DBC)
