Process description
Ultrasonic cutting processes involve any kind of cutting or separating of connected parts. The pressure on the item to be cut can be reduced due to the high number of frequencies per second. This creates a clean cut face. In practice there are two different processes, the cut-and-seal process and the cutting process. Cut-and-seal is mostly used in the field of textiles, foils and fleeces. Ultrasonic cutting is used for food stuffs as well as for solid materials such as rubber, foam and artificial leather.
Cut'n'Seal
With ultrasound it is possible to cut out any kind of shapes from thermoplastic, multi-layered fabrics, fleece materials or foils and to seal them at the same time along the cutting contour. The proportion of thermoplastic fibres should be at least 20%. The vibrations generated by the ultrasonics system create a cutting effect opposite the cutting anvil with a matching cutting contour. At the same time the vibration is attenuated, which generates heat in the cutting zone, which causes the cutting edge to be welded.
Cutting
A knife edge vibrating with ultrasound makes a fast and precise cut with minimum resistance and without releasing particles. Ultrasound has been used for the cutting of finished products for many years. When cutting bakery products, energy bars, cheese, pizza etc. the vibrating (cold) cutting sonotrode reduces the resistance in the cutting process and also cleans itself of any product remains attached. The result: smooth, reproducible cut faces without deformations and thermal damage to the products.
Application areas
Cutting contours in one stroke. The edges of fleeces and fabrics are sealed and then cut in one pass. Almost any required cutting contour is possible. Typical applications are filter masks and hygiene products.
Continuous sealing and cutting
Sealing and cutting of fleeces and fabrics in a continuous process. It is also possible to work with different speeds, for example during start-up or in order align the individual processes to each other.
Cutting and build-up welding
Fleeces and fabrics can be welded onto a moulded plastic part and cut out in one pass. In this process, the edge zone is sealed and fraying is prevented. Typical applications are membranes in the medical, automotive, electronics and packaging industries.
Separating and portioning solid materials
A knife edge vibrating with ultrasound penetrates into the material to be cut with minimal resistance and separates it precisely and without creating waste.
Customer benefit - cut'n'seal
- Cutting and sealing fleeces and fabrics in one pass
- Aesthetic and sealed cut edges
- Cutting and seaming of fabrics on moulded parts in one pass
- Comprehensive and detailed product information and documentation
- Clean cut edges even with extensive process times
Customer benefit - cutting
- The blade cleans itself, hence no cut material remains attached to it
- Reduction of outage time due to cleaning
- Cutting without pressure prevents any deformation of the material
- High cut quality, no smudging and no breaking of individual layers
- Processing time can be reduced
- No heat input into the product - the tool remains cold
Industries
- automotive
- medical
- textile
- food
- plastics
- packaging
