In order to determine the economics of using an ultrasonic metal welding process, the essential criteria such as investment costs, energy requirements, process time, welding quality, etc. must be compared to other bonding techniques on a case-by-case basis.

No substitute

For large number of selected applications, ultrasonic metal welding is particularly effective. On the other hand, there are also a number of applications for which soldering, crimping, laser or resistance welding is the better solution. This means that ultrasonic metal welding is no substitute for other bonding techniques but rather a very welcome supplement to the range of bonding techniques. There are different applications and savings for each individual application.

The investment costs for ultrasonic metal welding equipment, depending on the features, are higher than those for a resistance welding machine or a simple soldering tool. But they are by far lower than those for laser welding equipment.

Low energy costs

The high costs for the electric energy and the necessary water cooling for a resistance welder, for example, greatly exceeds the energy costs involved in ultrasonic metal welding. Here, only an outlet for 100 V AC or 240 V AC is necessary and the energy is only required for a fraction of a second.

Superior process control

Another advantage of ultrasonic metal welding is that there are no consumable materials. If a soldered bond for which silver solder has been used can be replaced by ultrasonic metal welding, a significant payback can be realized.

In many cases, the manufacturing cycle time can also be reduced as ultrasonic metal welding often makes prework or rework redundant.

In addition to the aforementioned cost advantages, it is above all the improved welding quality which is decisive when ultrasonic welding equipment is used. The increased use of computer-controlled ultrasonic metal welding equipment offers a large scope of possible controls during the welding process. In large-scale production, this has led to a considerable reduction of rejects and quality-related problems. Apart from the mentioned advantages, ultrasonic metal welding is also a very environmentally-compatible process.

Environmentally compatible

Characteristic advantages are:

• very low energy consumption
• no cooling water necessary
• no fumes or odors
• modest space requirement

The positive results which have been observed in industries since the beginning of the '80s with the introduction of ultrasonic metal welding has led to its increasing use in many cost-intensive industries, such as the automotive industry. Considerable savings have been implemented in many sectors thanks to this technique.

Table 1 shows advantages and disadvantages of different bonding techniques.

Table 1: Comparison of bond techniques for splices