Advanced 2-Pole Digital Servo Drive Vibration System
Forward's Advanced 2-Pole Digital Servo Drive Vibration system patented. To learn more about Forward Technology's patents click here.
The Advanced 2-Pole Digital Servo Drive Linear Vibration Welder is one of our latest breakthroughs in thermoplastic welding technology.
Continuous developmental efforts to advance Vibration Welding technology have led to the new 2-Pole Digital Drive System. This patented technology allows vastly improved process control while substantially increasing the available power. The newly designed drive was developed from many years of experience and was the next logical step to improving the maintenance-free electromagnetic vibration head. This technology offers improvements in overall efficiency (significant power increase), capability (amplitude/process control) and productivity (application benefits) beyond any vibration welding design currently on the market.
Significant Power Increase
Each magnet in the new drive is driven by an independent amplifier to allow for maximum efficiency. This ensures no overlap of applied magnetic fields, as typically seen in traditional 3-Pole vibration welding drives. An industrial high-speed processor controlsthis process. As a result, power is increased significantly over traditional 3-Pole systems.
Amplitude/Process Control
The ultra high-speed processor monitors for over-travel every 0.00022 seconds resulting in approximately 18 check points on each amplitude wave in a 250Hz system. Due to the high efficiency and accuracy of the amplitude control, full amplitude can be in as low as 0.032 seconds. Traditional systems are working between 0.3 and 1 seconds depending upon the application.
The Automatic Frequency Resonant Control (AFRC) of the new vibration welder allows continuous tuning throughout the welding step (no longer requiring auto-tuning as a time consuming setup-step). The system will adjust the frequency constantly during each weld depending on tool weight and part conditions. Optimal power is being delivered to the part throughout the welding cycle.
The new system also allows for higher flexibility on several variables:
- Frequency ranges from 180 to 240 Hz
- Clamp force up to 8000 lbs.
- Possible upper tooling weight range from 40 - 105kg
Features like profiling of amplitude and pressure, as well as multiple weld modes (welding and/or setting process control limits by: Time, Collapse Distance or Absolute Distance) are part of the optimized weld controls.
Data communication ports can be integrated and used to connect the welder to a customer's computer station for data acquisition and SPC purposes.
Application Benefits
As compared to traditional 3-Pole drive vibration welders, the new digital drive system re-defines the process phases of vibration welding. The following graphs were taken while welding the identical parts utilizing the same tooling first on a traditional 3-Pole drive vibration welder followed by a welder equipped with our Advanced 2-Pole Digital Drive system.
- In the example above, complete weld time on the same parts went from approximately 7 seconds down to 4 seconds.
- Melt phases are drastically reduced due to reaching the optimal amplitude at a much faster rate and the high power efficiency of the welder.
In some applications using this system, there has been a significant reduction in the amount of flash produced during the vibration process. This reduction is due to the fast melting times in the melt phases of the vibration welding process. The flash, in some cases, actually resembles a part welded by using the hot plate welding process