Automotive

Highest quality standards, strictest regulations and flawless appearance: the automotive industry does not allow for any tolerances. This presents a challenge for development engineers and production.

Short process times, low energy consumption and, at the same time, also extremely gentle on materials:  ultrasonic welding, separating, punching, bonding and embossing – the ideal solution for automotive components. Whether for bumpers, door panels, instrument panels, spoilers or engine parts and cargo area covers – our joints have the required properties.

Interior

With our custom machines, series machines and universal machines, thermoplastic materials can be precisely welded using ultrasonic technology. Whether for the most demanding joining geometries, large assemblies or different materials – our ultrasonic welding systems ensure precise joints for your products.Some examples:

  • Instrument panels
  • Center consoles
  • Trunk panels
  • Door panels
  • Trim strips
  • Column claddings
  • Interior panels
  • Side panels
  • Air channels

Exterior

An area where a perfect appearance and avoidance of scratches and marks is essential.

Our custom machines, series machines and universal machines allow processing steps such as ultrasonic welding to be combined with ultrasonic punching, bonding and embossing. They also feature precise workpiece clamping and compact dimensions and can be easily adapted to meet specific requirements.

Some examples:

  • Bumpers
  • Front-end and rear-end systems
  • Tailgates
  • PDC punchings
  • Side skirts
  • Roof and rear spoilers
  • Wheel arch trims
  • Wheel house coverings
  • Rear reflector
  • Reflectors on the sides

Engine bay

Components in the engine bay are exposed to extreme loads, but must still function with reliability. With the ultrasonic welding process in our custom machines,  series machines and universal machines, components are joined together without additional consumables such as adhesives.

We therefore achieve high stability, without component distortion, through our targeted energy input. Our ultrasonic machines are just as suitable for components with hard-to-reach joints as for surfaces with 3D contours.

Some examples:

  • Engine covers
  • Front wall paneling
  • Underbody panels
  • Speed sensors
  • Cone filters
  • Pump wheels
  • Engine housing

Functional components

In the case of functional components, unrestricted functionality must be ensured at all times. Tightness, pressure and impact resistance are important factors which must be ensured. In addition, the electrical system is not impaired by gentle machining.

Some examples:

  • Car keys
  • Motorcycle keys

Ultrasonic welding processes in the automotive industry

With MS ultrasonic welding solutions, we offer a wide range of processing methods:

  • Ultrasonic punching
  • Ultrasonic welding
  • Ultrasonic riveting
  • Ultrasonic cutting
  • Ultrasonic rubber cutting
  • Ultrasonic embossing

Other complementary process steps can also be incorporated into the process: Clipping, screwing, handling, etc.

Why use ultrasonic welding in the automotive sector?

A quarter of vehicle parts consist of amorphous and semi-crystalline plastics, which should be processed sustainably in a best case scenario. And the demands placed on plastic components are becoming ever more demanding, with product life and development cycles becoming ever shorter at the same time. This is where ultrasonic technology can be used as an efficient, contemporary and cost-effective machining process. The elimination of joining agents and the use of servo-electric drives concretly support the goal of sustainability.

It is the predominant goal of the automotive sector to save more energy in the production process. Ultrasonic welding supports this goal 100%. In particular, the servo-electric drives save energy and thus also CO2 emissions. They also require much less energy than other plastic welding processes. It is also possible to reduce investment, space and personnel costs by integrating complementary process steps within the machines.

Thermoplastic materials consist mainly of linear molecular chains. By applying heat to the material, the plastic is made weldable and moldable. Except for PTFE, all thermoplastics can be welded by ultrasonic. By avoiding the use of adhesives and chemicals, ultrasonic technology processes the material more sustainably. The servo-electric drives also support the sustainability thanks to their energy efficiency.

The highest demands on tightness, high-strength joints, durability and attractive appearance are just some of the advantages that can be mentioned here. The possibility of constant quality monitoring is an added benefit.

The process does not require any foreign materials (adhesives, fasteners, solvents) and can offer very short cycle times, thanks to the servo-electrically controlled work process. The integration of robot-controlled elements is thus also possible without any problems.

The aim of any joining technology is to join material firmly yet gently. The advantage here is that no additional foreign materials are required – the material itself is used exclusively (energy direction generator) in order to be able to produce the joint via ultrasonic welding. Plastic welding by ultrasonic is thus a process that is very gentle on the material. The focus is on the simple and process-reliable controllability of the welding parameters.

Due to the MS sonxWARE software included in the custom machines and its advantages, the welding data can be continuously recorded and traced. This means that the quality of the plastic welds can be traced at any time: high quality and consistently good welding results can be guaranteed. In addition to reproducibility, documentation is also ensured.

At MS, component-specific tools are individually designed for the customer’s application, constructed and manufactured in-house. This is supported by a tool change concept aimed at efficient use of the machine and its performance, as well as optimum output of customer parts.

Our solutions, suitable for your application

Custom machines

MS sonxMAC

Series machines

MS sonxTOP

MS Service

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