Patented Quadra Tech Features for Vibration Welding Technology

Dukane has developed and launched four new patented features for its vibration welding systems. Patented Q-Factor, Melt-Match, low amplitude preheat and ultrahigh frequency (260-400 Hz) welding are the said to be the “superfecta” (a type of bet, especially on horse races, in which the bettor must select the first four finishers in exact order) of technological advantages that give Dukane’s vibration welders a leading edge in plastic bonding industry.

These features have been shown to deliver strong, consistent welds with fewer particulates and improve the customer’s bottom line by providing a preventive maintenance tool to reduce capital expenses and downtime costs. Advantages of the four features are as follows:

• Q-Factor, the ‘heartbeat’ of vibration welders, provides users with a reliable tool to monitor the proper ‘healthy’ performance of all system-critical components in the vibration head and upper tooling. This feature enables users to identify a potential failure before it happens. Q-Factor monitoring is said to drastically improve preventive maintenance and reduce downtime.

• Melt-Match optimizes the welding process by matching the servo motion to the melting rate of plastic, which maximizes the heat-affected zone and penetration of the weld, decreasing weld flash, increasing weld strength and reducing its standard deviation.

• Low-Amplitude Vibration Preheat process during the weld motion delay reduces particulate in the weld, improving its strength. This technology, used in conjunction with pressure and amplitude profiling, produces results similar in appearance to preheat vibration welding without the added cost and maintenance.

• Ultrahigh frequency (260-400 Hz) welding exceeds the 200-240 Hz industry-standard bandwidth, enabling users to impart the same amount of energy into the weld zone while maintaining a lower amplitude. Ultrahigh-frequency Welding displaces less material during the weld process, reducing particulate matter and weld flash.

Dukane’s Quadra Tech Advantages are said to create the perfect vibration welding process and monitoring solution for any production environment. This cohesive integration of technologies, protected by U.S. Patent No. 8,245,748 and 8,721,817 for Q-Factor and U.S. Patent No. 9,688,017 for Melt-Match, Ultrahigh Frequency, and Low-Amplitude Preheat will offer the users a distinct competitive advantage in the marketplace, according to Leo Klinstein, Dukane’s vice president of engineering and R&D.