Telsonic UK Limited

Telsonic has been present within the UK market since 1977. Since then, the comprehensive range of high quality ultrasonic products available from the company has enabled Telsonic to build up a strong and diverse UK customer base. Telsonic UK Limited will further consolidate this position with their participation at the Total Processing & Packaging show, to be held at the NEC between the 25th and 27th May 2010.

Telsonic has been present within the UK market since 1977. Since then, the comprehensive range of high quality ultrasonic products available from the company has enabled Telsonic to build up a strong and very diverse UK customer base. Telsonic UK Limited will further consolidate this position as a market leader with their participation in the Plastics Design & Moulding exhibition and conference, to be held at the Telford International Centre between the 18th and 20th May 2010.

For many manufacturers of plastic moulded components, ultrasonic welding has become their preferred joining method as the process is clean, fast and extremely energy efficient. The best and most consistent results however, are always obtained when consideration is given to the materials being used, joint design, preparation and the specific application of the technology, as these factors have a major influence on the process. In this article, Telsonic’s Martin Frost discusses how thinking ahead about the process and components can assist designers and integrators of the technology to avoid pitfalls and make the most of what is a highly flexible and robust joining technology.

Ultrasonic welding has become the preferred joining method for many manufacturers as they realise the benefits of speed, precision and control which are characteristic of the process. As the range of applications has increased so too has the way the technology is used. Today’s ultrasonic welding systems take many forms, from simple hand held single sonotrode units to complex multi-sonotrode machines used to produce large assemblies.

Occupant safety in motor vehicles has become a major consideration, and increasingly an influencing factor for the car buyer. Today, we take it for granted that a vehicle will have a driver and passenger airbag as a minimum, however many vehicles now also have side impact airbags installed within seats or doors and even curtain airbags which deploy from the roof of the cabin. As individuals, we have now come to expect that in the event of a collision, each airbag will operate flawlessly to minimise the risk of injury, giving little if any thought to the processes used to produce these safety critical items.

As the use of ultrasonics for welding continues to expand, applications have become not only more diverse but complex and today it is not uncommon to find highly automated, multi sonotrode systems in many instances. Seeing the technology applied in this way clearly demonstrates the level of confidence that demanding industries such as medical device and automotive have in the process. It is interesting to note however that in many cases, the trust and confidence in the process was first established from demonstrations or prototype work, often using a simple hand held, single sonotrode unit.

Telsonic has been present within the UK market since 1977. Since then, the comprehensive range of high quality ultrasonic products available from the company has enabled Telsonic to build up a strong UK customer base. Telsonic UK Limited will further consolidate this position with their participation in the Manufacturing Technology Scotland 2009 Exhibition, to be held at the SECC in Glasgow between the 11th and 12th November 2009.

Telsonic has been present within the UK market since 1977. Since then, the comprehensive range of high quality ultrasonic products available from the company has enabled Telsonic to build up a strong and diverse UK customer base. Telsonic UK Limited will further consolidate this position with their participation at this year’s PPMA show, to be held at the NEC between the 29th September and 1st October 2009.

At first glance we might fail to see any link between products as diverse as wound dressings, filter membranes, cosmetic cleansing pads and labels for everyday items of clothing. Look a little closer however, and it becomes apparent that they all have at least one common feature, a non-frayed, sealed and smooth edge produced using ultrasonic Cut’n’Seal technology.

Telsonic has been present within the UK market since 1977. Since then, the comprehensive range of high quality ultrasonic products available from the company has enabled Telsonic to build up a strong UK customer base. Telsonic UK Limited will further consolidate this position with their participation in the Surface World Show 2009, to be held at the NEC between the 27th and 29th October 2009.

The plastics industry is complex with a vast range of materials and polymers used to manufacture a multitude of products for industries as diverse as Automotive, Medical Device, Pharmaceuticals, Packaging, Electronics and Aerospace. Within each of these industries there is a requirement to perform one or more operations such as Welding, Cutting, Sealing or Forming on plastic components and historically manufacturers have used several different technologies to achieve these objectives. Ultrasonics however, is a technology which is now being applied to an ever increasing number of applications due to the combined benefits of inherent flexibility, low energy consumption and precise process control.

Based in a new purpose built 65,000 sq metre facility at Cumbernauld in Scotland, OKI (UK) Limited has over 500 employees involved in the configuration of OKI printers and faxes, plus the manufacture of toner cartridges and ribbons. Since OKI Printing Solutions Cumbernauld was founded in 1987 the company has gone from strength to strength and achieved an outstanding reputation for quality and performance within the global electronics industry. The determination of the company to maintain this reputation has led OKI to evaluate their manufacturing processes and systems on a regular basis. This ensures that product quality and performance continue to be enhanced whilst at the same time output is increased to meet the growing demand for the products manufactured at the Scottish factory. One example of this philosophy has been the extensive collaboration between OKI and Telsonic UK to evaluate and subsequently introduce ultrasonic welding to the plants toner cartridge assembly lines.

Today, ultrasonic welding and joining is commonplace in many different industries and applications. With a track record spanning over 40 years, Telsonic has established an enviable reputation for not only high quality and reliable products, but also for innovation and leadership within the industry. The unrivalled applications experience of Telsonic, backed by ongoing product development, has now led the company to launch a new business unit which will focus on bringing the benefits of Telsonic ultrasonic technology to the volume packaging market.

With a presence within the United Kingdom for 32 years, Telsonic UK Limited has been involved in a multitude of applications across a diverse range of industries and has subsequently acquired enviable levels of process and application knowledge. When Siemens presented the challenge of achieving an IP54 rated welded joint on an inverter operator panel, which incorporated sensitive electronics, Telsonic were once again able to demonstrate their ability to provide an innovative solution to a difficult welding application.

The use of ultrasonics as a process for welding, joining and sealing has been widespread within industries such as plastics and automotive for many years. The characteristics of the conventional process, which produces amplitude in the vertical plane, has until now however limited the use of the technology for certain applications within the electronics or medical device industries. This has been largely due to concerns over possible damage to fragile electronic components or perforation of micron thin seals and membranes. The new Soniqtwist® technique developed by Telsonic in Switzerland eliminates these problems using small circumferential amplitudes, and allows even the most delicate electronic components and membranes to be joined, welded or sealed using this pioneering process.

For many people, the word “ultrasonic” is often immediately linked to medical equipment for diagnosis and therapy, or if you are involved in manufacturing, joining systems for plastics and packaging. The role of ultrasonic technology in cleaning however has been widespread for many years, with this process quietly performing a crucial role in many areas whilst the more publicised welding and joining applications captured the limelight.

The continuing downturn in the global economy towards the end of 2008 presented many UK companies with the challenge of reducing costs in an attempt to secure profits or in some cases just break even. Against this pessimistic background however, Telsonic UK Limited has reported a record year with 2008 turnover exceeding expectations at 24% above target.