As many people now know (but possibly weren’t aware of a few months ago), PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment and is pretty much all over the news these days, as we all adapt to the new normal brought on by COVID-19.

What many people may not know, though, is that ultrasonic welding and sealing systems can be used in the assembly and manufacture of PPE, such as face masks, protective face shields, surgical gowns and many other textile and nonwoven applications.

In fact, using ultrasonics for PPE textile applications such as continuous bonding or slitting; punching; plunge bonding; and hook and loop (Velcro) bonding, actually provides superior performance in terms of speed, safety, cost-effectiveness and smoothness of finished edges.

Ultrasonic benchtop press systems, for example, are ideal for ear loop welding and plunge sealing straight stitch lines up to 12“ (320mm) long, as well as for driving threaded brass inserts. They can also be used to weld elastic strips to the sides of clear protective face shields or to weld multiple layers of material around the perimeter of a face mask.

Ultrasonic systems can be utilized for hand load/unload operations as well as automated applications. Welding presses can also be used in continuous sealing applications with specialized tooling.

In addition to presses and systems, ultrasonic components are an excellent way to achieve high-speed continuous seals when integrated into custom automated machinery. For instance, simple rotating anvil components can be used to turn an ultrasonic benchtop welding press into a continuous sealing ultrasonic sewing machine.

Ultrasonic kit generators can be supplied to OEM systems integrators to be driven by a machine‘s PLC as an even more cost effective way to apply ultrasonic technology.

Some key features and benefits of ultrasonic systems and generators for PPE applications include:

• Continuous ultrasonic signal or with stop conditions as required by the application
• Automatic frequency tracking to maximize efficiency and process stability
• Line and load regulation provide constant amplitude
• Amplitude adjustment
• Horn start rate adjustment
• Customized tools can meet the unique demands of PPE application
• Green technology using on-demand energy and no additional consumables

For a more detailed and technical explanation of how ultrasonic technology works and how it can be applied to PPE assembly, please take a look at our free webinar on Ultrasonics and PPE at this link: https://www.sonics.com/ppe-and-med-device/