Emerson Eyes the Future of Automated Plastic Joining at K 2022

Emerson will showcase automated solutions for plastics joining, highlighting Branson™ welding equipment and expertise, at K 2022, the international plastics trade fair taking place October 19-26 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

These machines, and the advanced automation systems they enable, make it possible for manufacturers to join challenging materials and complex shapes in sizes from very small to large. Industry 4.0/IIoT (industrial internet of things) capabilities allow users to collect and analyse data that help improve plant performance and ensure weld precision, consistency, quality, and aesthetics.

Product highlights:

Product Innovation: Branson™ GLX-1 Laser Welder

Being shown for the first time at K 2022, the new Branson™ GLX-1 laser welder is an efficient, highly automated, connected system that maximises efficiency and optimises equipment effectiveness. It addresses the demand for welding units that can join small, complex, often delicate plastic components with cycle times, weld strength, and aesthetics superior to those possible using most other welding methods. The new GLX-1 laser welder has a small footprint, integrating seamlessly into automated joining systems. It is Industry 4.0/IIoT-capable, delivering actionable operational data over USB and OPC-UA interfaces. The welder is available with one to three laser banks, each with a maximum of 125W power. Close-loop-controlled pneumatic actuation delivers 400N, 600N, or 1800N of clamp force over maximum stroke lengths of 75 mm in the smaller unit and 152 mm in the two larger models. The 12-inch touch-screen human-machine interface (HMI) is mounted on a swiveling pendant arm for easy viewing at convenient angles.

Branson™ GSX-E1

Branson™ GL-300 Laser Welder

The Branson™ GL-300 laser welding platform can quickly and cost-effectively adapt to changing production demands. This highly flexible, quasi-simultaneous plastic joining solution was designed to deliver efficient, high-quality welds in a wide range of applications while cost-effective and easy-to-change tooling enables faster setup and adjustment for changing product specifications. Manufacturing capabilities are further enhanced by a range of unique features, including a high-quality scanning system, easy-to-use HMI, extensive (300mm x 300mm) weld area, multiple weld modes, variable spot size as low as 0.5 mm, and an adjustable laser power source height.

Branson™ GL-300

Branson™ GSX-E1 Ultrasonic Welding Platform

The Elite Precision+ version of the Branson™ GSX-E1 ultrasonic welder is an advanced and intuitive flexible joining solution. It uses Emerson’s patent-pending “dynamic mode” to overcome the limitations of single-parameter weld-mode controls typically found on conventional ultrasonic welders. Ideal for parts that might have been hard to handle in the past, dynamic mode leverages the welder’s advanced electromechanical actuation system and optimizes the welding process through computing power and cutting-edge algorithms. Controls automatically monitor, recalculate and adjust multiple weld parameters in real-time (e.g., force, weld energy, velocity, distance) to achieve optimal, user-specified results (e.g., consistent insert depth/position and pull strength).

Branson GSX welders help manufacturers get new products to market quickly while maintaining high levels of quality and delivering a fast return on investment.

Branson™ GSX-E1

Branson™ GPX PulseStaking Series

The unique heat staking process provided by the Branson™ GPX series offers manufacturers a broad range of benefits, including superior product aesthetics and reduced energy use. The GPX series, which comprises three full-sized models and a small handheld unit, gives manufacturers greater design freedom by enabling them to join more complex, delicate, and sensitive components to plastic mouldings. A unique instantaneous heating and cooling process suits increasingly challenging applications. These include parts made of dissimilar materials with complex 3D geometries, closely aligned features, fragile or heat-sensitive components, such as soldered components or sensors, and pieces that use a more significant number of blended, glass-reinforced, chromed, and metallicized plastics. The benefits offered by PulseStaking are particularly applicable to medical devices, automotive interiors/exteriors, electronics and PC boards, and a broad assortment of other application types.

Branson™ GPX

Branson™ DCX Series ultrasonic welding power supplies from Emerson deliver industry-leading performance while providing diagnostic, data collection, and communication capabilities for packaging automation. Features include closed-loop amplitude control, programmable starting ramp-up times, and multiple weld modes that have process limits to optimise seal results.

Communication options include both Fieldbus and Ethernet/IP. DCX models are adaptable for operating multiple welders in a single network that communicates with a PLC to enable real-time weld-quality monitoring, weld data collection, and distributed weld quality control. Units are available in 20kHz, 30kHz, and 40kHz with power options up to 4000W. The DCX Series features space-saving designs with form factors – horizontal, vertical with, side mount, rack mount, and rear plane mount – to simplify the layout and installation of complex industrial automation systems.

Branson™ DCX

Branson™ GMX-20DP Ultrasonic Metal Welder

The Branson™ GMX-20DP ultrasonic metal welder – a 2021 IDEA! Award winner – joins thin, fragile nonferrous foils and films (approximately 5–10 μm) in assemblies of 100-plus layers using higher downforce and lower weld energy (weld amplitude). Its unique “direct press” actuator delivers direct vertical downforce on parts (unlike typical cantilever-type actuators) for more consistent, yet gentle, joining of more “energy-dense,” multilayered battery structures while virtually eliminating the film/foil tearing and cracking that compromises battery assembly quality. Thus, the Branson GMX-20DP welder directly enables the development of lighter, more “energy-dense” battery cells and packs capable of delivering more watt-hours per unit of battery weight.

Branson™ GMX-20DP

Branson™ GMX-20MA Ultrasonic Metal Spot Welder

The Branson™ GMX-20MA ultrasonic metal spot welder is an advanced spot welder that bonds nonferrous metals, including bus bars, foils, switches, and wire terminations in automotive electrical systems, electric vehicles, batteries, and battery packs, power storage systems, and related applications. It is built around an all-new, rigid pneumatic actuator mechanism that features dual linear bearings for smoother vertical motion and maximum long-term repeatability in tooling alignment. Once tooling/part contact is made, actuator downforce pressure is closely regulated by a digital load cell as the spot weld is completed. Programmable controls enable operators to manage the welding process in several versatile modes, ensuring the added precision required to maintain tight weld process control despite occasional variations in the part surface quality or cleanliness.

Branson™ GMX-20MA

For more information, visit Emerson in Hall 11, Stand F55, where company experts will be readily available for on-site interviews and booth walk-throughs during K 2022. Please also see www.emerson.com.