The present disclosure relates to ultrasonic tube sealers and more particularly, to tooling used in ultrasonic tube sealers to seal tubes.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A model of a typical ultrasonic tube sealer 100 is shown in
The mechanical vibration that results on an ultrasonic horn tip 110 is the motion that performs the task of sealing the tube 108. Ultrasonic horn tip 110 illustratively includes one or more forming tools (not shown) on sides of ultrasonic horn tip 110. A portion of the tube 108 to be sealed, typically an end portion 112, is placed between ultrasonic horn tip 110 and an anvil tip 114 of an anvil 116 and supported by anvil tip 114. Anvil tip 114 illustratively includes a forming tool (not shown). The forming tool of ultrasonic horn tip 110 is brought into contact with end portion 112 of tube 108 pinching end portion 112 between the forming tool of ultrasonic horn tip 110 and the forming tool of anvil tip 114. Typically, ultrasonic horn tip 110 is brought to a pre-determined distance from anvil tip 114 so that there is a pre-set gap between the forming tools of ultrasonic horn tip 110 and anvil tip 114 in which the end portion 112 of tube 108 to be sealed is situated. Ultrasonic vibrations are applied via the ultrasonic horn tip 110 to end portion 112 of tube 108. The ultrasonic vibrations generate heat to bond the material of the end portion 112 of tube 108 together where end portion 112 is pinched between the forming tools of ultrasonic horn tip 110 and anvil tip 114. The forming tools of ultrasonic horn tip 110 and anvil tip 114 also form the end portion 112 of tube 108, such as by cutting it. The electrical energy provided by power supply 101 is then stopped and the end portion 112 of tube 108 held closed between the forming tools of ultrasonic horn tip 110 and anvil tip 114 for a brief period of time. An examples of such a prior art ultrasonic tube sealer is the Branson Ultraseal® Ultrasonic Tube Welding System available from Branson Ultrasonics Corporation, Danbury, Conn.
Typically, the forming tools of ultrasonic horn tip 110 and the anvil tip 114 form the end portion 112 of the tube 108 to have a single seal.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure an ultrasonic horn tip for an ultrasonic horn of an ultrasonic tube sealer has a body with a plurality of sides. At least one of the sides has a pair of spaced apart weld tools configured to contact a portion of a tube being sealed in at least two places along the tube that are spaced from each other when the pair of weld tools contact the tube. In an aspect, each weld tool is an axial member that extends axially along the side of the body that has the weld tool. In an aspect, each weld tool has a convex outer surface. In an aspect, the ultrasonic horn tip includes a plurality of pairs of weld tools wherein at least opposed sides of the body each have a respective pair of the spaced apart weld tools. In an aspect, each side of the body that has the pair of weld tools includes a cut-off knife adjacent to a laterally outer side of one of the weld tools. In an aspect, the body is an integral part of an ultrasonic horn.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an anvil for an ultrasonic tube sealer includes a body having a pair of spaced apart weld pads configured to contact a portion of a tube being sealed in at two places along the tube that are spaced from each other when the anvil contact the tube. In an aspect, each weld pad is an axial member that extends axially along the body of the anvil. In an aspect, each weld pad has a flat outer knurled surface. In an aspect, a laterally outer side of one of the weld pads has a cut-off edge.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a tooling kit for an ultrasonic tube sealer includes the ultrasonic horn tip and anvil described above.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
Tooling 200 includes an ultrasonic horn tip 208 and an anvil 210. In an aspect, tooling 200 is a tooling kit that includes ultrasonic horn tip 208 and anvil 210. Ultrasonic horn tip 208 is disposed on an ultrasonic horn 212 of ultrasonic tube sealer 202. In the example embodiment, ultrasonic horn tip 208 is a replaceable component and mounted on ultrasonic horn 212. It should be understood that ultrasonic horn tip 208 could be an integral part of ultrasonic horn tip 208.
Ultrasonic horn tip 208 illustratively has a body 209 having a plurality of sides 214 (
Ultrasonic tube sealer 202 operates in the same manner as ultrasonic tube sealer 100 to seal end portion 204. That is, one of the pairs of weld tools 216 of ultrasonic horn tip 208 and the weld pads 222 are brought together contacting end portion 204 of tube 206 at two places 224 that are spaced apart from each other and pinching end portion 204 between them at the two places 224. It should be understood that when the pair of weld tools 216 and the weld pads 222 pinch end portion 204 of tube 206 between them at spaced apart places 224, weld tools 216 and weld pads 222 are spaced from each other a predetermined distance, typically slightly less than two times a thickness of a wall of tube 206. Ultrasonic vibrations are applied via the ultrasonic horn tip 208 to end portion 204. The ultrasonic vibrations generate heat to bond the material of the end portion 204 together at the two places 224 where end portion 204 is pinched between the weld tools 216 of ultrasonic horn tip 208 and the weld pads 222 of anvil 210. Cut-off knife 228 of ultrasonic horn tip 208 in cooperation with cut-off edge 230 anvil 210 also cuts tube 206 to cut off section 232 with cut off section 232 having the end portion 204 sealed in the two places 224. The electrical energy provided by power supply 101 (
Illustratively, tube 206 extends laterally across weld tools 216 of ultrasonic horn tip 208 and weld pads 222. After each section 232 is cut off with a dual sealed end portion 204 and ultrasonic horn tip 208 opened (moved away from anvil 210, the tube 206 is then moved laterally an appropriate amount and the operation repeated to make another section 232 having its end portion 204 dual sealed.
Tube 206 is illustratively a copper or aluminum tube and the cut off sections 232 with their dual sealed end portions 204 are advantageously utilized in refrigeration systems, with one example being in cooling coils of air conditioning systems. The dual seal of end portion 204 of the cut off section 232 advantageously accommodates the close spaces between tubes in cooling cools of air conditioning units and the pressure experienced in the tubes. In this regard, the two places 224 where end portion sealed together are illustratively close together compared to other sealing operations such as acetylene flame torch brazing.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/234,830 filed on Sep. 30, 2015. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62234830 | Sep 2015 | US |