Model e-Press I N S T R U C T I O N M A N U A L Sonics & Materials, Inc.
WARRANTY Sonics & Materials, Inc., hereinafter referred to as "Sonics", warrants its products for a period of one year from the date of original shipment against defects in materials and workmanship under normal installation, use and maintenance as described in the operating instructions which accompany such equipment.
WARNING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS READ BEFORE INSTALLING OR USING THE EQUIPMENT This system has been designed to assure maximum operator safety. However, no design can completely protect against improper usage. For maximum safety and equipment protection, observe the following warnings at all times and read the instruction manual carefully before you attempt to operate the equipment. – The equipment has safety devices that require both hands to be on the palm buttons until the horn contacts the work piece.
INSPECTION Prior to installing the equipment, perform a visual inspection to detect any evidence of damage which might have occurred during shipment. Before disposing of any packing material, check it carefully for small items. The equipment was carefully packed and thoroughly inspected before leaving our factory. Responsibility for its safe delivery was assumed by the carrier upon acceptance of the shipment. Claims for loss of damage sustained in transit must therefore be made upon the carrier, as follows.
LOCATING THE EQUIPMENT The system should be installed in proximity to the electrical source, and it is supplied with an 8 Ft power cord. The area should be free from excessive dust, dirt, corrosive fumes and extremes of temperature and humidity. Allow at least 10 inches (25 cm) in back of each unit for cabling convenience. All welding press models should be placed on a sturdy level bench capable of supporting a minimum of 500 pounds (227 kg).
IMPORTANT SERVICE LITERATURE Please read carefully before operating the equipment The plastics assembly system supplied with this instruction manual is constructed of the finest available components with workmanship that meets or exceeds our highest manufacturing standards. It has been thoroughly tested and inspected before leaving the factory and when used in accordance with the procedures outlined in this manual, will provide you with many years of safe and dependable service.
TABLE OF CONTENTS GENERAL Warranty Information ____________________________________________________ Safety Precautions _____________________________________________________ Inspection ____________________________________________________________ Utilities Required _______________________________________________________ Locating the Equipment _________________________________________________ Preparation for Use _____________________________________________________ Manual Information __________________________
System Operation TOC 1.0 Introduction to Plastic Welding TOC - For an introduction to ultrasonic plastic assembly – Refer to the GX Power Supply Instruction Manual supplied with the ultrasonic power supply - pages 6 through 8. These sections discuss the basic principles of ultrasonic assembly and the major ultrasonic components – converter, booster and horn. The E-Press welding system is identical except that a solid mount booster is used that will not flex under applied pressure.
3.0 System Specifications TOC Application Types: -The E-Press Model is best applied to applications that require precise dimensional control, repeatability or improved bonding strength. Special materials and delicate components will also benefit from the velocity profile offered by the EP System. -Clean room applications that cannot allow the pressurized air systems required by conventional ultrasonic welders.
20 kHz e-Press Dimensions: Press Height: Weight: Maximum opening for parts and fixture: Depth: Width: 48” (1219.2 mm) 210 Lbs. (95 Kgs) 10” (254 mm) 25” (635 mm) 14” (355.6 mm) Motor Control: AC Power: 115 VAC @ 10 amp fuse rating. 230 VAC @ 5 amp fuse rating. Package size: 15.25” W x 6.5” H x 18.75” D. (387.3 x 165.1 x 476.25 mm.) Weight: 21 Lbs. (9.5 Kgs). Humidity: 20 – 90% non-condensing. Operating Temperature Range: 50 – 90 F (17 – 40 C) Programming: Pentium Class PC required.
4.0 Physical System and Connections TOC – Physically the system is contained in three separate packages – The stepper controller, the ultrasonic power supply and the motor press assembly. Several cables are required to connect the various pieces together – see cable diagrams on the following pages. The ultrasonic supply and the motor controller are packaged in similar size chassis and should be positioned for easy programming access and cabling.
Cable Connections for Stepper Controller and Ultrasonic Power Supply The drawings below and on the next page show the back connections of the Stepper and Ultrasonic controls. Match the cables from the press to the appropriate connections noted below. (The interconnecting cables will be supplied with your system.) Stepper Controller 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
GX Power Supply 1. J1, a round, 12-pin RF cable that connects the welding press to the power supply. 2. J2, an actuation cable that connects the power supply to a trigger source (press cable or external trigger source.) Refer to wiring diagrams at the back of this manual. 3. J4 Serial Output*** 4. J5 External I/O 5. The power line cord that plugs into the appropriate electrical outlet. 6. Fuse (0.5 amp - internal low voltage) 7. Line fuse 8.
5.0 PC Software Installation TOC – A Pentium class PC is the minimum required as the programming and monitoring interface to the stepper welder system. The computer is used to program the stepper distance and velocity controls. Once the application is setup and running properly, the computer may be removed. The system will run the programmed profile without further commands from the computer. A termination jumper must be connected to the stepper controls in order to terminate the communication signals.
6.0 Stepper Welding Operation TOC – The stepper welding process is similar to the conventional ultrasonic process. The application parts are positioned in the fixture and dual palm buttons are pressed simultaneously to initiate a weld. A cycle begins by advancing the horn to the parts at a fixed approach velocity. The approach velocity has been selected based on the mass of the head mechanism and the maximum acceleration that can be used without stalling the stepper motor.
8. When the weld cycle is complete, the system ascends to the home position (up). 9. The stepper controller transmits the final distance report and the GX ultrasonic controller transmits the weld status information. Power Up – The stepper system has two separate power switches - a green membrane key on the GX power supply and an identical green key on the E-Press Motor Control box. Both units should be powered up before the computer system is turned on. The order is not critical.
7.0 Quick Start Setup Procedure for a Typical Application TOC – This section is intended to be a quick startup checklist for an operator who is familiar with the E-Press welding system. Users who are unfamiliar with the system should read this manual and the GX power supply manual, prior to welding any parts. After reading those manuals, return to this section with a full understanding of the system interactions between distance, speed and ultrasonic controls.
programmed velocities can reach the desired position within the timer/energy settings. Velocity settings and distances, timers, limits and amplitude settings are all interactive and must be considered when setting up a stepper application. 13. The system should be ready to try a weld, be sure that parts are installed prior to initiating a weld cycle. Don’t damage the fixture or horn. 14. Simultaneously press the left and right palm buttons (black buttons) on the press base to begin a weld cycle.
8.0 Overview of the Stepper Controls TOC – The stepper front panel is shown below. It contains several switches and an LCD display necessary to initiate setup functions that are used to align the parts and fixture and to teach the system where the parts are located (the distance to the unwelded parts). The “Align” button is used first to extend the ultrasonic horn by the programmed travel distance toward the parts.
the parameter display mode, or the Align button to continue viewing current settings. The system must be returned to the ready screen prior to initiating the next weld cycle. Align Function – To use the Align function, simply depress the Align button, but do not hold it down as above. The LCD screen will display the Align Mode screen with a message indicating “Home to Abort, Palm Buttons to Start.” Press and hold the palm buttons until the display reads: “Head is in Position. Press Home when Done.
9.0 GX Power Supply Settings Be sure to consult the GX Power Supply manual for a complete explanation of the various available weld parameters and how to enter or change applicable settings. 1. Do not select Force/Pressure as the Trigger method. Instead select the Delay Timer option, so that the ultrasonics will be triggered when the Delay Time specified in the Time menu is reached (per #2 below). 2. The Delay time value must be 0.01 seconds 3.
10.0 Running the Stepper Utility Program TOC - Both controllers, the Stepper Motor Controller and the Ultrasonic Power Supply, should be powered and connected before starting the Stepper Utility Program. The stepper utility program will be an .exe file called G-Series EP_Utility located on the hard drive in the c:\EP UTILITY directory. If the computer system has been supplied by Sonics & Materials, then the stepper software will have been preinstalled and a short cut icon created on the computer desktop.
Note – Several printing options are provided by selections on the following control forms. Print driver compatibilities have not been explored beyond noting the potential problem. (Note: Laser printers have not been tested. Text only printouts have worked correctly in most cases). The proper type of printer should be used depending on production record keeping or setup and checkout. A more appropriate tractor feed printer should probably be used for production monitoring or quality records.
11.0 The Stepper Setup Screen TOC - The E-Press motion settings are selected and programmed on the E-Press setup screen. These include several motion and speed controls as well as setup information to describe the welding application. The purpose for this screen is to type, slide or increment the control parameter values until the desired settings are obtained in each text box on the left side of the screen. Select the Units and Weld mode by clicking on the appropriate buttons.
11.1 Units – Select the English or Metric system of units by clicking the appropriate indicator. This should be the first option selected when beginning an application because switching units will automatically default the associated parameters. If the programming units are changed by the operator, the weld parameters will be set to the minimum settings for the new Units selection.
used during the first weld period. This weld begins after the force trigger has been satisfied and continues until Weld Distance 1 has been reached. 11.8 Weld Distance 1 – Weld distance 1 is the distance which ends the first weld period. When the system has advanced to Weld Distance 1, the velocity and distance set-points will be adjusted for the second weld parameters (Weld Velocity 2 and Weld Distance 2). The system does not stop between the distance 1 and 2 settings unless distance 2 is set to zero.
when file operation or communications are in process. This indicator does not have any associated operator interaction. 11.15 Scales and Limits –The following table shows the allowed ranges for programmed entries on the stepper controls screen. When switching from Metric to English (or the reverse), the entries are set to default conditions. The operator must select appropriate entries for the welding application. Scales are selected for closest whole digit resolution and presentation). Table 12.
6. Help\ About Stepper Controls – This selection will display a message box to identify the present revision level of the stepper utility software. 11.17 Incremental Total Distance Window – When the incremental welding mode has been selected, a special Total Distance Window will be displayed when the Distance 1 or Distance 2 setting receives the focus. That means the Total Distance Window will appear when the cursor is clicked in either text window for Distance to highlight or change the numerical values.
Total Distance Window The section to the left shows the window as it would be displayed for a typical setting. It will only be displayed if Distance 2 has a non-zero value, incremental weld mode is selected and one of the distances has been given the focus as described above. The window can be removed by clicking the mouse on any portion of the Total Distance Window. The underlying tolerance settings will be returned.
Monitor \ Logging Form The simulated indicator lights along the lower edge of this form show the present status for file logging, printing and communication activity. When the indicators are green, the adjacent function is active. When they are red, the condition is turned off or waiting for data. These indicators are not used for operator selection, all selections for this form are made using the menu system along the top line of the form. NOTE: Line 2 shows “No Weld Data.
12.1 Content of A typical status line (as displayed on the previous page) – The content of a typical status line is displayed below with a brief description of each element. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1. “00008 10:48:49 PM 2/1/99” - This is the standard Reference # plus the time and date stamp of this weld. 2. “00391” - A reference number from the ultrasonic welder indicating the total ultrasonic cycles 3. “00.00 sec” - Weld time 4. “0.000 in” – Not applicable for e-Press, so data will be zero 5.
Any characters that have not been printed will automatically print when the option this turned off or the stepper utility program is closed. The Printer indicator at the lower left center of this form will turn green while the printer option is ON. It will be red when the selection is OFF. 4. Set-Stepper – The Set-Stepper menu selection will unload the monitor \ logging form and display the Stepper Setup form. The Set-Stepper form is used to program the motor controls as previously described. 5.
MAINTENANCE TOC Stepper Trouble-Shooting Guide TOC: The following list contains the most common problems associated with the stepper welding system and the most probable cause. The potential problem is in Bold Red and the associated discussion should help lead to a solution. 1. The Weld seems to be cut short and does not achieve the distance setpoint. Check the GX power supply weld time settings, they must be programmed long enough for the E-Press system to complete all programmed moves.
Glossary of Terms TOC Align – The horn moves to the travel distance in order to position the unwelded parts and fixture. Creep Speed - A very slow final approach speed used to find the plastic parts. It is used to avoid impact damage to the parts that would occur if the travel speed were to be used all the way to the parts. Deflection – A measurement taken at the parts position which indicates the expected bending of the ultrasonic press with applied pressure.
Upper Tolerance – The search window position above the taught position which is the expected maximum limit where the parts will be found. This position is used to end the travel approach speed and defines the start of the creep speed zone used to detect the parts. Ultrasonic controls – The GX ultrasonic controller. Weld Time – The programmed ultrasonic time in the GX Controller. Weld Velocity – The programmed speed used to advance the head assembly during the weld time.
Drawing List TOC – The following drawings are contained in this document for user reference and maintenance purposes. In certain cases, if details are difficult to read because these drawings have been reduced to fit on one page, simply enlarge (zoom) your current on-screen view. 1. E-3225 2. E-3227 3. E-3228 4. E-3229 5. E-3092 6. Schematic 7. Schematic 8. Schematic 9.
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RETURN/REPAIR NOTES It is suggested that a system in need of repair be sent back to the factory, with a written description pertaining to the nature of the problem. Always contact the factory before returning any instrument. Include date of purchase, model number and serial number. For units not covered by the warranty, a purchase order should be forwarded to avoid unnecessary delay. Care should be exercised to provide adequate packing to insure against possible damage in shipment.
