Ultrasonic welding equipment with air cooling

Abstract

An ultrasonic welding apparatus (1) is described that includes a transducer arrangement (3) having an ultrasonic vibration generator (7), a sonotrode (9) coupled to the ultrasonic vibration generator (7), and a cooling device (5) individually assigned to the transducer arrangement (3). The cooling device (5) has at least one fan (27) for generating an airflow (35, 37). The cooling device (5) is connected to the transducer arrangement (3) in a region adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator (7) by a fluid communication connection (25) to generate an airflow (35, 37) surrounding and / or passing through the ultrasonic vibration generator (7) using the fan (27).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic welding device, and more particularly to an ultrasonic welding device equipped with a specially configured cooling device. [Background technology]

[0002] Ultrasonic welding was developed to mechanically and reliably connect at least two components to be joined. This process requires a highly conductive connection between the components, especially if they are made of conductive materials. For example, ultrasonic welding can be used to weld the stranded core of a cable to one or more stranded cores of other cables and / or other components, such as plugs. Alternatively, ultrasonic welding can be used to densify or shape individual stranded cores by welding the individual wires within the stranded core together.

[0003] An ultrasonic welding apparatus that can be used for this purpose includes at least one transducer arrangement in which an ultrasonic vibration generator is coupled to a sonotrode. The ultrasonic vibration generator is configured to generate ultrasonic vibrations, typically at a frequency of 20 kHz to 100 kHz, preferably 20 kHz to 35 kHz, and transmit them to the sonotrode. For this purpose, the ultrasonic vibration generator generally includes a transducer that converts an electrical signal varying within the ultrasonic frequency range into mechanical ultrasonic vibrations, for example, by a piezoelectric actuator activated by the electrical signal. Typically, the ultrasonic vibration generator also includes a booster that can modify or amplify the ultrasonic vibrations generated in the transducer and then transmit them to the sonotrode. The sonotrode is then configured to transmit the ultrasonic vibrations to the welding material. To do so, the parts to be joined are received in a welding material-receiving volume adjacent to the sonotrode, and then the vibrating sonotrode is applied to the welding material. In this context, the ultrasonic welding apparatus typically includes additional components, particularly components adjacent to the welding material-receiving volume, such as an anvil, a side pusher, and / or a platen.

[0004] During ultrasonic welding, a significant amount of heat is generated in both the weld material and the components of the ultrasonic welding equipment, where the heat input is dependent on a variety of factors. In particular, heat input typically increases with the welding speed or welding cycle time, as well as the size of the parts being welded.

[0005] Excessive heating of ultrasonic welding equipment components and / or welding materials can have adverse effects.

[0006] In particular, rapid heating of ultrasonic welding equipment components can cause malfunctions. For example, excessive heating of the transducer can cause problems in converting electrical ultrasonic signals into mechanical vibrations. Furthermore, excessive temperatures of welding tools coupled to ultrasonic vibration generators, such as sonotrodes, anvils, side pushers, and / or platens, can impair the functionality of these tools. For example, thermal expansion can cause the tools to jam, e.g., due to reduced clearances. In particular, tool components that must move relative to each other during the welding operation can come into direct contact, leading to friction loss, jamming, or welding between the tool components.

[0007] Furthermore, excessively high temperatures can adversely affect the properties of the tool component itself. For example, the material of the tool component may suffer increased wear or premature fatigue. Furthermore, microcracks may develop on the surface of the tool component, and the weld material may penetrate these microcracks, which may lead to larger cracks in subsequent welding operations, or, in the worst case, to the chipping of relatively large particles from the tool component.

[0008] Additionally, excessively high temperatures of the parts during the welding operation can affect the quality of the welded connection between the parts being joined.

[0009] Finally, high temperatures may be transmitted from tool components of the ultrasonic welding device to, for example, the housing of the ultrasonic welding device, posing a risk of burns to an operator of the ultrasonic welding device.

[0010] To date, welding parameters such as welding energy, welding speed, or cycle time have been kept sufficiently low to avoid excessive heating in ultrasonic welding devices. Alternatively or additionally, cooling means have also been implemented. For example, compressed air, commonly available in industrial production environments, has been supplied to areas of ultrasonic welding devices to cool them. As a further option, the applicant of the present patent application described in a previous patent application, International Publication No. WO 2021 / 089155, a sonotrode mechanism that can be cooled using a cooling device, which has a cooling body that is held in a supported manner and can be reversibly moved closer to or farther away from the contact surface of the transducer arrangement as needed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 089155 Summary of the Invention

[0012] There may be a need for alternative ultrasonic welding devices that can cool the area of ​​the transducer placement efficiently and / or in a manner that is technically easy to implement.

[0013] This need can be met by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and the following description and presented in the accompanying drawings.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic welding apparatus is described that includes a transducer arrangement having an ultrasonic vibration generator, a sonotrode coupled to the ultrasonic vibration generator, and a cooling device individually assigned to the transducer arrangement. The cooling device has at least one fan for generating an airflow. The cooling device is connected to the transducer arrangement in a region adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator by a fluid communication connection to generate an airflow surrounding and / or passing through the ultrasonic vibration generator using the fan.

[0015] First, a brief description of basic concepts related to the embodiments of the present invention described herein will be provided. This description should not be construed as limiting the present invention, but should be understood as merely a rough overview.

[0016] As already mentioned at the beginning, the transducer arrangement of an ultrasonic welding apparatus must be operated and / or cooled in a manner that avoids excessively high temperatures during the ultrasonic welding operation and the resulting adverse effects on the tool components and / or the welded connection established between the parts to be joined. Various approaches have been proposed to provide cooling. For example, the tool components can be cooled, at least temporarily, by applying a cooling body from a cooling device. However, this requires a relatively complex structure including bearings and, in some cases, actuators. Furthermore, it is known to extract air from a welding material-containing volume adjacent to the sonotrode to remove gases and / or particles generated during welding, which should result in a specific cooling effect on the sonotrode. A further approach is to supply compressed air to the ultrasonic welding apparatus to cool the tool components of the ultrasonic welding apparatus. Typically, the compressed air is provided from a compressed air tank, as is commonly available in industrial production facilities. Such compressed air tanks often have a central compressor, so that the compressed air can be available to multiple different machines and for different purposes. However, it is known that compressed air supplied in this manner often contains at least small amounts of contaminants, in particular oil droplets which may come from the compressor, and that such contaminants can accumulate in the transducer arrangement, in particular its converter, and cause failures there.

[0017] In contrast to all of the above approaches, the approach described herein describes cooling the transducer arrangement by a specially configured cooling device. In this case, the cooling device is assigned individually to the transducer arrangement, i.e., each ultrasonic welding apparatus or each transducer arrangement provided therein has its own cooling device. In other words, the cooling device of an ultrasonic welding apparatus is configured to cool only the transducer arrangement of that ultrasonic welding apparatus and not any other machinery. For this purpose, the cooling device has a simple fan for generating an airflow that flows through the area of ​​the transducer arrangement and provides cooling there. The airflow generated by the fan can simply come from the surroundings, i.e., it does not need to be actively cooled; ambient air is generally considered to be cooler than the currently operating ultrasonic vibration generator and can therefore be used to cool that generator. Alternatively or additionally, the airflow used for cooling can be actively cooled, for example by extracting heat from it via a heat exchanger.

[0018] In this case, the cooling device is connected to the transducer arrangement in fluid communication so that an airflow generated by the cooling device can enter or exit a volume within or adjacent to the transducer arrangement via the fluid communication. In this context, a fluid communication should be interpreted as a connection between the cooling device and the transducer arrangement that allows a fluid, such as a gas (especially air), to circulate between the two components. The fluid communication may, for example, be configured in the form of a connecting pipe. Alternatively, the fluid communication may be configured as a flange that allows the cooling device to be flange-mounted to a housing that surrounds the transducer arrangement.

[0019] In particular, in this case the fluid connection is connected to a region of the transducer arrangement adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator, in other words the fluid connection is intended to connect a region of the transducer arrangement that is located closer to the ultrasonic vibration generator than the sonotrode, in particular closer to the converter, to the cooling device.

[0020] Thus, the cooling device can direct the airflow provided by the cooling device's fan directly at the ultrasonic vibration generator, around the ultrasonic vibration generator, and / or through the ultrasonic vibration generator, after which the flowing air can, for example, exit the housing surrounding the ultrasonic vibration generator through an outlet or flow to other tool components contained in the housing.

[0021] In this way, the cooling device differs from the aforementioned approaches, which use centrally provided compressed air for multiple machines and purposes. Individually allocating a cooling device to a single transducer arrangement can, among other things, avoid the introduction of contaminants from the compressed air source or other machines connected to that compressed air source into the transducer arrangement of the ultrasonic welding device. Furthermore, the cooling device can operate completely independently of other devices. Thus, the cooling performance achieved by the cooling device can be specifically adapted to the ultrasonic welding device and its current mode. As a result, among other things, more consistent converter characteristics can be achieved, thereby resulting in more consistent welding results. In contrast, if cooling is achieved by compressed air, significant variations in cooling performance can occur, for example, if other machines have significantly different compressed air requirements at different times. Furthermore, cooling the ultrasonic welding device using a cooling device individually allocated to the ultrasonic welding device, rather than by a central compressed air supply, can reduce energy consumption in the compressed air supply. Furthermore, because the cooling device for the ultrasonic welding device itself does not necessarily require a compressed air supply, the overall consumption of compressed air is reduced, which can reduce pressure fluctuations in the compressed air supply of the entire industrial facility and therefore reduce adverse effects on other equipment in the compressed air system. Overall, the approach presented herein can provide effective and economical cooling for ultrasonic welding devices. Therefore, the cooling device requires less energy, allowing the ultrasonic welding device to operate in an environmentally friendly manner with fewer emissions and / or require less maintenance. Advantageously, a cooling device such as that proposed herein can also be retrofitted to existing ultrasonic welding devices as needed.

[0022] Possible configurations and advantages of embodiments of ultrasonic welding devices are described in further detail below.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the fan comprises a motor and a propeller driven by the motor.

[0024] The fan can therefore have a technically very simple structure, can be provided cost-effectively, and can operate reliably. The fan can be a standard product that is very frequently used in a wide range of applications, for example for cooling computer components. This type of fan can generate sufficient airflow to cool the transducer arrangement with very low power consumption, for example less than 500 W, preferably less than 300 W, less than 100 W, or even less than 30 W. The motor can be, for example, an electric motor. However, it is also possible to use different types of motors, for example a compressed air motor. The motor is configured to rotate a propeller. The propeller has blades that generate the desired airflow by the movement of the propeller.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the transducer arrangement or its ultrasonic vibration generator comprises a converter and a booster, and a cooling device is functionally and locally connected to the transducer arrangement in a special way in order to mainly generate an airflow surrounding and / or passing through the converter using a fan.

[0026] In other words, the cooling device and fluid communication are specially shaped and connected to the transducer arrangement such that the generated airflow first flows exclusively, or at least mostly, around and / or through the converter before exiting the transducer arrangement, for example through an outlet, or reaching other components of the transducer arrangement. Thus, the cooling device can provide very efficient cooling, especially for the converter.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the fan is configured to generate a pressure difference of less than 2000 hPa, preferably less than 1000 hPa, less than 300 hPa, less than 100 hPa or even less than 50 hPa to generate the airflow.

[0028] In other words, the fan may be configured to provide only a relatively small pressure differential to generate the airflow used for cooling. In this case, the pressure differential is based on the difference in air pressure between the area where the fan draws in air and the area where the fan blows out air. Relatively speaking, the pressure differential may be interpreted relative to the ambient air pressure. Because the pressure differential provided by the fan is relatively small, the cooling device described herein differs significantly from approaches intended to achieve cooling with compressed air, which is often provided at a significantly larger pressure differential. Due to the low air pressure, requirements regarding, for example, mechanical strength and / or sealing, can be kept relatively low both inside the cooling device and in the fluid communication and its coupling to the ultrasonic vibration generator, particularly compared to approaches where cooling is achieved with pressurized air. In order to provide adequate cooling performance inside the transducer arrangement, the fan and fluid communication may be configured to provide a high airflow, for example greater than 5 l / min, preferably greater than 15 l / min, 30 l / min, or even greater than 100 l / min, or even greater than 500 l / min, despite a relatively low differential pressure. To this end, the fan and / or fluid communication may be configured to have a large cross-sectional area, i.e., the surface area through which the airflow flows is greater than, for example, 2 cm 2 Over or 5cm 2 More than 10cm, preferably 2 Over or 25cm 2 It may be configured to be super.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the cooling device is configured to generate an airflow as an inlet flow directed from the fan towards the transducer arrangement.

[0030] In other words, the cooling device with the fan may be configured and operated so that the airflow generated therein can flow through the fluid communication connection to the transducer arrangement, thus injecting it at overpressure. As a result, a very precisely defined airflow can be provided to the transducer arrangement. Furthermore, it can be ensured that substantially the entire airflow surrounding and / or flowing through the transducer arrangement is provided by the fan and flows through the fluid communication connection before entering the transducer arrangement. This airflow may optionally be filtered and / or cooled.

[0031] According to more specific embodiments, the cooling device may further comprise an air filter, the air filter being positioned in the airflow upstream of the fan with respect to the airflow generated by the fan, or positioned in the airflow between the fan and the transducer arrangement.

[0032] This type of air filter can, for example, filter particles and / or other contaminants from the airflow used for cooling, preventing such particles or contaminants from reaching the ultrasonic vibration generator and potentially impairing its function, and can also prevent particles from being transported by the airflow toward the operator of the ultrasonic welding machine and potentially interfering with or injuring the operator.

[0033] According to an alternative embodiment, the cooling device is configured to generate an extracted airflow in a direction from the transducer arrangement towards the fan.

[0034] In other words, the cooling device with a fan may be configured and operated so that the airflow generated therein flows through the fluid connection coming from the transducer arrangement and is thus extracted from the transducer arrangement under vacuum. For example, this may enter the transducer arrangement at one or more inlet openings, then cause an airflow within the transducer arrangement that may surround and / or flow through areas of the transducer arrangement, particularly the ultrasonic vibration generator of the transducer arrangement, and then be extracted via a fluid connection connected to the transducer arrangement. The air may be, for example, ambient air. This ambient air may have a lower temperature and therefore a better cooling effect than air that would be heated before reaching the ultrasonic vibration generator to be cooled by first flowing through a fan, as in the above-mentioned example embodiment. Optionally, an air filter may be provided at the inlet opening to the transducer arrangement to prevent the ingestion of contaminants or to remove contaminants from the inhaled ambient air.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the cooling device is further connected in fluid communication with the transducer arrangement in a region adjacent to the sonotrode to generate an airflow using a fan surrounding and / or passing through the sonotrode or the welding material containing volume adjacent to the sonotrode.

[0036] In other words, the cooling device may be connected in fluid communication not only to the area of ​​the transducer arrangement adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator, but also to the area adjacent to the sonotrode, again in fluid communication. Thus, the fan of the cooling device may provide airflow surrounding and / or passing through both the ultrasonic vibration generator and the sonotrode or the welding material-containing volume adjacent to the sonotrode. Thus, a single cooling device may be used to achieve effective cooling of both the ultrasonic vibration generator and the sonotrode.

[0037] In this context, according to further specific embodiments, the cooling device may be configured, on the one hand, to generate an air flow as an extraction flow in a direction from the ultrasonic vibration generator towards the fan, and, on the other hand, to generate said air flow as an extraction flow in a direction from the sonotrode and / or the welding material receiving volume towards the fan.

[0038] In other words, the cooling device may be configured to extract air from both the area adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator and the area adjacent to the sonotrode, i.e., in both cases, the airflow is directed from the relevant area toward the fan, which may be connected to the transducer device via a respective fluid connection. In this way, the fan extracts air from the area of ​​the ultrasonic vibration generator and the area of ​​the sonotrode in parallel. A single fan in the cooling device may be sufficient for this purpose. In this case, the cooling device can provide cooling for both the ultrasonic vibration generator and the sonotrode and any adjacent tool components, while also extracting gases or particles, such as are often generated in the area adjacent to the sonotrode during ultrasonic welding. Therefore, the device may have a simple and cost-effective design. In this regard, air, for example in the form of ambient air, may be drawn into the relevant area to be cooled, for example, through a corresponding through-opening in a housing surrounding the area.

[0039] In particular, according to more specific embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration generator and / or the sonotrode can be enclosed by a housing having an air inlet near an area adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator and / or an air inlet near an area adjacent to the sonotrode, the air inlet having a filter for filtering air flowing through the air inlet.

[0040] An air filter of this kind can reliably prevent particles or contaminants caused by the airflow at the transducer arrangement from reaching the ultrasonic vibration generator and / or sonotrode and impairing their functioning.

[0041] According to an alternative embodiment, the cooling device may be configured to generate, on the one hand, an air flow as an injection flow in a direction from the fan towards the ultrasonic vibration generator, and, on the other hand, to generate said air flow as an extraction flow in a direction from the sonotrode and / or the welding material receiving volume towards the fan.

[0042] In other words, the cooling device may be configured to extract air from the area adjacent to the sonotrode (i.e., an airflow is generated from the area adjacent to the sonotrode toward the fan) and to inject air into the area adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator (i.e., an airflow is generated from the fan in the cooling device toward the area adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator in the transducer arrangement), and may be connected to the transducer arrangement via respective fluid connections. Thus, the fan can extract air from the area surrounding the sonotrode and inject it into the area surrounding the ultrasonic vibration generator. As a result, a certain circuit can be formed. In this regard, the circuit may be closed or partially open; in the latter case, for example, ambient air may first be drawn into the area surrounding the sonotrode, for example, through a ventilation opening, then extracted by the cooling device, and thereafter the same air may be injected into the area surrounding the ultrasonic vibration generator and discharged from there to the environment through a further ventilation opening. An air filter may be provided at least in the ventilation opening through which the air drawn into the area surrounding the sonotrode passes. Alternatively or additionally, a fan may be positioned in the region of extraction upstream of the fan. As with the embodiment described above, in this case too a single fan in the cooling device may be sufficient, the cooling device being able to cool both the ultrasonic vibration generator and the sonotrode while simultaneously extracting gas and particles from the region adjacent to the sonotrode.

[0043] According to a more specific embodiment, the cooling device may comprise a filter, which filters air flowing through the filter that is drawn from the sonotrode and / or the welding material receiving volume towards the fan.

[0044] This type of air filter allows the air extracted from the area around the sonotrode, which may contain particles and / or gases frequently generated in ultrasonic welding, to be filtered and thus cleaned before being further directed and injected into the area around the ultrasonic vibration generator, thus protecting the latter from contaminants.

[0045] According to a further embodiment, the ultrasonic welding apparatus can further comprise a further cooling device, which is individually assigned to the transducer arrangement and has at least one fan for generating an airflow, in this context the further cooling device being connected in fluid communication with the transducer arrangement in the region adjacent to the sonotrode for generating an airflow using the fan surrounding and / or passing through the sonotrode or the welding material receiving volume adjacent to the sonotrode.

[0046] In other words, an ultrasonic welding apparatus can have two separate cooling devices, both of which are individually assigned to their transducer arrangements. One cooling device is configured with its fan to generate an airflow surrounding and / or passing through the ultrasonic vibration generator, while the other cooling device is configured with its fan to generate an airflow surrounding and / or passing through the sonotrode or through a welding material-containing volume adjacent to the sonotrode. In this case, the two cooling devices can be operated and activated independently of each other so that the cooling performance can be specifically adapted to the ultrasonic vibration generator on the one hand and the sonotrode on the other. In this case, the cooling devices can be set to injection or extraction mode as needed. The two cooling devices or their fans can be configured identically to avoid the need to keep different cooling devices and fans in stock for the same ultrasonic welding apparatus. However, the cooling devices or their fans can be configured differently to adapt them to different conditions in the ultrasonic vibration generator and the sonotrode, for example, with regard to air transport capacity.

[0047] According to a more specific embodiment, the further cooling device may be configured to generate an air flow as an extraction flow in a direction from the sonotrode and / or the welding material receiving volume towards the fan.

[0048] In other words, an extraction mode may be preferred for the cooling device assigned to the sonotrode in order to cool the sonotrode and also extract gases or particles generated therein.

[0049] It should be noted that possible features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to an ultrasonic welding apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that features described with respect to a particular embodiment may be equally suitably carried over to other embodiments and / or may be adjusted and / or interchanged to provide further embodiments of the present invention and, in some cases, synergistic effects.

[0050] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but neither the drawings nor the description should be construed as limiting the present invention in any way. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0051] [Figure 1] 1 shows an ultrasonic welding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, including a cooling device for creating an airflow in an area of ​​the ultrasonic welding device. [Figure 2] 1 shows an ultrasonic welding apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, with a cooling device in the form of a dual extraction system for extracting airflow from two areas of the ultrasonic welding apparatus. [Figure 3] 1 shows an ultrasonic welding device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, including a cooling device that provides an airflow circuit between two regions of the ultrasonic welding device. [Figure 4] 10 shows an ultrasonic welding apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, which includes two separate cooling devices providing airflow to two areas of the ultrasonic welding apparatus.

[0052] The drawings are only highly schematic and are not to scale. In the various figures, the same reference numbers refer to the same features or features with the same action. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0053] 1 shows a first embodiment of an ultrasonic welding device 1. The ultrasonic welding device 1 comprises a transducer arrangement 3 and a cooling device 5.

[0054] The transducer arrangement 3 comprises at least one ultrasonic vibration generator 7 and a sonotrode 9 coupled to the ultrasonic vibration generator 7. In the example shown, the ultrasonic vibration generator 7 comprises a converter 11 and a booster 13. The sonotrode 9 is adjacent to the weld material receiving volume 17 by a sonotrode head 15. An anvil 19 is provided on the side of the weld material receiving volume 17 opposite the sonotrode 9. Furthermore, additional components, such as a side pusher and / or a surface plate (neither shown), may laterally bound the weld material receiving volume 17. The transducer arrangement 3 is housed in a housing 21 and may be supported on the housing 21 by, inter alia, a zero-point bearing 23.

[0055] The cooling device 5 has a fan 27 capable of generating airflows 35, 37. The fan 27 has a motor 29 and a propeller 31 driven by the motor 29. Depending on the direction of rotation of the propeller 31, the propeller 31 can generate an injection flow 35 (indicated by an arrow) flowing in a direction towards the transducer arrangement 3, or an extraction flow 37 (indicated by a dashed arrow) flowing in the opposite direction, each airflow 35, 37 following the pressure difference created by the propeller 31.

[0056] The cooling device 5 is connected to the transducer arrangement 3 by a fluid connection 25. The fluid connection 25 is connected to the transducer arrangement 3 in the region adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator 7, in particular the converter 11. By way of example, the fluid connection 25 may be realized by a pipe 26, a hose, or the like. In this case, as shown in the figure, the fluid connection 25 can be coupled at one end to the housing 33 of the cooling device 5 and at the other end to the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3, so that air flows 35, 37 can be induced between the internal volumes of the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3 and the housing 33 of the cooling device 5 via the fluid connection 25. Depending on the operating mode of the fan 27, an injection flow 35 or an extraction flow 37 can result. Such air flows 35, 37 can then flow in particular around the ultrasonic vibration generator 7 and thus cool it.

[0057] Alternatively or additionally, as shown by the dashed line in the figure, the fluid communication connection 25 may be flange-mounted, for example by a flange 39, directly to the housing 41 of the converter 11, so as to allow air flows 35, 37 to be created between the internal volume of the converter 11 and the fluid communication connection 25, and therefore, in particular, to allow targeted cooling of components arranged inside the converter 11.

[0058] An air filter 43 is arranged in the air flow 35, 37 upstream of the fan 27 and / or between the fan 27 and the transducer arrangement 3. This air filter 43 makes it possible to remove particles or contaminants from the inlet flow 35, in particular to prevent them from being injected into the transducer arrangement 3. Alternatively or additionally, the air filter 45 may be provided at an opening inside the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3 that serves as an air inlet 47.

[0059] In the illustrated embodiment example, the cooling device 5 is shown as a separate component separate from the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3 and is connected to the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3 via a fluid communication connection 25. However, in an alternative embodiment example (not shown), the cooling device 5 may be attached directly to or within the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3. For example, the housing 33 of the cooling device 5 may be flanged to the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3. In this case, the fluid communication connection 25 may be established without a separate pipe 26 or the like. Instead, the fluid communication 25 capable of generating air flows 35, 37 surrounding and / or passing through the ultrasonic vibration generator 7 together with the fan 27 is achieved as a result of the presence of a through-flow opening between the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3 and the housing 33 of the cooling device 5 flanged thereto, through which the air flows 35, 37 generated by the fan 27 can flow as an injection towards the ultrasonic vibration generator 7 and can be extracted in the opposite direction.

[0060] 2 shows a second embodiment of the ultrasonic welding device 1. In this case, in addition to the fluid connection 25, the cooling device 5 is also connected to the transducer arrangement 3 in the area adjacent to the sonotrode 9 via a further fluid connection 49 in such a way that an air flow 51 can be further generated by the fan 27 surrounding and / or passing through the sonotrode 9 or the welding material receiving volume 17 adjacent to the sonotrode 9. In this case, the air flow 51 is generated as an extraction flow, in particular for extracting particles and / or gases from the welding material receiving volume 17, while simultaneously achieving a cooling effect for the sonotrode 9 and / or other adjacent tool components. In this case, the fan 27 can provide an extraction flow 37 that extracts air from the area of ​​the sonotrode 9 in parallel with the extraction of air from the area of ​​the ultrasonic vibration generator 7.

[0061] In this case, a further air inlet 55 may be provided in the housing 21 of the transducer arrangement 3 in the region close to the sonotrode 9 , and optionally in the further air inlet 55 the incoming air may be filtered by an air filter 53 .

[0062] 3 shows a third embodiment of the ultrasonic welding apparatus 1. In this case, the cooling device 5 is again connected to the transducer arrangement 3 in the region adjacent to the sonotrode 9 via a further fluid connection 57 in such a way that an air flow 51 can also be generated by the fan 27, surrounding and / or passing through the sonotrode 9 or the welding material receiving volume 17 adjacent to the sonotrode 9. As in the previous embodiment, the air flow 51 is generated as an extraction flow. However, in this case, the fluid connection 57 extending towards the sonotrode 9 is connected to the cooling device 5 on the opposite side of the cooling device 5, rather than on the same side as the fluid connection 25 leading to the ultrasonic vibration generator 7, as in the previous embodiment.

[0063] As a result, the fan 27 of the cooling device 5 can establish a kind of circuit in which the air flow 51 can be extracted from the area adjacent to the sonotrode 9 via the fluid connection 57 and then injected as air flow 35 via the fluid connection 25 into the area adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator 7.

[0064] A further air filter 59 is provided which may be arranged, for example, in the piping of the fluid connection 57, to remove particles and / or gases from the air flow 51 drawn from the sonotrode 9 and / or the welding material receiving volume 17 towards the fan 27.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the ultrasonic welding apparatus 1. In this case, in addition to the cooling device 5 as described above for the other embodiments, a further cooling device 61 is provided in the ultrasonic welding apparatus 1. This further cooling device 61 is configured similarly to the other cooling devices 5 and has a fan 27 for generating its own air flow 51. The further cooling device 61 is connected to the transducer mechanism 3 in the area adjacent to the sonotrode 9 via a separate fluid connection 63, and can thus generate, by means of its own fan 27, an air flow 51 that surrounds and / or passes through the sonotrode 9 or the welding material receiving volume 17 adjacent to the sonotrode 9. Again, the air flow 51 is preferably realized as an extraction flow. The two separate cooling devices 5, 61 can be operated independently of each other, for example, so that the different air flows 35, 37, 51 can be adjusted independently of each other in terms of their flow rates and / or directions.

[0066] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as "having" or "comprising" do not exclude other elements or steps, and terms such as "a," "an," or "one" do not exclude a plurality. It should also be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above example embodiments may be used in combination with other features or steps of other of the above example embodiments. Reference numerals in the claims should not be considered limiting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1. Ultrasonic welding equipment 3 Transducer Placement 5 Cooling device 7. Ultrasonic vibration generator 9 Sonotrode 11 Converter 13 Booster 15 Sonotrodehead 17 Welding material capacity 19 Anvil 21 Transducer placement housing 23 Zero point bearing 25 Fluid connection 26 Piping 27 Fans 29 Motor 31 Propeller 33 Cooling device housing 35 Injection flow 37 Extract flow 39 Flange 41 Converter housing 43 Air Filter 45 Air Filter 47 Air intake 49 Further fluid connections 51 Extract flow 53 Air Filter 55 Air intake 57 Further fluid connections 59 Air Filter 61 Additional cooling equipment 63 Separate fluid connection

Claims

1. a transducer arrangement (3) comprising an ultrasonic vibration generator (7) and a sonotrode (9) coupled to said ultrasonic vibration generator (7); a cooling device (5) individually assigned to said transducer arrangement (3); Equipped with the cooling device (5) comprises at least one fan (27) for generating an air flow (35; 37); The cooling device (5) is connected to the transducer arrangement (3) by a fluid communication connection (25) in a region adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator (7) to generate an airflow (35, 37) surrounding and / or passing through the ultrasonic vibration generator (7) using the fan (27).

2. 2. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the fan (27) comprises a motor (29) and a propeller (31) driven by the motor (29).

3. 3. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transducer arrangement (3) comprises a converter (11) and optionally a booster (13), and the cooling unit (5) is connected to the transducer arrangement (3) so as to use the fan (27) to mainly generate an air flow (35, 37) surrounding and / or passing through the converter (11).

4. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fan (27) is configured to generate a pressure difference of less than 2000 hPa to generate the air flow (35; 37).

5. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cooling device (5) is configured to generate the air flow (35) as an injection flow in a direction from the fan (27) towards the transducer arrangement (3).

6. The cooling device (5) further comprises an air filter (43); the air filter (43) is positioned in the airflow (35) upstream of the fan (27) with respect to the airflow (35) generated by the fan (27); and / or 6. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the air filter (43) is arranged in the air flow (35) between the fan (27) and the transducer arrangement (3).

7. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cooling device (5) is configured to generate the air flow (37) as an extracted flow in a direction from the transducer arrangement (3) towards the fan (27).

8. 8. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device (5) is further connected to the transducer arrangement (3) by a fluid communication connection (49) in a region adjacent to the sonotrode (9) to generate, using the fan (27), an air flow (51) surrounding and / or passing through the sonotrode (9) or a welding material storage volume (17) adjacent to the sonotrode (9).

9. 9. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the cooling device (5) is configured to generate the air flow (51) as an extracted flow in a direction from the ultrasonic vibration generator (7) to the fan (27) on the one hand, and to generate the air flow as an extracted flow in a direction from the sonotrode (9) and / or the welding material storage volume (17) to the fan (27) on the other hand.

10. 10. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the ultrasonic vibration generator (7) and / or the sonotrode (9) are enclosed by a housing (33), the housing (33) having an air inlet (47) near the area adjacent to the ultrasonic vibration generator (7) and / or an air inlet (55) near the area adjacent to the sonotrode (9), the air inlets (47, 55) having air filters (45, 53) for filtering air flowing through the air inlets (47, 55).

11. 9. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the cooling device (5) is configured to generate the air flow (35) as an injection flow in a direction from the fan (27) to the ultrasonic vibration generator (7) on the one hand, and to generate the air flow as an extraction flow in a direction from the sonotrode (9) and / or the welding material storage volume (17) to the fan (27) on the other hand.

12. 12. The ultrasonic welding device (1) (1) according to claim 11, wherein the cooling device (5) comprises an air filter (59) for filtering air flowing therethrough that is drawn from the sonotrode (9) and / or the welding material storage volume (17) towards the fan (27).

13. a further cooling device (61) individually assigned to said transducer arrangement (3) and having at least one fan (27) for generating an air flow (51), 13. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the further cooling device (61) is connected to the transducer arrangement (3) by a fluid communication connection (63) in a region adjacent to the sonotrode (9) to generate, using the fan (27), the air flow (51) surrounding and / or passing through the sonotrode (9) or a welding material storage volume (17) adjacent to the sonotrode (9).

14. 14. The ultrasonic welding device (1) according to claim 13, wherein the further cooling device (61) is configured to generate the air flow (51) as an extracted flow in a direction from the sonotrode (9) and / or the welding material storage volume (17) towards the fan (27).

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