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Ultrasonic Welding Speeds
Pre-Fab Wiring Production
Slashes Building Costs
By Tony DiFinizio
Stapla Ultrasonics
Anyone driving into the city whether into New York, Atlanta, Seattle,
or any metropolitan area is likely to find a building that wasn't there
the last time they looked. New buildings are going up seemingly overnight
as developers and contractors are finding new ways to speed construction.
Ultrasonic welding is playing its part. Using this advanced technology,
America Cable Systems, a leading manufacturer of pre-fabricated systems,
was able to introduce a more flexible termination method in the manufacture
of a new generation of modular wiring for the 21st century. As a result,
the installed cost of America Cable Systems' new ACS Softwire™ system
is anywhere from 30 to 50% less than conventional wiring.
The new system was developed at a time when rising costs are straining
construction schedules. This is placing a lot of pressure on all the building trades,
particularly electrical contractors as there is a critical shortage of licensed
electricians and electrical work is not a place where you can cut corners.
More and more electrical contractors are addressing this problem with modular
wiring. It takes far less time to install modular wiring than conventional
"pipe and wire" construction. It's pre-configured and pre-tested at the factory
and the connection components are designed so that they cannot be snapped together improperly. A great deal of
back-breaking work is eliminated cutting and bending
conduit, and pulling, stripping, and terminating wire. As a result, installation poses
few problems and the total cost labor and materials is significantly less than
conventional wiring.
Hal Mueller of America Cable Systems and Tony DiFinizio of Stapla
with members of the collaborative engineering team.
America Cable Systems, a Tyco International Company, has been a leader in the
development of modular wiring systems. The flexibility and functionality of
America Cable Systems' Flex3™, Flex4™ and The Intelligent Floor™ systems
established the company as an acknowledged leader in the industry, providing
wiring solutions for major construction projects including the Pentagon and United
States Treasury buildings and the corporate headquarters of both The World Bank
and Dow Jones.
Now, at a time when developers, builders, and electrical contractors are all looking
for ways to further reduce costs and speed construction, America Cable Systems
is introducing its Softwire system.
According to Hal Mueller, Director of Engineering at America Cable Systems,
"We saw the need for a modular wiring system that would snap together as
easily as Lego™ blocks while providing advanced features including the addition
of #10 AWG conductors needed to reduce the number of j-boxes and circuits.
This would allow longer runs while reducing energy requirements.
Ultrasonically welded terminals incorporated
into Softwire™ modules..
"At the same time, we want to streamline our manufacturing operations and move
from what is essentially a build-to-stock operation to a build-to-order business
model. This will reduce our inventories and manufacturing costs while enabling
us to ensure just-in-time delivery of complete modular systems to our customers.
"For example, we are now shipping Softwire systems for the new headquarters of
a major department store chain on a floor-by-floor basis. When work starts on the
4th floor, we deliver the complete bill of materials for all the wiring on that floor,
pre-fabricated to meet the customer's electrical plan and specifications. When the
contractor moves on to the 5th floor, we deliver the wiring for that floor. The
customer doesn't have to purchase different materials from different suppliers
and fit everything together on-site." Mueller concluded.
At the same time, America Cable Systems identified a major opportunity to
streamline its manufacturing operations. Like most wiring system manufacturers,
America Cable Systems had to redesign, retool and add secondary operations to
accommodate different gauge wires. This was both costly and time consuming as
they needed to terminate different conductors in the same module. As a result,
a lot of assembly had to be done by hand.
Developing a new system that would be simpler, faster, and less expensive than
main cross connect cable, conduit and wire or any modular wiring system on the
market while streamlining the manufacturing process was an ambitious challenge.
"We knew we had to find a better, faster way to terminate wire," Mueller stated.
"We recognized that ultrasonic welding might meet our requirements, and
contacted a number of ultrasonic welding equipment manufacturers to see if
they could help," Mueller continued. "While these manufacturers were all
ready to sell us equipment, Stapla Ultrasonics demonstrated a real
understanding of the technology, and enthusiasm for helping us develop a
solution that would support high-volume production while providing
zero-defect wire termination."
Part of the ACS Softwire™ production line showing
Stapla Ultrasonic welding systems.
Stapla engineers worked with America Cable Systems personnel in a
collaborative engineering effort to set up the machines, integrate them
into the manufacturing process, define welding parameters, and train
personnel to operate the equipment.
For example, Stapla helped design the terminals needed to meet America
Cable Systems' requirements together with application-specific software
to significantly speed production by controlling the stepping motor used
to position components as they are welded. And, because this software
runs on the Stapla controller, there was no need for an external computer.
America Cable Systems is now able to weld more than 21 different wire
combinations from 18 AWG to 10 AWG onto a common terminal
without changing tooling. The correct welding parameters for each wire
are stored in the Stapla controller and instantly called up by quickly
scanning a bar code for the component assembly. The operator never
has to reset or adjust the system, as it is self-calibrating. The Stapla system
even has built in "hooks" to support a light curtain to help ensure operator safety.
According to Manufacturing Engineer Kevin Sylvia, "One of the things we
like about the Stapla system is that it automatically checks each weld as
it is made. UL 183 requires that 12 gauge terminations pass a 30 lb. 'pull test.'
"With ultrasonic welding, we're making connections that will withstand
more than triple this requirement," Sylvia continued. "We are very impressed
with Stapla's ability and willingness to modify their standard equipment to
suit a customer's needs. As our assembly cell developed, the Stapla team
provided time-saving automation and software solutions that improved
work flow and increased production efficiency."
Introducing a new product line, together with new manufacturing technology
is a major project. According to Jim Silverman, America Cable Systems'
Director of Operations, "Our goal was to continually improve our
manufacturing process while introducing a new product line that
would provide us with a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
That goal is being met. We are now several months into production
and our week-to-week assembly rates are steadily improving. We
are currently assembling our new product line at a much higher
rate than existing products.
"And since all our cable assemblies are factory tested before they're
shipped, we can vouch for the quality of ultrasonic welding," Silverman continued.
The ultrasonic welding process is quick and clean. It provides an environmentally-
friendly alternative to soldering. Strip terminals are automatically fed into the
system, resting for a fraction of a second on a stationary tool called the anvil.
An indexing table then positions each wire in turn.
The ultrasonic sono-trode or horn then clamps wire and terminal together.
Fine knurls on the horn grip the wire and move it in time with the sonotrode
to make the weld. The horizontal oscillating motion of the sonotrode creates
a scrubbing action between the two parts that disperses oxides, stamping
oils and other impurities so the wire and terminal are in direct contact
creating a solid weld without any impurities. Heat build-up is minimal
so embrittlement is not a problem and external cooling is not needed.
The Stapla USC3000 programmable controllers used at America Cable
Systems combine comprehensive quality and process control capabilities
with simple set-up and operation. The controller uses advanced electronics
to provide 3,000 W of power at 20 kHz constant amplitude to maintain
quality control variables -- compression of wires before welding, weld time,
energy, and final weld height -- within tight parameters. Once set-up,
the system runs automatically.
At the present time, America Cable Systems is ramping up production of
Softwire 2 for fluorescent/recessed lighting applications and Softwire 3 for
high/low bay lighting. Both systems feature color-coded cable -- Silver is
used to start the run. Blue is for feeding the fixture and extending the run,
while Yellow is used to switch the fixture. Additional color striping
identifies voltage and number of circuits. All components are UL listed
and labeled and manufactured by union workers in a plant that is ISO 9001
certified.
Installation is dramatically faster than installing conduit and pulling wire.
For example, in observed test installations, it took about 20 minutes to hardwire
a fixture, but installers were able to wire fixtures using Softwire in as little as
five minutes.
The America Cable Systems story is not unique. The integration of
ultrasonic welding technology into high-volume manufacturing systems
requires a collaborative engineering effort where equipment manufacturer
and customer work closely to define welding parameters and establish
quality standards.
According to Silverman, "Having Stapla ultrasonic welders has strengthened
our competitive position enabling us to introduce a new product line while
reducing cycle times and production costs. This is making us more
competitive in quoting and winning modular wiring business from
potential customers to support the continued growth of our business."
For information on Stapla Products visit Internet: http://www.staplaultrasonics.com
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