Discovering ultrasonics with Guido: How does ultrasonic welding really work? Have you ever thought about how many everyday products have been ultrasonically welded? You could say they accompany us from morning to night, but we are mostly unaware of this. How about some examples? E.g., the two halves of your electric toothbrush are securely welded using ultrasonics, as well as coffee capsules, toys, many household appliances with plastic housings, print cartridges, sensors and membranes, and several interior and exterior parts of your car. Also nonwoven materials, as needed for baby diapers or hygiene products, are ultrasonically bonded in an environmentally friendly manner. A variety of packaging that you open and reclose every day are sealed with ultrasonics – tight and user-friendly. This list could be extended indefinitely. But how and why does it work? And what does it take? Guido Marschall of Plas.TV visited Thomas Fischer in the application laboratory of Herrmann Ultraschall to get a more precise explanation on how ultrasonic welding works. How high-frequency voltage is converted into mechanical vibrations and why a generator, a converter, a booster and a sonotrode are needed. The requirements for the respective end product are as varied as the individual factors that ensure the success of a weld. In our application labs, engineers and technicians support during the evaluation and optimization phase of the individual welding task. The expertise gained over decades is documented in databases and application reports, and is available to our customers worldwide. Hands-on in the ultrasonic lab: Guido Marschall and our lab-team had a lot of fun when “welding elephants“.