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Bystronic and Urban Partner to Launch High-Speed Friction Welder
Bystronic Solution Centre of Ottawa, Ontario and Urban Machinery, with North American headquarters in Cambridge, Ontario, have announced a partnership to introduce a new, high speed method of sash corner joinery for window and door manufacturers. “Bystronic’s patented Friction Corner Welding Technology, and the corresponding Friction Corner Welding equipment developed by Urban, promise dramatic manufacturing efficiencies in certain applications, when compared with current hot plate or fusion welding technology,” says David Pirwitz, Urban’s vice president and COO.
Beta testing of the machinery has started in a window manufacturing plant and is expected to continue through the summer. Urban is planning the first production run of this equipment to be available for sale toward the end of 2008.
The base technology utilizes corner webs, which are used to bridge and bond the profiles together. The webs are loaded in batches into a magazine, where they are automatically cued by the machine into a clamping device. Profiles are directed into the web to create pressure and while a constant pressure is applied, the web itself is vibrated back and forth at a very high rate of speed. The combination of the pressure and vibration action creates a great deal of heat energy, fusing the components together in a few seconds, Pirwitz states. The clamping is then removed, leaving a complete and welded square ready for secondary processing or assembly.
Throughputs and related cost justifications will vary by specific application, but manufacturers can expect to realize significant reductions in welding time; work-in-process; number of processes and related capital equipment required; material waste; number of operators; amount of floor space required; material handling; and in its final embodiment, this process will also integrate glazing and even improve the structural integrity of the welded sash, according to Pirwitz. Additionally, due to the very short and concentrated weld cycle, the weld flash that is created is highly controlled and virtually non-existent, resulting in the elimination of secondary cleaning equipment in most cases, he adds. The process also promotes a cleaner factory environment and because it is very simple, and results in extremely consistent product quality.
The Bystronic corner welding technology was originally showcased at interGlassmetal/Fenestration World in 2003 by Intra Product Development, based in Ottawa, Ontario. That company was acquired by Bystronic, the worldwide supplier of glass processing equipment based in Switzerland, in 2005, and renamed Bystronic Solution Centre to focus on the development of new vinyl window manufacturing technologies.
In conjunction with the Bystronic technology, the base machine utilizes many of the existing features and components of Urban’s fusion welders. What are unique in Urban’s friction machine design are the engineered solutions to the hurdles of vibration isolation, raw material variance and the realities of the ambient conditions present in high volume window and door manufacturing facilities, Pirwitz points out. “Years of research, design and testing have culminated in what is finally, in the proper application, a dependable, high speed alternative to hot plate welding.”
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