When Kuss Filtration needed a more reliable and efficient cutting method for assembling the fuel filters it manufactures, the Findlay, OH-based company turned to the SeamMaster textile assembly system from Sonobond Ultrasonics. Kuss utilizes the ultrasonic equipment to cut custom shapes out of a ribbon of filter media as it passes through the machine. With a configuration similar to a traditional sewing machine, the SeamMaster runs in a continuous mode, cutting the material at speeds up to 120 feet per minute.
According to Marty Borer, Kuss tooling technician, the SeamMaster continuous cutting and sealing system has dramatically increased plant efficiency, as compared to the standalone assembly equipment that was previously used.
Filter Manufacturers Prefer Ultrasonics
Sonobond''s SeamMaster cutting and sealing system has long been used for assembling apparel items, home furnishings, industrial fabrics, and medical disposables. Now filter manufacturers are discovering its benefits. In addition to significantly reducing production time, the SeamMaster cuts and seals cleanly without leaving frayed or beaded edges, and operation requires very little training over traditional sewing machines.
"As a cutting tool, the SeamMaster is ideal for Kuss Filtration''s application, because it offers the flexibility to easily change the pattern wheel to produce the unique patterns required by each of their customers," says Janet Devine, president of Sonobond Ultrasonics, West Chester, PA. "We offer over 500 standard pattern wheels for slitting, sealing, seaming, embossing, and tacking, and we can custom-design additional pattern wheels for specific applications, which is what we did for Kuss."
The equipment channels high-frequency vibrations to the material as it passes between the horn and the rotating pattern wheel, creating a rapid heat build-up at the material contact point. "Nonwoven filter media, with its high content of synthetic fibers, is ideally suited for ultrasonic assembly," says Devine, "because the synthetic material quickly fuses as it passes through the SeamMaster equipment." Depending on the pattern wheel used, the SeamMaster can slit, cut, emboss, imprint, seal, and bond all in one step, and it can be used on a variety of thicknesses or layers.
An additional advantage of the SeamMaster equipment used by Kuss is that it has been designed to cut through the filter media without cutting through the release tape.
"The SeamMaster makes a precise cut in the material, while leaving the backing attached, so it can quickly go to the next processing stage," says Borer. The one-step, continuous cutting and sealing method has helped Kuss to achieve a reduction in overall production time. "With the SeamMaster, a day''s work is now done in an hour," he adds.