Send an inquiry Order newsletter Joining & Bonding Five steps are taken to develop reliable bonding and welding processes: application requirements, material selection, product design, bonding/welding process selection and equipment. By taking care of these five elements throughout the development, effective and reliable solutions are created for specific applications. Make use of Etteplan’ s knowhow and experience as a competitive advantage. By providing expert advice on your application, we can optimize your processes quickly and efficient
Key benefits Pragmatic solutions from experts in the field We never lose sight of the business case Average of 27% improvement in production performance Process selection and design Determining which process to select for bonding and joining is a challenge, as there are so many options to choose from. The selection of process is strongly dependent on the application requirements and the selected materials. In some cases, bonding by adhesive is the best solution, but for other applications thermal compression bonding or welding yields to the best performance. Based on the application requirements and materials, the most feasible process can be recommended. Material selection The basis of Bonding and Welding is materials science. The selection of materials is closely related to the product requirements and process selection. All the product requirements, including strength, application temperature, corrosion, and electrical properties, have a direct impact on material selection. There are a multitude of choices and the proper selection of materials is crucial for the success of your bonding and welding operation. Equipment and process modules Once process design and product design are completed, suitable equipment and process modules can be selected to develop the process. Execution of a bonding and welding process requires specific hardware, divided into equipment, such as motion systems or tooling, and a process module to execute the actual bonding process. The Etteplan machine platform features versatile usage of motion systems (axis, robot, cobot) and process modules, such as dispensing modules, thermal compression module, laser welding module, resistance welding module and many others. Application requirements The application requirements are evaluated on the functional, performance and visual requirements of the bond or weld. This evaluation is efficiently done during the design phase of a new product where design and process selection have not been finalized yet. In the design phase special features for required for bonding and joining can be easily designed in. A first step is to establish the requirements regarding, for example, strength, fatigue life, environment, and electrical performance.
Product design Once the application requirements are clear, one can start designing the parts to be bonded in the final product. Part design goes hand in hand with the bonding process and materials. Each bonding and welding process has its specific design rules, and when these rules are applied the reliability of the process can be improved significantly. As an example, for adhesive bonding, a well-designed gap in between the parts works as either a capillary fill for the adhesive or as a stress relief in the adhesive layer when stress occurs due to CTE mismatch. To be able to develop robust and reliable bonding and joining processes, the design of the parts is key. At Etteplan we can support you in your product design to be a step ahead in design for manufacturing.
