Ultrasonic Lamination Is a Truly Green Process
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eckmann Converting, Inc., the toll converter envelope of opportunity using ultrasonic bonding technology to laminate for the product designer textile composites of nonwovens and other mato take advantage of this terials, contributes to the sustainability initiatives of green technology. its customers. Staff communicates closely with customer R&D and “Through constant communications with custommanufacturing groups to coordinate dimensions, both ers and the continuous improvement processes in widths and lengths, of raw material rolls to minimize our Quality Management System, the Beckmann Conwaste and scrap. The company works with several verting team is attentive to sustainability in all that waste management companies to continually identify we do. Our customers tell us this focus helps deliver new opportunities for recycling and re-use of all trims important value to them by maintaining the outcomes and offcuts that are unavoidable on a laminating proof their own sustainability programs,” Ray Piascik, Direcgram. In some cases, customers arrange for collection tor of Marketing and Sales, Beckmann Converting, Inc. and shipment of waste materials back to their own Ultrasonic laminating, by nature, is a highly susrecycling stream. tainable process. It consumes a low amount of energy compared to other laminating techniques. Only the raw materials of the composite are used to form the bonding links at the laminate weld points – no adhesives or chemicals are added to achieve lamination. Highly uniform, consistent textile composites can be manufactured without degradation of the individual layers due to excessive heat or pressure, or by adhesives. All of this combines to maximize performance of the end-product, making it ideal for health care, filtration, and other applications where potential contamination is of concern. Ultrasonic lamination uses conversion of acoustic energy to heat to form spot welds of specific size in exact locations, determined by the pattern of the bonding roll, across the laminated webs. This technique The layers of raw material are arranged and brought together as in any traditional lamination process to pass over a is an ideal method to join layers of central rotating roll or “anvil.” Ultrasonic laminating uses an embossed pattern on the anvil or “pattern” roll. Each peak is different or similar materials (non- the site of an individual weld through all layers of the lamination. The peaks are exactly shaped and located to yield the wovens, films, composites, or fabrics) desired size and location of the weld. into a single composite or laminate. Bonding occurs very quickly, and with repeatability All of the company’s laminating equipment has resulting in visual uniformity. With attentive design of inline slitting capabilities, eliminating the need for the laminating process to meet specification requiresecondary operations to prepare the finished laminate ments for a given composite, non-compliant finished for “downstream” converting steps. material product can be virtually eliminated. Customers can have confidence that investments The team at Beckmann Converting builds upon this they make in sustainability of their products will core sustainability in several ways. Most laminates not be lessened as a result of the ultrasonic laminatbonded ultrasonically contain no more than three ing process. In fact, they can rely upon Beckmann or four layers. Beckmann’s equipment and processConverting to work closely with them to enhance the es enable up to seven different layers, opening the gains that they’ve made. www.beckmannconverting.com ISSUE 6 2023 FILTNEWS.COM 13
