Why use an ultrasonic cutter to cut rubber?

Why use an ultrasonic cutter to cut rubber?

Problems with rubber cutting
The traditional rubber cutting technology needs to lubricate the rubber during cutting, and the cutting speed is slow, the incision is large, a large amount of dust is generated, the cutting surface is uneven, and the knife is sticking. Many companies are still using traditional manual methods for cutting, which not only fails to meet productivity but also brings hidden dangers to life safety.
For rubber products, cold cutting is more suitable than hot cutting. Cold cutting has the advantages of less heat generation, less thermal deformation, less dust generated during cutting, and the section will not age and crack due to excessive temperature. Ultrasonic rubber cutting technology belongs to cold cutting, which uses ultrasonic energy to locally heat and melt the rubber to be cut, so as to achieve the purpose of cutting materials.

The principle of traditional cutting
Conventional cutting utilizes sharp-edged knives that concentrate very high pressure on the cutting edge against the material being cut. When the pressure exceeds the shear strength of the material being cut, the molecular bonds of the material are pulled apart, thereby achieving cutting. Since the material is pulled apart by strong pressure, the cutting edge of the cutting tool must be very sharp, and the material itself must bear a relatively large pressure. Therefore, the cutting effect of soft and elastic is not good, and it is more difficult for viscous materials.

The principle of ultrasonic rubber cutting
Ultrasonic cutting uses the energy of sound waves to cut, does not require a sharp edge, nor does it require a lot of pressure, and will not cause chipping or damage to the material to be cut. The ultrasonic rubber cutter can easily cut resin, rubber, plastic, fabric and various overlapping composite materials and food products.

The principle of the ultrasonic rubber cutter is to convert 50/60Hz current into 20, 30 or 40kHz electrical energy through an ultrasonic generator (also known as an ultrasonic power source). The converted high-frequency electrical energy is converted into mechanical vibration of the same frequency again by the transducer, and then the mechanical vibration is transmitted to the cutting knife through a set of amplitude modulator devices that can change the amplitude. The ultrasonic rubber cutter vibrates along its length with an amplitude of 10-70 μm and repeats 40,000 times per second (40 kHz) (the vibration of the blade is microscopic and generally difficult to see with the naked eye). The cutting knife then transmits the received vibration energy to the cutting surface of the workpiece to be cut. In this area, the vibration energy is used to cut the rubber material by activating the rubber molecular energy and opening the molecular chain.

Advantages of Ultrasonic Rubber Cutting
Very high cutting accuracy – cuts are smooth, sharp and clean.
Repetitive Cuts – Blade output is monitored by a closed loop circuit to provide consistent cutting results.
Lower temperature – rubber has almost no heat.
Dry – No lubrication required, the ultrasonic rubber cutter vibrates 20,000 to 40,000 times per second (depending on the application), so the head can pass smoothly through the rubber.
Low energy consumption – the cutter head vibrates only while cutting, requiring about 100 watts or less in typical thin material applications.
Easy integration into automation – The ultrasonic rubber cutting process is simple enough to be upgraded into existing machinery or installed in new equipment.