Over the past 25 years, Herrmann Ultrasonics (herrmannultrasonics.com) has grown from a small start-up to an industry leader with a strong global presence in ultrasonic engineering. With a quarter century of technical knowledge under their belt in the fields of industry and science, Herrmann opened its doors to potential customers and current customers for their 1st Technology Day on September 10, 2015.

Over 150 customers in attendance, from around the world, some as far away as Argentina were taken on 360° of Ultrasonic Engineering at the Bartlett, IL facility. Herrmann’s abilities were on full display in seven informative workshops led by a team of Herrmann Ultrasonics and Herrmann Ultraschall specialists. Three additional workshops were held by industry specific guest speakers, from renowned companies such as Proto Labs, Dow Chemical Company, and Clemson University. The day was packed with studies of basic principles, practical application experiments and true insider information.

“A proper understanding of ultrasonic technology by the customer, allows us the ability to freely discuss the customers’ needs on a stronger platform and continuously provide efficient solutions. Technology Day gives us the opportunity to not only educate but have an exchange of ideas” says Thomas Herrmann, global CEO of the Herrmann group of companies.

A thorough workshop on accelerated innovation and the economic advantages of Digital Manufacturing was led by Proto Labs Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Holt. The reinvention of traditional manufacturing processes discussed in the workshop provided an insightful look at the cutting-edge day to follow.

Customers in the plastic industry were encouraged to get hands-on with HiQ machine workshops. They were given parameters to obtain the perfect weld results. Live demonstrations of Herrmann Ultrasonics testing methods were exhibited before, during and after the weld results. They were also exposed to the benefits of infrared and high-speed camera use to illustrate energy conversion to thermal energy and micrographic analysis to show residual melt layer thickness and melt flow during the testing process.

Dr. Duncan Darby, associate professor and associate director for the Center for Flexible Packaging at Clemson University, educated packaging customers on the basic principles of sealing bags or pouches. He instilled upon the fact that ultrasonic sealing has enabled manufacturers to reduce cost, reduce material usage and virtually eliminate leakers. These facts were validated during the hands-on workshop held in the PACKAGING ultrasonic laboratory. The live demonstrations of the VFFS machine and top seal module (TSM) for SUP exposed customers to reproducible weld processes with ultrasonic generators and the significant influence ultrasonics has played on elimination of seam contamination.

Adhesive Free In-Line-Lamination was a highlight of the nonwovens workshop presented by Jackie DeGroot and Fabricio Arteaga Larios of Dow Chemical Company. The ultrasonic bonding of polyethylene back sheet film gave the perfect representation of two solution providers coming together to meet the needs of the hygiene market. Demonstrations of the new side seam optimized by VE MICROBOND CSI and the increased production speed equated with VE MICROBOND rotating sonotrode technology showcased Herrmann’s technical prowess.

Executive vice president & general manager of Herrmann Ultrasonics, Uwe Peregi says, “The day is a total success. Many new projects will be born from the proper understanding of what can be achieved with the use of ultrasonic engineering. I have overheard many discussions of new applications that were initiated in thanks to a better understanding of our technologies. The conversations will be continued and are sure to bring about more advances in the industry.”