Patent ID: 8011559

Claim:
A method for regulating a welding force imparted by a vibration welding system having a sonotrode, a welding anvil for supporting a work piece, a weld head, and a weld tip configured for forming a welded joint at a welding interface of the work piece in response to an oscillation of the sonotrode and the weld head, the method comprising: positioning at least one Active Material (AM) element on the vibration welding system, including at a position that is adjacent to the welding interface, wherein the AM element is one of a piezoelectric material element, a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) element, and an Electroactive Polymer (EAP) material element; and varying a property of the AM element to thereby regulate the welding force within a predetermined displacement range of the weld tip at the welding interface.