As noted in our previous article, "Breaking the Polymer Coat Barrier," coating metal components for corrosion, wear resistance, or insulation is standard practice in automotive, industrial, and electronics manufacturing. While these surface treatments extend product lifespan, they pose a significant barrier in the bonding process. Furthermore, today's manufacturing floors demand the ability to efficiently bond multiple points simultaneously. The challenge of coated materials $\times$ multi-point bonding is now a shared industry theme.

Conventional fusion bonding and soldering frequently result in quality loss because the coating layer degrades or peels due to heat, and the base material deforms. In contrast, LINK-US’s Ultrasonic Complex Vibration Bonding (UCVB) offers a new solution that enables low-heat, low-energy, single-pass multi-point bonding, balancing mass productivity and reliability.

The Challenge of Coated Metal Bonding

Coating is essential for material protection, but it introduces the following bonding challenges:

• Thermal Deformation: Localized high temperatures from laser or soldering deform the coat layer and the base material.
• Coat Layer Destruction: Layers intended for insulation or corrosion resistance are compromised, losing their essential functions.
• Inefficiency of Multi-Point Bonding: Traditional methods join points one by one, resulting in long process times.
• Quality Variation: Simultaneous multi-point processing often leads to uneven heating or incomplete bonding at certain points.

Production lines are stuck in a dilemma: "If we speed up, quality drops," or "If we protect quality, speed drops."

LINK-US Solution: Low-Heat, Low-Energy Single-Pass Multi-Point Bonding

UCVB leverages ultrasonic complex vibration to achieve solid-state bonding between base metals by efficiently destroying the oxide film and coating layer at the interface.

The results are:

• Low Thermal Impact: The base material and coat layer resist deformation, preserving their intended function.
• High-Efficiency Multi-Point Bonding: Multiple locations are joined simultaneously and uniformly.
• Stable Quality: Burr- and spatter-free process reduces the need for cleaning steps.
• Improved Mass Productivity: Single-pass multi-point processing dramatically enhances throughput.

What was previously considered impossible—"single-pass multi-point bonding for coated materials without destroying the coat"—is now a reality.

Application Examples

• Automotive Wire Harness Terminals: Simultaneous bonding of multiple corrosion-coated contact points. Ensures stable conductivity while maintaining corrosion resistance.
• Battery Module Busbars: Bulk bonding of insulated busbars to multiple tabs in a single pass. Simultaneously shortens the process and reduces joint resistance.
• Electronic Device Terminal Blocks: Drives efficiency in PCB assembly by simultaneously bonding multiple pins. Prevents thermal deformation and protects delicate circuitry.

Effects and Benefits

• Improved Mass Production Efficiency: Single-pass multi-point bonding dramatically improves line throughput.
• High Reliability: Low-heat bonding preserves the coating layer's anti-corrosion and insulating performance, extending lifespan.
• Cost Reduction: Reduced cleaning and rework steps compress total manufacturing costs.
• Expanded Design Freedom: Allows for component design without concern for the coating material. Applicable across EV, industrial equipment, and electronics.

Future Outlook

In the EV and renewable energy sectors, high-current, high-efficiency power transmission is required, but surface treatment for environmental resistance is also essential. In this landscape, technology that can simultaneously satisfy "bonding without destroying the coating" and "speed for mass production" is extremely valuable.

LINK-US's UCVB is not just an incremental improvement; it is a platform technology poised to become the standard for achieving the high reliability $\times$ high efficiency required in future manufacturing—expanding across HVAC, automotive, electronics, and energy infrastructure.

Summary

Bonding coated metals previously faced major barriers: "increased process steps" and "unstable quality." LINK-US's Ultrasonic Complex Vibration Bonding breaks through these by achieving low-heat, low-energy single-pass multi-point bonding, guaranteeing mass productivity with zero deformation.

As a new standard that simultaneously delivers manufacturing efficiency and high quality, this technology is set to permeate a wide range of industries.

→ For solutions to coated metal bonding challenges or to discuss a PoC, please contact LINK-US.