Ultrasonic cutting

Ultrasonic cutting is a cutting process in which a knife, set into high-frequency vibrations by ultrasound, serves as the cutting tool. This allows materials such as plastics, textiles, honeycomb or composites to be cut precisely, cleanly and with minimal force – often without fibre tear-out or thermal deformation.

Ultrasonic cutting is used particularly when conventional machining methods reach their limits – for example, with materials that are difficult or impossible to mill. The process enables chip-free, clean cuts with high dimensional accuracy and minimal force, making it especially suitable for delicate or fibre-reinforced materials.

Typical applications of ultrasonic cutting include the automotive industry, where predetermined breaking lines (so-called airbag weakenings) are incorporated into vehicle interior panels. The process is also ideally suited for the precise cutting of sheet or roll materials used in coverings, such as flooring or skis. In addition, it is applied for chip-free cutting of honeycomb materials, which serve as lightweight yet stable core structures in aerospace and vehicle construction.

GEISS integrates this technology as a customised solution into its CNC machining centres (see CNC10 ECO ultrasonic cutting machine), providing maximum flexibility in plastics processing.