Emerson is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its Branson brand — a name that has become synonymous with ultrasonic technologies for plastics and metal welding, and precision cleaning.

The Branson portfolio has led the industry with expanded offerings beyond ultrasonics, developing nine other material joining technologies including laser, vibration, and infrared welding.

Emerson marked the anniversary at its new $49 million global headquarters for welding and precision cleaning technologies that opened in January.

The new facility bolsters Emerson’s continued innovation in advanced design, engineering and joining technologies that support such complex and fast-growing industries as medical devices, existing and new bio-based plastics packaging, electric cars, and next-generation batteries.

“We are extremely proud of our history and how we revolutionized the use of ultrasonics in so many remarkable ways,” said Vernon Murray, president of Emerson’s assembly technologies business. “Our goal has always been to deliver proven performance, unequaled expertise, and the broadest technology portfolio for material joining and precision cleaning applications.”

The Branson brand traces its history to Norman G. Branson, a research engineer who founded a company in Danbury, Connecticut, in 1946 to harness the power of high-frequency ultrasonic energy for cleaning and degreasing applications as well as nondestructive testing and gauging. But it was ultrasonic welding — developed in 1963 at Branson Sonics and Materials, which was acquired by Emerson Electric Co. (Emerson) in 1984 — that represented the real breakthrough for the company and for manufacturing. It set in motion a monumental change in the way plastics, and later metals, were joined.

Since its beginning, Branson has been driven by the spirit of innovation, and today ultrasonics is just one of many cleaning and joining technologies offered by Emerson’s Branson portfolio.

Other welding methods include spin and vibration welding, staking and swaging, and a new patent-pending “dynamic mode” of ultrasonic welding that can automatically adjust itself to part-to-part variabilities and unique materials. “Clean welding” approaches, such as Contoured Laser Technology, Clean Vibration Technology, and Contoured Infrared Technology, are being adopted with ever greater frequency.

Continuing the commitment
Given this depth of technical resources, Emerson application engineers are able to utilize a process-neutral approach to help manufacturers evaluate, select, implement, and optimize the right joining solution, regardless of the application or complexity.

This high level of customer support is enhanced by the technological capabilities available at the new 146,000-square-foot Branson headquarters. The facility includes an expanded research and development lab, increased manufacturing space, a dedicated training workspace for seminars, and training classes, technical services, and other resources.

The 75th anniversary represents a milestone that Emerson will recognize throughout the next several months as the company continues its path of inventiveness, delivering advanced Branson products to solve critical industry challenges.