Sonics & Materials celebrates 45 years of ultrasonic welding

Supplier of plastics welding systems Sonics & Materials Inc. (Newtown, CT) celebrated its 45th anniversary on March 20 with a gala luncheon in the company of local, state, and federal officials. The festivities included remarks from Governor Dannel Malloy, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty, Newtown First Selectman E. Patricia Llodra, and a representative from Senator Richard Blumenthal's office.

The importance of a skilled and educated work force to the local economy was a popular topic during speeches, with both Governor Malloy and Congresswoman Esty commenting on the importance of human capital to the growth of precision manufacturing companies.

Robert S. Soloff, founder and ongoing President and CEO of Sonics & Materials, who, coincidentally, was celebrating his 75th birthday, remarked on the ubiquity of a manufacturing technology that he helped to create. From the tires on your car to the batteries in your cell phone, he told guests, ultrasonic technology has played a role. Sonics & Materials alone has sold more than 80,000 ultrasonic machines in the past 45 years as well as at least 300,000 ultrasonic tools.

Soloff was awarded the original patent for the ultrasonic method of welding thermoplastic parts in 1965 and founded Sonics & Materials in 1969 in Danbury, CT, with one employee. Today, the company holds 22 patents (plus seven pending) and employs a total of 75 people at its corporate headquarters.