4 greatest new technologies that are transforming welding today

Welding has been developing and evolving more quickly than ever before. New technology breakthroughs have made welding more accurate, efficient and cost-effective. Below is how they are revolutionizing welding!

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New Automotive Welding Technology Expected to Create Much Stronger Bond

1. Surface tension transfer process

Surface tension transfer process (STT) developed and patented by Lincoln Electric is intended for boosting productivity by replacing such older welding methods as gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding. The benefits of this process include: reducing welding fumes and typical spatters, decreasing amount of time spent to train someone in welding technology, and increasing speed. STT welding is ideal when working with stainless steels and galvanized steel.

2. Friction stir welding

Automakers around the world are continuously looking for new ways to reduce manufacturing costs without scarifying quality and automotive safety. Companies like Honda Motor have relied on aluminum as a lower cost material, and to ensure the process of joining aluminum and steel is simple and safe, they have innovated new forms of friction stir welding. This new method helps generate more stable, secure bond between two materials by moving a rotating tool on the top of aluminum, which is then bonded to steel.

Honda engineers also have developed assembly line techniques that helps with mass production of vehicles utilizing friction stir welding – for example, a six-axis robot. According to the Assembly Manager, by replacing the conventional steel sub-frame with one comprising aluminum and steel, Honda engineers can reduce body weight by 25%. This highly efficient method also helped reduced up to 50% electricity costs during the welding process.

NASA – the hottest name in launch technology, has applied this innovative welding technique to develop the world’s largest welding tool. See more here.

3. Laser welding

Laser welding is quite new technique that involves conversing light energy into heat energy. The radiation emitted through laser welding allows beams to travel larger distances with suffering considerable loss of quality. Though initial costs for laser welding is higher than conventional spot welding methods, a significant reduction in cycle time eventually makes laser welding more efficient option.

4. Resistance spot welding

Resistant spot welding has to do with direct application of opposing forces using the pointed-tip electrodes. General Motors has availed this technique in producing lighter weight, more fuel-efficient vehicles from aluminum. By getting rid of about 2 pounds of rivets from the vehicles’ hood, doors and lift gates, engineers can utilize that weight surplus in other vehicle areas if necessary. Thanks to the resistance spot welding technology, aluminum pieces can be directly welded together using a multi-ringed dome electrode.

Keep up with changes in welding technology

In wake of rapid development of new welding technology, it’s more important than ever for your welders to be most current about changes in the technology. Being familiar with STT, resistance spot welding and friction stir welding is especially important. Vietnam Manpower Service and Trading Company ensure supplying your company with welders who are willing to learn and keep up-to-date with modern technologies. For any demand, don’t hesitate to contact us: (+84) 949 594 116 I lana@vnmanpower.com

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New Automotive Welding Technology Expected to Create Much Stronger Bond

Ohio State University engineering team has developed a new automotive welding technology that creates strong bonds between metals that are formerly ‘un-weldable’. 

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The engineer team at the Ohio State University announced that they have developed a new welding technology called vaporized foil actuator (VFA) welding, which requires 80% less energy than spot welding but produces bonds 50% stronger. Also, the process creates strong bonds between metals that were weakened by the melting and re-solidification in conventional welding. 

“Materials have gotten stronger, but welds have not. We can design metals with intricate micro-structures, but we destroy the micro-structure when we weld. With our method, materials are shaped and bonded together at the same time, and they actually get stronger”, said Glenn Daehn – professor of materials science and engineering from Ohio State, who helped develop the technique. 

A diagram demonstrating the vaporized foil actuator welding technique.  (Cr: Glenn Daehn, Courtesy of The Ohio State University). 

Instead of melting the metal parts like in resistance spot welding, the VFA process allows a short and low-energy electrical pulse to come inside a piece of aluminum foil, availing a high-voltage capacitor bank. When the foil vaporizes, the resulting plasma would mash the metal pieces together, bonding atoms of one metal to the other’s atoms. Viewed under a high-powered microscope, the bond is often characterized by wave patterns where veins of both materials wrap around each other. 

Thus far, the engineers have managed to bond different combinations of aluminum, copper, iron, magnesium, titanium and nickel, and commercial steel and aluminum alloys with the weld regions which are stronger than the base metals. 

A microscope view of copper (top) welded to titanium (bottom) utilizing the VFA welding technique (Cr: Glenn Daehn, Courtesy of The Ohio State University).

The engineer team now wants to coordinate with manufacturers to further develop the technique, which will be licensed through the Ohio State’s Technology Commercialization Office. 

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