Friction spot welding
Working principle
In friction spot welding, a pin and sleeve are rotated. The sleeve plasticises the sheet material, which is accumulated inside the sleeve. When reaching a sufficient penetration depth, the rotating sleeve is pulled out again and the pin pushes the plastic material back into the weld crater to refill it and to create the connection.
Advantages of the process
- highly suitable for welding aluminium,
- offers a solution to the problems of resistance spot welding of aluminium alloys,
- welding of advanced higher-strength aluminum alloys, which are not weldable with conventional welding techniques,
- welding of dissimilar materials such as aluminium-steel, aluminium alloys or coated materials with uneven thickness,
- short welding time,
- ecological process: no filler materials or protective gases are used, no welding fumes, IR, UV or electromagnetic radiation during the process.
Feasibility study
BWI can assess the feasibility of this process for your materials or applications. We can also carry out welding trials with subsequent full weld characterisation. For further questions, please contact Koen Faes.