Spot Welding of Non-Ferrous Metals

August 27, 2015

Ryan Gehm

Coldwater Machine’s new SpotMeld system, available from its Solid State Joining Center, is based on Refill Friction Stir Spot Weld (RFSSW) technology. The system enables spot welding of aluminum (1000-7000 series), magnesium, non-ferrous, and dissimilar sheet materials, offering an alternative to single-point joining processes like resistance spot welding, laser welding, and riveting. The SpotMeld friction stir spot welders can be configured to application specifics and mounted on any industrial robot. A variety of weld recipes can be used on demand by the robot controller, for a flexible production system. Relying on RFSSW technology, the SpotMeld system uses rotational friction to heat the materials along with pressure to forge together the parts using wear-resistant tooling to join two or more surfaces. Heat is generated between the tool and material, creating a soft region. Pressure is then applied, resulting in a solid state joint. In addition to its ability to join dissimilar and lightweight materials, benefits include high-quality joints with a small heat affected zone, consistency in weld duplication and faster weld times, as well as being environmentally clean and safe with no filler material, spatter, smoke, radiation, or shield gasses, the company claims.