Welding machines are a big part of the manufacturing and heavy machinery industry. However, with time, they too have evolved to be better, faster, more precise, and definitely more eco-friendly. This new version stands in front of us as the Friction Stir Welding Machine.
For all those who are involved in these industries or have a genuine interest in these big machines, this article will be your perfect guide to know these machines better.
What are Friction Stir Welding Machines?
Friction Stir Welding Machines are new high-power welding machines that are being adopted quickly. These machines follow the eco-friendly process of friction stir welding, which includes welding to produce materials the size of nanograins.
Because of how strong the welding process is, these machines are perfect for welding alloys which are otherwise very difficult to weld through other standard processes. The best example would be metallic alloys such as aerospace aluminum alloys and others.
Here are a few general characteristics of the Friction Stir Welding Machines:
- You can use the machines in dual mode or single head
- They can be customized for various job sizes and axial loads
- The machine head can be manually tilted to control the tool angle for linear welding
- They are available in two configurations – single and double column
Types of Friction Stir Welding Machines
Generally, there are three differents friction stir welding machines. Let us take a quick look at what they are and what they do:
Gantry Machines
These machines are generally used for mass production because they give greater speed and offer a larger table. Naturally, they are perfect for large dimension parts. The table goes along the X-axis, while the welding head follows the Y and Z axes.
Friction Stir Welding Machine Rail-Mounted Machines
By the name, you can understand that these machines are perfect for large parts such as structural panels (aerospatial and railway applications). The welding here can be done on all the axes – X, Y, and Z.
Friction Stir Welding Machine Table Machines
These machines are ideal for R&D and used in training centers and laboratories, as they are perfect for welding small parts. Welding here goes along the X and Y axes.
Why use Friction Stir Welding Machines?
Naturally, anyone wanting to invest in the big machines would first like to be convinced that it is worth investing in them.
Therefore, we have recorded the reasons why investing and adopting these machines is a good idea:
- Eco-friendly
- There are no harmful materials at use, no heat pollution, and fumes produced in these machines
- Better joining and less loss
- It provides several advantages, one being how it reduces any loss and provides better joining
- Welds more material types
- With these machines, more materials that were previously hard to weld could not be welded easily
- Better results than Fusion welding
This procedure eliminates all the flaws that fusion welding had, including solidification cracking, porosity, and solute redistribution.
