Coldwater Machine Provides Joining System to Edison Welding Institute for Friction-Welding Research

Coldwater Machine Co., Coldwater, OH, a new member of the Edison Welding Institute (EWI), has installed one of its  SpotMeld systems at EWI for research focused on the joining of advanced materials.

SpotMeld is a refill friction-stir spot-weld (RFSSW) solution that enables spot joining of aluminum (1000- to 7000-series), magnesium, nonferrous and dissimilar sheet materials, offering an alternative to single-point joining processes suchas resistance spot welding, laser welding and riveting.

Relying on RFSSW technology, SpotMeld uses rotational friction to heat the materials along with pressure, melding the parts together using wear-resistant tooling to join two or more surfaces. In addition to its ability to join dissimilar and lightweight materials, benefits reportedly include high-quality joints with a small heat-affected zone, consistency in weld duplication and faster meld times, as well as being environmentally cleaner and safer with no filler material, spatter, smoke, radiation or shield gasses.

“EWI has driven multiple innovations in the field of friction-based welding technologies,” says Tim McCaughey, Coldwater Machine president. “We are excited to partner with EWI in further development of manufacturing solutions that can address the challenges presented by today’s growing use of advanced and lightweight materials in a variety of industries.”

See also: Lincoln Electric Automation

Technologies: Welding and Joining

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