Production Welding

Mass production, rapid & automatic

DBT 204
Special design welding:
Technology of Metal Welding I Aircraft: spotwelder for Al structure
Automotive: seam welder for steel structure
Production Welding

2
Azmi Kamardin
2015-2016 S01

Production Welding Resistance Welding (RW)

Resistance welding (RW)
Heat obtained by the resistance of metal to the

Stud welding

Electron beam welding (EBW)

Friction welding (FRW)

Laser beam welding (LBW)

Plasma arc welding (PAW)

Submerged arc welding (SAW)

Ultrasonic arc welding (USW)

Electroslag welding (ESW)
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Electrogas welding (EGW)
flow of welding current  fusion

Fundamental principles:
Heat generated by the electrical resistance
Heat changes metal to plastic state
Plastic state + pressure  fusion

Types of RW: seam welding, projection welding,
multiple-impulse welding, flash welding and
upset welding.
Resistance Welding (RW) Spot Welding

Workpiece is placed
between two electrodes

Apply pressure  electric
flow thru workpiece

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Spot Welding Spot Welding

Direct & alternating current
Copper alloy  low electrical resistance

Low current 
Hollow electrode  facilitate water cooling
insufficient strength
Electrode kept clean, correct shape, aligned, &

High current  proper applied pressure
excessive heat
Types of spotwelders: single-spot & multi-spot

Water cooling 
prevent overheating

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Seam Welding Seam Welding

Similar to spot welding but weld overlap

 continuous weld seam

Electrodes  roller type

Current turn ON & OFF as electrodes revolve

Suitable for containers barrels, fuel tanks, etc

Intermittent current: non-continuous weld
 roller spot weld

Effective: short current cycle, low heat input
 little grain growth suitable for corrosion
resistance ferritic stainless steel 9 10

Projection Welding Projection Welding

The same concept: weld is
Projection concentrates heat at welding area &
produced by using heat cause fusion w/o high current
obtained from resistance of
Simultaneous multiple projections welding
the workpiece to the welding
Applicable to galvanized iron, tin plate & light
current. gauge steels (attaching fasteners to structure)

The difference: projections
brass & copper collapse under pressure
formed by embossing,
stamping, casting or
machining

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Multiple-Impulse Welding (MIW) Flash Welding (FW)

Repeated electrical impulses
Current ON  contact  arc  pressure 

Spot welding: current controlled manually current OFF  metals fuse

MIW: current regulated electronically ON & OFF

Permit welding on thicker materials

Advantages:
Keep electrodes cooler
Minimize electrode distortion
Reduce spark
Increase electrode life

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Flash Welding (FW) Upset Welding (UW)

Applicable for ferrous & nonferrous except cast
Resistance welding process
iron, lead or zinc alloys
Current ON  contact & pressure  metals fuse

Disadvantage  bulging at welding area

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Upset Welding (UW) Stud Welding

Contact & pressure eliminate flashing @ bulge
Electric arc welding

Use less current but take longer time than FW
Joining metal stud to a workpiece

Nelson & Graham

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Stud Welding: Nelson Method Stud Welding: Nelson Method

Flux & ferrule (ceramic)
A recess contains flux

Welding gun, timing device to control DC current

Studs in variety of shapes, sizes & types
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Flux acts as arc stabilizer & deoxidizing agent

Ferrule:
 concentrates heat
acts w/ flux to remove air
confines molten metal to weld area
Shields the glare of arc & prevent charring

Stud is loaded into the chuck

Ferrule is positioned over the stud
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Stud Welding: Nelson Method Stud Welding: Graham Method

Depress trigger  current energizes solenoid
Stud with cylindrical tip

coil  lift stud away from workpiece  arc is
Diameter & length of the tip vary with stud
formed  current turn off by timing device  diameter & workpiece
solenoid releases stud  stud plunges into weld
pool  weld is formed

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Stud Welding: Graham Method Stud Welding: Graham Method

AC current & air source (air pressure)
High velocity electrons  concentrated beam

A collet on the welding gun hold the stud away
No shielding gas nor exerting pressure
from the workpiece

Air pressure drives stud against the workpiece

Tip touch workpiece  high current & low
voltage discharge  arc formation

Arcing time ~ 0.001 sec  little heat, no
distortion nor fillet

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Electron Beam Welding (EBW) Electron Beam Welding (EBW)

Fusion welding: kinetik energy changes to
Thin foil to 2 thick

thermal energy  melt & fuse

Tungsten filament @ 2000C

Tungsten oxidized under normal atmosphere
 vacuum chamber.

Refractory metals: tungsten, molybdenum,
columbium & tantalum

Readily oxidized metals: titanium, beryllium &
zirconium

Dissimilar metals: aluminum & standard steels

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Electron Beam Welding (EBW) Electron Beam Welding (EBW)

Vacuum chamber & beam-in-air processes

Vacuum chamber:
Free atmospheric contamination
Without shielding gas
Precise welding: narrow beam
Small vacuum chamber  small workpiece

Beam-in-air:
Gun with vacuum chamber
Argon as shielding gas
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Faster welding 28
Electron Beam Welding (EBW) Friction Welding (FRW)

Advantages of EBW:
By rotation or in relative motion

Low total energy input
Stored kinetic energy converted
Minimum distortion to heat
Retained properties
Rotation speed  contact &
Difficult-to-weld metal (aerospace) friction  sufficient heat 
interface softened  fusion

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Friction Welding (FRW) Laser Beam Welding (LBW)

Advantages:
Heat from laser beam impinging on the joint

Low cost (less electrical current)
No shielding gas nor exerting pressure
No copper fixtures
Highly concentrated beam > 1 bil watts/cm2
Narrow HAZ band
Very low heat input  minimum HAZ & thermal
Dissimilar metals welding damage

Dissimilar metals welding: Cu,Ni, Al, stainless
steels, & W

Used extensively in aerospace & electronic
industries

Limitation: Shallow penetration
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Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)

Use constricted arc between nonconsumable
DC current supplied by heavy duty DC rectifier
tungsten electrode
Water cooling pump to cool the torch

Ionized gas (plasma) from torch shields
Argon as shielding gas and/or plasma gas
electrode & welding area
Helium as shielding gas

Heat generated by highly intensified electric arc
Hand-held or mounted
(due to the injection of gas)

Superheated arc is concentrated into a narrow
stream

The plasma gas strikes the workpiece  cut /
keyholes metal melt  metal fused by surface
tension forces  weld bead 33 34

Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)

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Plasma Arc Welding (PAW) Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

Use arc between a

bare electrode &
weld pool.

Weld pool submerges
beneath flux & slag.

Granular flux acts as
blanket to form a
layer of slag that
protects & shields
the arc & weld pool
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from contamination. 38

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

Welding thick metal > 1/6

Limited welding position horizontal

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Ultrasonic Welding (USW) Ultrasonic Welding (USW)

Apply high frequency vibratory energy to
Joining electrical & electronic components, Al
workpieces (held together under pressure) wire & sheet.

Oxygen react with metal to form oxides

Oxides attract water vapor, forming a film of
moisture on the oxidized metal surface.

Both moisture & oxide films act as barriers to
prevent atomic migration when two metals are in
contact.

To break the barrier, ultrasonic vibration is
applied  surfaces close contact  solid bond
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Electroslag Welding (ESW) Electroslag Welding (ESW)

Melts and joins metals by heating with molten
slag between both metals.

Slag protects weld metal from air &
contamination.

Continuously feeding of filler wire electrode.

Water cooled backing copper to keep weld and
slag from breaking out.

Vertical welding.

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Electroslag Welding (ESW) Electroslag Welding (ESW)

Welding process:
Heat from electrical arc melt flux
Once flux melted, arc is turn off
Slag is kept molten by heat generated as
electric current passing through the slag.

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Electroslag Welding (ESW) Electroslag Welding (ESW)

Applications:
Advantages:
Welding ship hulls, storage  High deposition rate. 80
tanks and bridges.  No angular distortion,

ESW
SAW
weld is symmetrical 60

Deposition Rate, kg/hr

with respect to its axis.

Disadvantages:

GMAW

FCAW
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 Poor weld quality

SMAW

GTAW/PAW
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high heat input.
 Restricted to vertical
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position welding. 48
Electrogas Welding (EGW) Electrogas Welding (EGW)

Almost similar to ESW except the arc remains
struck during welding.

Shielding gas protects weld metal from air &
contamination.

Continuously feeding of filler wire electrode.

Water cooled copper to keep weld and slag
from breaking out.

Vertical welding.

Electrogas Welding (EGW) Electrogas Welding (EGW)

Welding process:
Electrical arc heat up and melt the electrode
and workpiece.
Arc remain struck during welding process.
Shielding gas protect welding area from
contamination.
Electrogas Welding (EGW)

Applications:
Welding ship hulls, storage
tanks and bridges.