Technology file

Micro Friction Stir Welding

Micro Friction Stir Welding

Technology

Friction stir welding is a solid-state joining process, which can be used to join traditionally difficult materials such as aluminium. In the past, there has been a drive towards joining thicker materials. Now TWI is responding to a market need for thin sheet joining in a range of industries.

Advantages

  • Uses existing machine tool technology
  • Low cost
  • No fusion, no fume, no spatter - clean room compatible
  • Minimum distortion
  • Suitable for automation
  • Ambient joining conditions
  • Tolerant to imperfect edges
  • Can join dissimilar materials
  • Environmentally friendly

Expertise

  • Variety of Al alloys
  • Butt welds, lap joints and spot welds down to 0.3 mm thickness
  • Aluminium to copper welds
  • Thermoplastic polymers

Applications so far

  • Innovative thin-wall piping solutions
  • Aerospace thin casings
  • Aluminium bus-bars

The future

  • Thinner welding
  • Hermetic sealing for electronics packaging
  • Copper cable joints
  • Low distortion flexible sheets

For further information, please email your request to micro@twi.co.uk.

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