Technology file

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.