What Is a Dissimilar Metals Welding Service?
With the rise in the electrification of automobiles and the increasing use of aluminum for weight reduction and strength enhancement, dissimilar metals welding services have become essential. These services include mechanical joining methods like caulking and riveting, chemical joining using adhesives, and metallurgical joining through welding. Caulking, in particular, is noted for its minimal capital investment and low running costs.
Caulking, as a mechanical joining method, offers easier quality control compared to welding and eliminates the need for secondary materials like rivets, bolts, or nuts. Additionally, as a cold joining process that doesn’t generate spatter, fumes, or heat, it aligns well with current efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.
Uses of Dissimilar Metals Welding Services
Dissimilar metals welding services facilitate a wide range of metal combinations, with applications including automobile batteries, bus bars for electronic components, and car bodywork.
Advantages
- No spatter or fumes.
- Simplified joining process.
- No need for pre-treatment or post-treatment of plating material.
- Reduced operational and equipment costs.
- High dynamic strength and reproducibility.
- Capability for multiple simultaneous strikes.
- Efficient bonding to conductive parts.
- Non-destructive quality control.
Disadvantages
- Static strength around 50% to 70% of spot welding.
- Need for measures like increasing striking points or joint diameter.
- Potential surface unevenness.
- Requirement for access to both sides of the material.
Principle of Dissimilar Metals Welding Services
This welding service employs a straightforward technique that uses the plastic deformation of metal, akin to pressing. It’s a cold process that doesn’t require heat or electricity, thus bypassing concerns about the melting point of different metals. This technique is advantageous when joining metals like aluminum and steel, where welding can be complicated by intermetallic compounds at the joining surface. The absence of secondary materials like rivets also aids in reducing costs and saving weight.