Friction Stir Welding

Friction stir welding is the optimal joining process for many applications. Although FSW is most commonly applied to aluminum alloys due to its low melting temperature, it has proven to be a superior joining process for high-temperature alloys as well.

• Superior mechanical properties in the as-welded condition
• Minimal distortion of joined parts due to welding below the melting point
• Reduced consumables (no filler gas shield)
• Welding of previously “un-weldable” alloys or dissimilar alloys
• Can easily weld joint geometries and complex curvatures
• Can weld materials less than 1mm and greater than 75mm thick in a single pass
• Improved safety due to the absence of toxic fumes or spatter of molten material
• Process is easily automated with lower setup costs
• Environmentally friendly – no gasses or toxic fumes

There are many factors that will impact your friction stir weld. It is important to know what these factors are and consider them before finalizing the design of your friction stir welding equipment to achieve the best result. Friction stir welding is often used for many early adopters in highly critical industries, such as aerospace, railway, and automotive, but it is also a joining process optimal for many other industries. FSW is often chosen because of its superior weld quality, however, the speed of the welding process is increasingly becoming a valuable benefit.

Factors that have a significant impact on the quality of friction stir welding include pin tool design, weld parameters and accuracy, the position of the pin tool, spindle speed, travel speed, fixtures, and part clamping. PAR will help you navigate these factors and build a solution right for you with our friction stir welding technology, I-STIR™.

PAR’s FSW machines in combination with our advanced control system allows customers to take full advantage of the process benefits while allowing the ability to deploy technology for large, complex applications.

PAR has highly-instrumented, high-fidelity solutions and a flexible control system tailored for process control and monitoring in a variety of motion systems. The combination makes PAR’s I-STIR the most advanced friction stir welding solution on the market.

Friction stir welding is considered a green technology because of its environmental friendliness and energy efficiency. Unlike standard fusion welding, friction stir welding does not use of filler metal or shielding gas, so there aren’t any harmful emissions created.

Friction Stir Welding is a solid-state joining process invented by TWI in 1991 and is capable of producing faster, higher quality welds than traditional fusion welding by using an accurate, repeatable, and environmentally friendly process.

Contact us today to learn more about this technology.

• Our systems incorporate independent forge and/or pin actuators with five or more degrees of freedom.
• Our FSW systems allow users to take full advantage of the benefits of this superior joining process.
• I-STIR technology can achieve superior quality welds with the potential to minimize or eliminate post-weld inspection.