Not molten, but flowing - joining metals with rotation

Friction stir welding uses a fast rotating tool with a wear-resistant pin to generate the energy required to plasticise the material. The pin of the rotating tool is immersed in the material and guided along between the workpieces to be joined. The resulting frictional heat and the mechanical "stirring" of the material ensure that the material remains flowable without being in the liquid state.

Low temperature eliminates many causes of trouble

Due to the low heat input, typical problems at the joint are avoided, especially with low-melting metals. These include welding distortion as well as pore and crack formation. Therefore, welded joints using friction stir welding are characterised by excellent mechanical seam properties and high reproducibility.

For almost all aluminum alloys

Friction stir welding is suitable for almost all aluminum alloys - even alloys that are not fusion-weldable. In addition, various aluminum materials can easily be combined.

Dissimilar material joints with aluminum

Not only different aluminum materials can be joined. Friction stir welding is also suitable for other soft or low-melting materials such as copper or magnesium. In addition, copper-aluminium or steel-aluminium joints can be produced. Due to the low process temperature, brittle intermetallic phases are significantly reduced or widely avoided.

Practical process optimisation

A state-of-the-art Powerstir 345C FSW system has been available in the joining technology laboratory of our research partner ISF since 2014. Coupled with our extensive experience in this field, it offers the best conditions for finding the optimum process parameters for your individual task in friction stir welding and integrating them into your production.