Friction Welding - Detroit Industrial Paradox - Dana Incorporated
2This is at Dana Incorporated
#dana #tankplant #tankdivision
Friction Welding: Friction welding is a solid-state welding process that generates heat through mechanical friction between workpieces in relative motion to one another, with the addition of a lateral force called "upset" to plastically displace and fuse the materials.
This machine work cell has 2 Fanuc robots for material handling and 1 large Hydraulic ram with a heavy duty spinning chuck like on a large lathe. The 2 pieces of metal to be joined are clamped into each half of the machine.
The two halves of the machine then tap together to prove accuracy and mating positions for start on Zero. It then starts up the spindle to spin one piece of metal while the other piece of metal remains locked and still in a fixed state.
With the spinning metal at speed indicated and satisfied for the setting required to initiate the sequence the valves then get their 24 volt control to initiate the hydraulic piston ram to force the spinning metal piece into the fixed still locked piece. Great resistance is created.
The key to bonding metals in this process is HEAT + PRESSURE.
Typically welding uses high energy with electricity to use resistance and burn. Keeping the electricity on the mating metals and the filling weld material which breaks down at a lower temperature fills and acts as the glue to fill and mate two hot metals together or to fill and add with the additive process.
Once the cycle process requirements are met in the dimensions in the position of the encoders / scales reading the position of the Ram it then knows the two metals have squished and compressed together ready now for the release of the spinning spindle collet / chuck.
Both pieces are now mated and bonded. Fused together.
There is two rings from the rolling of the steel pieces hot and molten forced against each other as the waste material in excess that needs to be taken off.
The Fanuc robot that unloads the welder then takes the work piece to either a CNC machining center that machines off the rings to have a flush solid single piece of metal work piece or it is sent to another pressing station that will press off and just push those rings off. They just with under so much pressure as burnt waste product / scrap metal with a weaker integrity through the process just (SNAP) snaps off. Then you still have to further machine the single work piece as where the two rings / collars snapped off is rough surfaces.
It's a very interesting process that is quick and with less slag and waste / fumes and dirt in the work area than traditional seam welding or other methods of welding two pieces of materials together.
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