Coldwater Machine, a Lincoln Electric Company, has announced that it has launched a “Will it Meld” calculator on its website to help companies determine if dissimilar materials can be joined by its SpinMeld rotary friction welding systems. To use the calculator, users simply visit https://www.coldwatermachine.com/will-it-meld/ and select the two materials they would like to weld from a drop-down list of over 35 substances. Depending upon the selected materials, the result will either say the materials can be joined, the materials have not yet been proven to join or to contact Coldwater Machine for more information on the application.
“With the intense focus on lightweighting in the automotive industry and the increasing use of aluminum, magnesium, and composites, our customers can use this tool to gain a better idea of the viability of their proposed product designs and materials,” said Dan Barry, VP of sales and marketing.
Coldwater’s SpinMeld system provides the high-speed capability for joining of dissimilar materials only offered by a handful of American companies. The system can join steels, aluminum, cast or sintered metals, magnesium, brass, ceramics with mixed metal connections, and dissimilar combinations of these materials. Friction welding offers numerous benefits over other welding techniques including higher weld strength and airtight welds absent of voids, minimal heat-affected zone, consistent weld duplication, and the elimination of consumables or fillers.