Resistance Welding

There are many methods of bonding metals together. Resistance welding is the process of bonding two metals without the introduction of a third metal using an electrode. The Resistance Welding process requires heat, time and pressure for a successful bond. Pressure and current is transferred to the parts through the electrode. Heat is produced by passing current through the materials where the bond is required. The resistance of the material to the electrical current that is passing through it supplies the heat necessary to either melt the metals together or plasticize them so that the pressure of the electrode can bond them.

Since Resistance Welding uses the heat produced from the resistance of the material to electrical current, it is important to reduce all other possible resistance except for where the two metals are to be joined. In general practice, to reduce the contact resistance between the electrode and workpiece, a soft electrode such as copper is placed against a hard workpiece such as Steel or Moly and vice versa.

One of the factors that determines the tip size is the size of the nugget or bond that you are trying to achieve. A very small workpiece will use a very small tip size. If you have different workpiece thicknesses or hardnesses you may also want to vary tip sizes.

Applications

AUTOMOTIVE

• AIR BAGS
• AIR BAG DETONATORS
• ANTI-SKID BRAKE SYSTEMS
• ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLIES

BATTERIES, NICKEL CADMIUM

• BATTERY FABRICATION
• BATTERY PACKS
• BUTTON CELLS
• CELLULAR PHONES
• LAPTOP COMPUTERS
• TOYS
• VIDEO CAMERAS

ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

• CONNECTOR TO FINE WIRE ASSEMBLY
• MECHANICAL RELAYS
• MICROWAVE PACKAGES
• MILITARY AVIONICS
• POTENTIOMETERS
• PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD REPAIR

LAMPS

• HALIDE ARC
• MERCURY ARC
• TUNGSTEN FILAMENT TO TUNGSTEN OR MOLYBDENUM SUPPORT WIRE
• TUNGSTEN STARTER WIRE TO MOLYBDENUM FOIL
• SUB-ASSEMBLY SUPPORT WIRES

MEDICAL

• HEARING AIDS
• INTRAVENOUS CATHETERS
• PACEMAKERS
• X-RAY TUBES

Standard Materials