Inertia Friction Welding Orientation by MTI

Inertia Friction Welding Orientation is now possible. MTI has developed the expertise to orient parts using either Inertia or Direct Drive Friction welding. Although the ability to orient parts during a Direct Drive Friction Weld cycle has been available for some time, orientation during an Inertia Weld cycle is unique. Because of this uniqueness, MTI has a patent pending on the process.

Inertia Friction and Direct Drive Friction Welding variations each have advantages which make it better suited to a particular application than the other. Until now, however, the Direct Drive variation had to be used if angular orientation was required.

Oriented Aluminum Bar - test Part

Hydraulic Cylinder with Oriented Ports

This new development in orientation has created additional Inertia Welding cycle advantages.

General Inertia Welding Advantages

• Shorter weld times
• Less flash, and therefore less material consumption
• Narrower heat-affected zones.
• Fewer Parameters - Speed and Pressure.

Inertia Welding Orientation Advantages

• Better accuracy and repeatability due to more spindle position adjustments during the weld.
• Better accuracy and repeatability because the adjustments to spindle position are smaller.
• Small adjustments don't require over-specified drives and motors
• Orientation is achievable with very fast welds without sacrificing accuracy.
  • Aluminum and Aluminum tubing
  • Thin wall steel
• Any weld that can be made with the Inertia Welding process can be oriented with the Inertia Welding process.

Aspects of the Inertia Weld Cycle enhance the accuracy of the oriented welds. The orientation of a friction weld and the spindle position adjustments required to achieve orientation occur during the time that the spindle decelerates from Weld Speed to Zero. While the overall weld cycle may be shorter, the length of time that it takes for the spindle to decelerate is always longer in the inertia cycle. A longer adjustment period means that MTI is able to make more adjustments, leading to better accuracy and repeatability. MTI uses actual weld data to reproduce the deceleration during the weld, thus the adjustments needed to duplicate the deceleration are typically smaller in magnitude. Smaller adjustments are easier to make. This also increases the accuracy and repeatability of the orientation without increasing the horsepower requirements of the machine.

Oriented Steel Hex - Test Part

3-Piece Aluminum Torque Rod with Oriented Ends