Machine Talk Blog

If you asked 10 of our customers what friction welding looks like to them, chances are, they'd all have different answers.

To some, it's a solid-state method used to join parts that can fit in your pocket.  And to others, it's the only technology suitable for joining parts complex and large enough to help an engine lift a jet off the ground. Most other answers, though, would likely fall somewhere in between those two scenarios.

Practice makes perfect: it’s an old saying, but one that continues to ring true in just about every aspect of life – especially when it comes to manufacturing.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – It's one of the boldest space missions ever planned... and NASA is relying on the friction welding experts at Manufacturing Technology, Inc. (MTI) to help pull it off.

The world of friction welding is vast -- and so is the vocabulary used to describe it! We've compiled a list of the most commonly used friction welding terms -- from machine components to MTI's processes -- to help you grow your engineering mind!

In many ways, the Automotive industry is one of the most diverse and unique industries that MTI serves. Though the projects don't involve sending spacecraft into orbit like some of our Aerospace jobs, the demands of this ever-changing industry keep us on our toes and inspire us to keep thinking ahead.

MTI has gained global recognition for designing and building the most advanced, customized friction welding machines—including the world’s largest inertia friction welder.

While we are proud of building the largest rotary and linear friction welders in the world, we have also designed and built hundreds of smaller friction welding machines. 

And that’s where the SPARTAN product line comes in, providing a high quality and cost-effective solution.

Even though 2020 is now behind us, many of the financial challenges that emerged during the unprecedented year continue to impact operational budgets in 2021 and beyond.

Pivot.

Of all the buzzwords that emerged from the unprecedented year of 2020 (think: quarantine, social distancing, etc.) no word feels more relevant to our MTI family than "pivot."

It's true - no two friction welding applications are the same. But no matter the part, the intent or the industry, there is one common goal we hope to achieve with each project we handle: create a component that is fit-for-purpose and can be ultimately joined on a production machine.

So, how do we accomplish this?

Using our friction welding and solid state joining know-how, MTI has developed, designed, and manufactured low force friction welding machines that are operating in industry today.

Solid-state welding processes are a group of technologies in which joining is accomplished without melting the individual substrates. In these processes, bonding is accomplished by a combination of heating and forging. Heating is used to both lower the flow stresses enabling forging, as well as promote diffusion between the individual substrates. Common variations of these processes include flash-butt, upset, projection, and mash-seam welding, as well as friction-based welding processes such as direct-drive, inertia, and linear friction welding.

For decades, MTI has successfully joined hundreds of applications across multiple industries using our traditional friction welding process. However, with the introduction of our newest solid-state joining technology, Low Force Friction Welding,  you may now be wondering whether it's time to consider switching to Low Force - even if you've relied on our traditional process for years.