Machine Talk Blog

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.

There's a reason you clicked on this blog.

Long before the word "Tesla" spurred any thoughts beyond the iconic inventor of the 1800s, companies around the world were relying on friction welding to join their parts.  But just as automotive technology has shifted throughout the decades, friction welding has followed right along, aligning with the demands of the modern consumer and commercial vehicle market.

Friction welding offers a world of possibility for all types of industries, and MTI is a global leader in this highly adaptable technology. Our engineers are continually innovating and creating new solutions to difficult manufacturing challenges.

One place friction welding technology is making a difference, is in the oil and gas industry. With durable welds that can stand up to incredible stress, friction welding is a practical response to the demands that are put on drill pipes, manifold tubes, valves, perf-gun tubes, actuation balls, and more.

When you think of friction welding, you likely imagine a highly engineered machine bringing two materials together and performing a solid-state weld using either a rotary, linear or stir motion.

It's a scenario you've likely encountered at least once.

You have two metals you want to join, but you're not sure which welding technology is the best fit for your application.

Adding to its continually growing list of value-added offerings, MTI UK's contract friction welding facility has welcomed a new, state-of-the art CNC machine onto its shop floor.

From Low Force Friction Welding to Friction Stir Welding, MTI specializes in several different types of friction welding processes. But in this article, we will explore our Inertia Rotary Friction Welding technology and explain how it works and outline how it could be beneficial in your next project.

MTI is proud to announce its involvement in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research project, which focuses on the durability of friction welds created with dissimilar metals.

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.

Total indicator runout, or TIR, is a term often used in manufacturing, especially when dealing with rotating parts.  Other names include total indicator reading, or more recently, full indicator movement (FIM).  TIR is simply the difference between the maximum and minimum values measured across an entire rotating surface about a reference axis.

Following a nearly seven-week closure of our buildings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, MTI reopened its doors on May 11 to resume US operations after Indiana's governor deemed it was safe for non-essential manufacturers to do so.

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!

It's our newest technology and has the potential to revolutionize solid-state joining as we know it - Low Force Friction Welding is here to stay and since its inception, we've learned a lot about its potential in all of the industries that MTI serves.

You might not realize it yet, but friction welded parts are all around us, from the cars you drive to the planes you fly in.

Here’s a look at some everyday objects you never knew were friction welded:

Friction welding is rooted in a fairly simple, yet effective concept: make good parts great and strong parts even stronger.

The future of integration is now. What do I mean by that? I mean, we have seen many examples of how friction welding is seamlessly integrated into an automated manufacturing process. A number of our customers are already working with us and integrating friction welding technology into their production process. Based on their successes, it is the right time to take advantage of this innovative process that leads to (1) process repeatability, (2) improved cycle time, (3) increased production volume, and (4) cost savings.

The solid state, forged quality bonded joint offered by friction welding has made it an ideal manufacturing process for the automotive industry. With the ability to create highly durable, customized components for everything from commercial to personal use vehicles, friction welding helps Tier One manufacturers design flexible solutions to ever-changing challenges of the automotive industry.

As the world continues to grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, we want to ensure our customers understand how MTI is responding to the situation and how the restrictions will impact our business operations in the coming weeks.

Whether it's as small as adding a protective case to your new smartphone or as advanced as installing a state-of-the-art security system to monitor your home, it's natural and sensible to want to keep your personal property safe.

The whir of machines, the beep of a forklift— a manufacturing floor isn't exactly a place you'd go to find some peace and quiet. But nestled among the hustle and bustle of MTI's Manufacturing Services building, you'll find a much quieter place; one that fosters thorough analyses and a methodical evaluation process that's one part science, one part art.

2020. We made it.

The confetti has fallen, the noisemakers have been tucked back into storage, and now, we're left with an unfiltered view of both a new year and a new decade (unless you're one of those people who believes the new decade doesn't begin until 2021, but that's a separate discussion.)

Though MTI is eager to dive head-first into 2020, we first want to pause and reflect on our accomplishments from 2019 – after all, without them, we wouldn't be where we are now!

Developing and engineering a part for the aerospace industry is no easy task — but then again, why should it be? Companies depend on these parts to help keep passengers and cargo safe each time a plane takes off, lands and every step in between.

Friction welding is not a one-size-fits-all process — that's what makes it such a versatile joining method.  It's just as effective for joining components that you can fit in the palm of your hand as it is for joining parts that require a crane to move from one place to another.

Throughout the past few episodes of Whiteboard Wednesdays, we've walked you through some of the key benefits of Low Force Friction Welding.

Technology innovator EWI is pleased to introduce Manufacturing Technology, Inc, as its newest Strategic Technology Member. Together, EWI and MTI, a leading manufacturer of inertia, direct drive, and hybrid friction welders, will work in collaboration to advance the new hybrid joining technology known as low force friction welding.

If you haven't seen the recent headlines about manufacturing across the Midwest, allow us to summarize: the skills gap is growing.

If you've been following along with our Whiteboard Wednesdays series, by now, you are likely beginning to understand some of the key benefits of Low Force Friction Welding.

In this episode, we will walk you through one of the biggest advantages of Low Force — the ability to accomplish little to no interior flash (ID.)

If you peel back the exterior of an airplane, you will find thousands of parts working together to help safely lift the plane into flight. And if you look a little closer, you'll notice some of those parts were joined by friction welding.

MTI has successfully friction-welded dozens of parts for aircraft and the aerospace industry. But perhaps no part is more complicated to take from concept to completion than the blisk.

Jim Hoffman, MTI's Chief Metallurgist, examines a weld at the Sheridan Street lab.

Resting his face against the eyepiece of a microscope, MTI Chief Metallurgist Jim Hoffman meticulously spins a cluster of knobs, gradually bringing a customer’s latest weld into focus. He squints, rotates another dial then shifts his eyes toward his computer.  His keyboard clicks rhythmically as he adds to the notes sprawled across his two monitors.

In our last episode of Whiteboard Wednesday, we introduced you to a brand-new style of solid-state joining, Low-Force Friction Welding.

You've read our blogs, you've watched our videos and you feel like you have a basic understanding of how friction welding works.

Adding to its growing list of value-added services, MTI’s Manufacturing Services division has welcomed two new CNC machines to its 117-thousand square-foot facility.

For decades, MTI has been using friction welding to create unique joining solutions for customers across a variety of industries.

Oil sands production is a tough, demanding operation. The impact loads are earth-shattering, and the often brutally cold temperatures do little to provide any relief to the machinery operating in this highly abrasive environment.

Constanza Lengerich (right) chats with controls engineer, Ray Szajko.

Situated in a quiet office on the second floor of MTI’s global headquarters in South Bend, Indiana, Constanza Lengerich carefully examines a new batch of data from her team’s latest weld. The numbers excite and energize her – they signal pivotal progress in the company’s research and development of a new form of solid-state joining, Low-Force Friction Welding.

GLASGOW — Two MTI-built rotary friction welding machines have found a new and purposeful home at the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), which specializes in innovative manufacturing technologies, metal forming and forging research.

When it comes to aerospace and automotive applications, bigger isn't always better.  In fact, companies invest a lot of time and money into figuring out how to trim the weight of their critical parts.

It's no secret Friction Welding is a highly scientific process; it involves a lot of calculations, engineering and research to get it right. But thanks to the MTI-engineered control system found on each of our friction welding machines, you can trust our technology to do the complex work for you on your shop floor!

We understand life's biggest moments don't always wait until the end of the work day. On most occasions, MTI employees can take advantage of a flexible schedule — meaning you can do things like volunteer in your child's classroom or tag along on a field trip without using any time off.

DETROIT – The first and only linear friction welder capable of full-sized part development in North America is now fully operational and ready for project work at LIFT - Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, a national manufacturing innovation facility operated by the American Lightweight Materials Innovation Institute, in Detroit.

Steel and Inconel: they look similar, but metallurgically speaking, they’re two very different materials. They melt at different temperatures, they have different densities and their forgeabilities vary greatly.

Starting a new career can be intimidating. But at MTI, you don't have to do it alone. 

Kingswinford, UK – MTI Welding Technologies, Ltd. is building a state-of-the-art friction welding machine for a leading truck manufacturer in Europe.

South Bend, Ind. - Recently recognized for its role in high-profile space missions, Manufacturing Technology, Inc. (MTI) is gearing up to showcase its friction welding expertise to some of the biggest aerospace influencers in the nation.

Technology and infrastructure have certainly grown over the past 49 years, but so has MTI's commitment to helping our environment.