Machine Talk Blog

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 9, 2018: Manufacturing Technology, Inc. (MTI) has shipped North America’s first linear friction welder capable of full sized part development to the LIFT - Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow facility in Detroit where it will contribute to cutting edge lightweighting research in the automotive and aerospace sectors.

SOUTH BEND, IN – Manufacturing Technology Inc., (MTI) announced it will develop North America’s largest Linear Friction Welder, in terms of force capacity and tooling envelope, and deliver it to LIFT – Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow – for use in lightweight metals research and development projects, based in Detroit.

Friction welding is a forging technique that produces ultra-strong bonds for diverse applications. This process has been the answer to many manufacturing and engineering challenges for over five decades. From aerospace to automotive, friction welding is continually opening the possibilities for ongoing technological advancement.

Two buzz words in the manufacturing industry today are near net shape manufacturing and additive manufacturing. Both terms are manufacturing processes that save time and money when producing parts.

Linear friction welding is similar to direct drive rotary friction welding since both are a constant energy input process. But unlike rotary, linear friction welding uses linear oscillation (a repeated back and forth motion) to create a solid state weld. There are two components of the oscillation that drives the energy input:

Linear friction welding is a solid-state joining process that uses relative motion and high force in order to create enough heat to create a two-piece forging. In linear friction welding, one part is moved back and forth rapidly in a linear reciprocating motion while the other part is forced into it, creating enough heat between the two parts to forge them together.

Manufacturing Technology, Inc., has shipped the world’s largest capacity linear friction welding machine, to Pratt & Whitney’s world-class Middletown facility in Connecticut. The machine will be used to friction-weld critical aircraft engine components to support Pratt & Whitney’s most advanced military programs and next generation product family.