Latest Advances in Modern Welding TechniquesWelding is the sculptural process that joins metals or thermoplastics by causing coalescence using techniques such as forge welding, arch welding, torch welding, etc., forming a strong cohesive bond between pieces. This is achieved by melting the workpieces with heat and pressure and including filler material to form a weld pool that cools to become a strong joint to produce the weld. Energy sources such as gas flame, laser, electron beam, ultrasound, friction are utilized in industries that weld in various environments. Because so many industries utilize welding in their everyday work, welder training has become more popular for those looking for a challenging career.
After WWII, many welding techniques such as shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, flux-cored arc welding, submerged arc welding and electro-slag welding came to the aid of manufacturing sector. Later years witnessed the development of laser beam welding, electron beam welding and most recently, robot welding. However, the world of welding is changing rapidly, becoming more advanced as the trend towards adapting high technologies and sustainable values in this field continue to be an essential strategy. Many industries such as government, energy, aerospace, automotive, chemical, electronics, manufacturing and medical industries where welding takes on crucial role are depending on more sophisticated methods to cope up with the demand. Because of this high demand, many job seekers are looking toward a welding career to take advantage of the multiple opportunities available.
New Trends in Advanced Welding Techniques
Below are some advanced welding techniques that might help address and replace the shortcomings of conventional types of welding.
Hybrid Laser Arc Welding: Combines the advantages of laser welding and gas metal arc welding and unlike the commonly used arc welding, this method carries out the penetration of metals deeply with a high power of 15kW at higher speeds along with the advantage of low heat input and less filler metal usage. High-speed video, non-destructive evaluation and mechanical testing are put to action to assess process stability, weld integrity and properties.
Friction Stir Welding of Hard Metals: FSW provides negligible distortion, low maintenance cost, little weld shrinkage, consistency throughout the process and automatic operation. Being proved to be highly efficient in welding thick sections of around 1.5in of aluminum alloys with a single pass, this technique is a savior for hard metals like steel, titanium and nickel-base alloys.
Resistance Weld technique uses electrical current coupled with force that heats the joint to be repaired or welded. Welding can be done on any part of the metals and unlike manual arc welding, this method automatically checks welding quality.
Additive Manufacturing technique: One unique capability being developed in which high power ultrasonic additive system deposits successive layers of strip materials using a solid-state welding process to produce net-shapes to optimize processing procedures.
There are many welding courses that can get interested job seekers on the road to a challenging career in this ever-evolving industry.
