A History of Welding Web Site - Welding Timeline Years 2000 and Beyond

Welding Timeline

Years 2000 and Beyond

2000

Magnetic Pulse Welding (MPW) is introduced by Pulsar Ltd. of Israel using capacitive power as a solid state welding process. Discharging 2 Million amps in less than 100 microseconds this process can create a metallurgical, a non-metallurgical or a mechanical lock, depending on the substrate involved. No heat affected zone (HAZ) is created since only a rise of 30^oC occurs.
Tailored welded blanks of aluminum are used where spot welding was once performed.
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory use the energy of the x-ray to weld metal-matrix composite (Ti or Al / Al₂O₃ or SiC) materials.
Diode laser welding, once limited to compact disks, laser printers, and laser pointers, are now making their way to the manufacturing floor. Welding Type 304 Stainless steel (0.024 inch), Titanium foil (0.005 inch thick) and laser brazing with a silicon-bronze brazing wire.
Conductive heat resistance seam welding (CHRSEW) is developed. The process uses steel cover sheets placed on top of aluminum butted together. Using conventional seam welding, the heat generated from the steel forms a molten interface on the aluminum and fusion is made at the butt joint. The steel covers are then removed.

AWS D17.1, "Specification for Fusion Welding for Aerospace Applications" is published in March. The efforts of approximately 50 individuals from a cross-section of the Aviation Industry and government produces the first commercial aviation welding specification.
Flame brazing 5XXX aluminum alloys using non-corrosive flux.
Sulzar Elbar introduces laser powder welding technology. Permits rebuilding of substrate material (High Creep Resistance) and reproduction of the single crystal structure.

From Linde Gas in Germany, a Diode laser using process gases and "active-gas components" is investigated to enhance the "key-holing" effects for laser welding. The process gas, Argon-CO₂, increases the welding speed and in the case of a diode laser, will support the transition of heat conductivity welding to a deep welding, i.e., 'key-holing'. Adding active gas changes the direction of the metal flow within a weld pool and produces narrower, high-quality weld.
CO₂ Lasers are used to weld polymers. The Edison Welding Institute is using through-transmission lasers in the 230-980 nm range to readily form welded joints. Using silicon carbides embedded in the surfaces of the polymer, the laser is capable of melting the material leaving a near invisible joint line.

Annular Deformation Resistance Welding (ADRW) process, patented by Delphi Corporation, a new approach to resistance welding automotive exhaust systems or two objects out of plane with each other. Potentially a viable process to replace the costly production brazing of similar shaped parts. The process is forgiving enough to minimize fitup tolerances and suitable for automation. .

Gas Metal Arc Welding-Brazing,a new hybrid process for joining automotive steels using Silicon containing copper based braze alloy as the filler metal.
The joining of Aluminum and low-carbon steel is achieved with the LASER using a lap joint. After studying the intermetallics phase (Fex-Aly compounds) researchers improved the metallurgical bond in the aluminum-steel interface. Success depends on varying the laser power.

Vaporizing Foil Actuator Welding (VFAW) developed by The Ohio State University that joins dissimilar metals. The process is similar to Explosive Welding (ExW) and magnetic pulse welding (MPW). The energy is distributed at approximately 70% ecapacitive discharge and 30% chemcial (volitization of the aluminum foil

Nanoparticle welding wire is introduced by Professor Li of UCLA for joining the non-fusion weldable aluminum alloy 2XXX and 7XXX.