Special Joining Technologies

Service offer

Holistic processing of joining tasks for material and form-fit connections between conventionally difficult-to-weld materials and between dissimilar materials (e.g. Al-Cu, Al-St, Al-CFK, ...) by means of: 

  • Friction Stir Welding (FSW)
  • Magnetic Pulse Welding (MPW)

By means of our customized joining processes, magnetic pulse welding and friction stir welding, we generate material- and form-fit connections between conventionally difficult-to-weld materials as well as between different types of materials (e.g. Al-Cu, Al-St, Al-CFK, ...) We are leading in offering comprehensive solutions, starting with joining design and joining process development up to the evaluation and testing of the joining properties of real components. Our expertise includes the development of tooling, measuring and systems technology and enables us to develop optimal solutions for joining tasks and to implement them in series production together with the customer.

The benefits of our expertise are very complex:

  • Innovation: Production of lightweight multi material structures
  • Cost and time saving: Minimization of welding time
  • Safety: Securing and improving the joint strength
  • Sustainability: Low-energy joining

Magnetic Pulse Welding (MPW) and Magnetic Pulse Forming

Scheme magnetic pulse welding
© Fraunhofer IWS
Scheme magnetic pulse welding
  • Joining design
  • Development of tool coils
  • Process development: Process analysis and optimization for low energy joining and low tool loading

Friction Stir Welding (FSW)

Scheme friction stir welding
© Fraunhofer IWS
Scheme friction stir welding
  • Joining design
  • Development of welding tools
  • Process development: Process analysis and optimization for high process speeds and extended tool lifetime
  • Individual construction and testing of welding machines
 

Highlight

Friction stir welding for aerospace applications - Research on lightweight and efficient metal aircraft fuselages

For more than a decade, Fraunhofer IWS engineers and scientists have been researching joining technologies and industrial concepts to reduce the production costs and time of manufacturing lightweight aircraft fuselages.