Process Development 

Percussion welding is used for projects that need precision and a minimal heat-affected zone, with welds made without filler material. It suits fine wires, small parts and dissimilar metals, in medical device, automotive, electronics, aerospace and defense work.

It is not the right process for every joint. Process development exists to find that out early and cheaply, on your parts, before you commit to tooling or equipment.

The first stage is a conversation about your project. Based on your materials and weld specifications, we evaluate whether percussion welding is a good fit.

• Which two materials are being joined, and in what form: wire, strip, pin, tube or sheet.
• What the joint has to do: carry current, hold a load, survive vibration.
• What must not be heated or damaged near the joint.
• How many parts, and whether the work is prototype or production.

You can get a first read yourself in the material compatibility checker.

Next we run a process evaluation to determine whether your weld specifications can be achieved. This is a test on your materials, not a calculation.

Free applications tests of your materials are available. Send the materials, and we weld them and report what we find. If you would rather watch, we can run live, in-person tests at our lab in Denver.

Our lab data gives us a place to start. If your pair is in it, we begin from the matching schedule. If it is not, we say so and test it.

With positive results from the process evaluation, we move to process development. This phase is typically conducted in your environment, on your fixtures and parts. If you prefer, it can be performed at MTI MicroWelding.

The goal is a documented process: the fixture arrangement, the pre-defined gap, the 858 settings and the inspection method that together produce the weld your specification calls for, every time.

We start from the closest lab schedule and adjust one setting at a time, so the effect of each change is clear. The lab schedules (131 of them, across 33 materials) record these parameters:

• Wire diameter.
• Actuator velocity.
• Delay time.
• Capacitance setting.
• Weld voltage.
• Pulse, long or short.

Schedules are starting points, not guarantees, and every application is validated on your own parts. The Parameter Finder lets you explore them.

Welds are inspected visually, by mechanical testing, or with the Percussion Weld Monitor. In pull tests the wire often breaks before the weld, which is the result to look for.

The monitor is a tool for both process development and production monitoring. In its Learning stage it builds a signature waveform from good welds. In its Test stage it compares each later weld on three characteristics (maximum current, point of contact and waveform) and shows Pass or Fail, with digital outputs. It can store the data and waveforms, which helps document the process.

Once the process is developed, we support the move to production:

• Operator training.
• Weld parameter documentation.
• Production monitoring with the Percussion Weld Monitor.
• Integration into automated lines, where needed.

The Percussion Welder can be used in automation and semi-automation, and we service the equipment we build. For equipment details see the 858, the 726 and the actuator.