Friction Welding and Drill Pipe Manufactuer and Supplier
FRICTION WELDING
Our primary focus and what makes us special
With three machines in our inventory and another one on the way.
We are South Africa’s best solution for the friction welded product. From hollow tubes to solid pipes, we can do it all. Some example of the work we do: DTH Drill rods, bonding of unlike materials such as Stainless onto Mild Steel or Aluminium onto Copper, Bolts where the head is welded onto the shaft, renewing of Top Hammer drill rods with a new threaded end. There are so many bonding applications, mail us to find out more.
You Asked, We Answered. Some common questions we are asked.
WHAT IS FRICTION WELDING?
Friction welding is a highly efficient method of fusing two metallic components together purely by the means of friction, which in turn creates heat. The two components are heated and then forged together to create a seamless join stronger than the parent material. All this happens extremely fast and in a controlled manner, with a typical weld taking 60 seconds.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FRICTION WELDING?
-
Ultra Fast joining times, a matter of seconds.
-
The process is actually better described as a forging of the two materials together resulting in incredibly strong bond. Tests done on our welds have shown the weld to be stronger than the parent material base.
-
Dissimilar materials can be welded together, eg Stainless on Mild Steel.
-
Surfaces need less preparation as the motion of the welding process cleans the surface. So less prep work required.
-
The ability to line up components to get perfect concentricity helps with alignment.
-
Repetition, the process allows us to friction weld a product the exact same way, each time. There is no chance for error.
HOW STRONG IS FRICTION WELDING?
We conduct regular destructive testing on the components we weld to ensure the work we produce is of a high standard. We have found from the continuous testing that the welds have been consistently stronger than the parent material, with any failure points being on the parent material. We have a close working relationship with a lab who does all of our testing.
WHAT IS THE TYPICAL TURN AROUND TIME ON A JOB?
The typical turn around time on a job is 48 hours, with some jobs being done the same day. It varies greatly depending on any tooling requirements we would need to clamp the components, and as well as quantity. Compare that to forging or to Ordinary welding where dies and jogs need to be made, it adds up to a nice time saving. The best would be contact us to get an exact turn around time.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF COMPONENTS THAT HAVE BEEN FRICTION WELDED?
Some examples of items which have been friction welded are: Down The Hole and Top Hammer drill rods - where the female/male rod ends have been welded onto the pipe, Bolts - where either round bar has been welded onto a disk or hex disk to be machined, Pump rotors, Roof bolts used in mines, Push/Pull rods used in railway rolling stock, Heavy duty rock drill bits - Welding of the cutting tip onto shaft, Prop shafts, Shank adaptors. These are but a few examples.