Influences on ARC Stability in Welding of Aluminum Pin-Structures

Abstract

Pin structures offer an innovative way of joining dissimilar materials such as metals and plastics based on an additional geometric link. Therefore pins are placed on a metal sheet substrate by use of a special arc welding technique called cold metal transfer (CMT), developed by Fronius International. The key element of the CMT process is moving the wire back and forth during the welding process. This controlled movement combined with proper welding parameters allows a defined shaping of the pin.

This concept has been applied successfully on stainless steel structures, both experimentally and in simulations. A major problem occurring in the framework of aluminum was the arc stability during the warm up phase originating from the oxide layer at the base material’s surface.

In this work we describe how the concept of pin welding was extended on aluminum, which obstacles occurred and how they were surmounted successfully.