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Steelmaker Touts Aluminum-Steel Welding System
Aluminum and steel can be welded together, but the process is complex and costly, The Wall Street Journal reports.
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Aluminum and steel can be welded together, but the process is complex and costly, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The newspaper cites research by Voestalpine AG in Linz, Austria. The high-tech steelmaker claims it has successfully fused the two normally incompatible metals with a unique "cold metal transfer" process.
The technique uses a special solder and a torch just hot enough to melt aluminum but not steel. The process is conducted in an argon gas atmosphere to avoid oxidation, and the welded pieces are then coated with zinc.
Voestalpine says its process is 2-3 times as costly as more conventional techniques that rely on chemical bonding or rivets. The company predicts it will be able to lower costs by about one-third, making the process feasible for use in the production of luxury cars.
Audi AG has been working with Voestalpine on methods to join steel, aluminum and fiber-reinforced plastics. It tells the Journal the steelmaker's process is a "very promising technology development."
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