Cold welding for aluminum: prices, application, reviews

Aluminum is a light metal used in industry for many decades. Over this period of time it has been established that cold welding for aluminum and its alloys is the only way of joining blanks.

What is cold welding?

Cold welding is a method of joining parts made of metal that is produced without heating, under pressure. Gluing is carried out due to plastic deformation of the mass and its penetration into the welded surfaces. Cold welding for aluminum is widely available and does not require special preparation and complex equipment. The process takes place directly in the room, at room temperature. No heating sources used by arc welding are required .

Composition and characteristics

Cold welding, in fact, is a glue for metals and can have a one-component or two-component composition, which includes:

• Epoxy resins, which form the basis of welding and are responsible for the uniformity and plasticity of the composition.
• Metal component as a filler.
• Additional substances and additives, improving adhesion, resistance to aggressive environment, temperature characteristics and so on.

Strength depends on its composition, correct use and quality of surface preparation.

Under suitable conditions, the junction is even stronger than the bonded metal, but, as practice has shown, the seam after bonding is an order of magnitude less durable than conventional welding. Therefore, it is recommended to use it only for minor repairs.

Glue "Cold welding for aluminum" is found in almost every hardware store - a huge number of foreign and domestic manufacturers produce this compound, differing only by external design.

Mastic, as a rule, is sold as a two-layer bar, which resembles plasticine, or for convenience is placed in a cylindrical package.

Before welding, the required amount is cut off from the piece (strictly perpendicular). Elements of welding after kneading with fingers are quickly applied to the desired area.

Principle of deformation welding

Bonding of aluminum surfaces is performed due to plastic deformation.

The objects to be joined during cold welding are compressed very tightly with each other, as a result of which the outer layer breaks down, an intermolecular bond appears, forming a strong connection.

To ensure a better connection, the parts should preferably be degreased beforehand, cleaned of dust.

Cold welding methods

The technology of joining aluminum in a cold way can be divided into 3 methods:

• Butt;
• Point;
• Suture.

Butt Welding

With this method, aluminum billets are placed and clamped into special jaws. Further, an effort is applied to them, which is directed along the axis. As a result, the parts get as tight as possible, and plastic deformation occurs.

This method has some drawbacks:

• It is almost impossible to connect long parts, because their size is limited by the construction of the clamping device;
• Part of the blanks located in the bushing-clamping is deformed;
• It is difficult to remove the parts from the clamps.

Spot Welding

This method is used to weld aluminum blanks overlap. Special punches are used. The location of the indented punch is called a welded point. Welded points are placed along the connection line after a certain interval.

The advantage of this method is the absence of the need for pre-fixing of parts and low deformation of the metal in the connected places. This is the most common cold welding for aluminum. It can be made without clamping or on fixed parts.

Seam welding

For the formation of a continuous weld, this method of welding can use rollers, between which there are joined blanks or annular punches.

Welding can be performed either by a single rotating roller that presses the aluminum parts against the support, or by two rotating rollers that clamp the parts together.

Depending on the cross-section of the parts, the roller seam can be made on a milling or hand-held bench.

With this method of connection, a seam without a flange is obtained, but its disadvantage is the thinning of the section of the parts in the place of the seam, which leads to the bending and curvature of the blanks in this place.

Reduce this disadvantage by increasing the diameter of the working surface of the rollers. Alternatively, the use of this method should be avoided.

Welding technology for aluminum

Shear welding is a method of cold aluminum welding. Performed by compression with tangential displacement. As a result of this process, all oxide films are stripped, forming bridges of the joint. This method is used in industrial conditions to connect wiring and trolleybus wires, radio cases, cable sheaths, various frames for household appliances. An excellent result is obtained when welding aluminum with its alloys (provided that the surfaces of the blanks are kept clean). In the case of the slightest pollution, it is almost impossible to achieve a good connection quality.

To obtain a good quality of the joint, it is necessary to apply the sediment pressure so that the metal can flow freely from both sides of the welding site. Only the fulfillment of this condition will allow to achieve the correct displacement of the details relative to each other.

The seam on sheet aluminum can be made:

• Direct;
• Circular;
• Continuous (of any length).

Application and features

Before work, clean the surface with steel rotating brushes. Welding of aluminum can be done with a variety of metals. Welding of aluminum pipes is often used. In the laboratory, an attempt was made to weld using aluminum and steel stamps.

Cold welding has a great future. Despite the fact that new methods for the use of high frequency current are being developed, such installations are quite expensive, and their efficiency is still quite low.

Welding and soldering can be performed under the influence of inducted currents. When welding with a direct current of aluminum, you can act as follows: in the alkali solution, lower the two bars, then pass a constant current. As a result, the minus bar will quickly warm up. Now you need to remove the rods and make a draft.

This method is used in laboratories. In the industry of his place he did not find.

When cold welding is made for aluminum, there is no external heating of the parts. This allows you to connect the insulation of the electrical wire, carry out work in the flammable zone, seal the holes in the tank, which can not be heated. In addition, it is possible to combine aluminum with steel. When using cold welding on aluminum, it is possible to reduce the metal waste almost 10 times. Using equipment for aluminum welding, copper and titanium are combined together, as well as other metals and alloys that have plasticity. Aluminum welding does not always require fluxes.

Spot welding can be combined sheet metal thickness of up to 15 mm.

The joint method connects bars with a section up to 30 mm and wire of the same diameter. Cold welding for high temperature aluminum is capable of connecting strips of copper with a cross section of 100 x 10 mm with a very strong seam.

Suture welding on the details of the sheet material results in a sealed seam of absolutely any length

Aluminum cold welding is designed for stationary conditions. The equipment can have a draft mechanism, a hydraulic drive, a mechanism for clamping the parts.

The composition of cold welding for household needs includes fillers, epoxy resins, sulfur additives. The polymer composition has a bonding property, which appears with a slight heating. It can be obtained by kneading a piece of substance in the palms for several minutes. Then the mass can be applied to the joints of the parts.

This type of welding is used for small repairs of household appliances, plumbing, risers, radiators, windows, silencers, fuel tanks, etc.

Weight after grasping is able to take, if it is processed, any shape. Full congealing occurs in 1-8 hours. Items after this can be dyed.

Cold welding for aluminum reviews of people who have repeatedly used it, received the most positive. Analyzing them, we can conclude that the durability and quality of the connection, as a rule, depends entirely on the chosen adhesive composition and the correctness of the technology.

Cold welding of aluminum in St. Petersburg is carried out both in specialized auto repair shops and independently at home. Packaging material costs from 38-40 rubles.

Best cold welding for aluminum

It is specially designed for repair of aggregates and car parts from aluminum, silumin and duralumin.

Fast-curing cold welding "Polirem-Aluminum", the formula of which was specially developed for better adhesion to aluminum and its alloys, makes it possible to conduct high-quality and reliable repair of aluminum parts, without the use of a welding machine.

Using this cold welding, it is possible to quickly and efficiently repair:

• Aluminum car wings;
• Car radiators;
• Pipelines made of aluminum or alloys;
• Cylinder head auto;
• Body panels and other car parts.

Cold welding for aluminum, the price of which depends on the packaging and is from 40 rubles., Specifically contains a filler, which provides the composition with an enhanced adhesion to aluminum and its alloys.

Now do not bother with the welding machine - you can just take a cold welding for aluminum, mix the composition with your hands and start repairing.