Articles
When to go for Brazing?
Brazing is considered at the time of conceptualizing, planning or designing
a metal component, i.e. at the beginning. Whether to go for a part made in a
single unit or an assembly of simple components. The latter option of the "assembly"
approach help more in preventing expensive casting, forging & machining
operations as well help in saving materials. The brazing process even aids
in making use of low-cost stock forms--sheet, tube, rod, stampings or
extrusions. Accordingly, it gets lighter in weight when compared to the
monolithic part. The process works much better since the metals in the
assembly can be selected to match their functions.
By using manufactured parts available mostly as a single unit in the form
of an assembly, it can be made much better & economical. The process
prevents the wastage of materials & are made devoid of expensive
castings, forgings, and machining operations. Weight can be automatically
reduced apart from increasing the performance whenever the part's material
is matched to its specific function. The process allows the use of low cost
stock forms such as a sheet, tube, rod, stampings, and extrusions.
The
best example to be stated at this juncture is an all time favorite case
story about a company involved in the fabrication of thousands of small,
closed-end metal cylinders. With the help of labors, the parts were drilled
& machined out of solid bar stock, who ultimately bore the blind holes.
The company started producing assemblies of round bar-stock cutoffs which
were brazed into lengths of stock tubing once it was suggested that the
cylinders were actually tubes and plugs. It proved how cheap the process was
& how perfectly the parts work.
There
are so many examples which decides the functional aspect of a brazing
method. Such as this another example focusing on a base plate with a
threaded coupling. In order to make it as a one-piece casting, the coupling
however requires face, drill, and tap operations where the choice for
material is limited. In order to lessen the weight which is excessive,
brazing of the threaded coupling to a stock plate is required & lets
each material match the part's function.
Laser Brazing
The latest innovation in the brazing aspect is Laser Brazing, a relatively
new technique. The advanced process in joining metal using laser has become
a new rage in the brazing industry. Achieved indirectly through conduction
where one of the surfaces is joined which eventually employs large spot
sizes.
The traditional brazing process generally involves “filer”
material's melting between two parts which ultimately forms a joint. The
process decreases the risk of adversely by affecting the properties of the
parent materials using a heat source. While in this new technique, the weld
filler is melted using the laser method which has a considerably
controllable temperature & a heat source that is accurately directed
onto the filler material, thus, reducing the risk of detrimental effects on
the parent materials .
The brazing procedure involving the laser technique when compared to
traditional welding offer plenty of strength & safety benefits. The new
process is applicable in producing a continuous seam produces a much
stronger weld which leads to a stiffer body structure, & thus, provides
passive safety than a traditional seam of resistance spot welds.
The
laser brazed seams in many ways fulfill high optical demands on the seams.
Apart from joining ceramics and metals, this latest technique was
investigated within the scope of public-funded projects involving the
carbide metal cutting edges of buzz saw blades or the manufacturing of
tailored hybrid blanks made of steel and aluminum.
The technique is suitable for varied metals devoid of becoming weldable.
This might happen due to their composition or for joining processes where it
is essential to lessen the thermal exposure of the parts. Laser brazing is
considered vital in producing bonded joint of metals of dissimilar nature
that can be generated using only this method.
Laser
brazing technique is used in many processes such as components for the
automobile technology, motive power engineering, medical technology and
electronics which are well under consideration in this line with industry
projects.
Preference of Brazing over Welding!
Brazing & welding are almost similar in their processes of joining
metals despite some basic differences. Brazing comparatively overpowers &
beats welding in certain aspects. The methods, though, standout in producing
sturdy & durable quality joints depending upon the kind of their
application. Therefore, both brazing & welding outdo each other in one
or the other departments which we are going to analyze here.
If properly analyzed, then brazing method is in an advantageous position
than welding. Brazing heats a broad area i.e. the entire assembly. Welding
is considered perfect for joining large assemblies, since, larger assemblies
tend to dissipate heat making it quite impossible to reach the flow point of
the filler metal & in such a case the intense localized heat of welding
helps in overcoming the difficulty.
In the thickness department, brazing is preferred more than welding. It
joins the metal sections as the broad heating technique & low
temperature helps in joining the sections without any distortion. It does
wonders on a T-joint with 0.005-in. sheet metal bonded to 0.5-in. stock.
The joint configuration department, however, has both joining methods in an
advantageous position. As it is much easier to braze linear joints than
using a welding method which is preferred when joining two metal strips.
Welding is advantageous when joining metal strips at a single point as it
has a localized heat & the electrical-resistance welding is capable of
providing a fast, economical way to make strong, permanent joints.
Brazing works well in linear joints are usually easier to braze than weld.
It requires no manual tracing which enables the filler metal to be drawn
equally into straight, curved, or irregular joint configuration which isn't
possible with welding.
Brazing
scores again in case of the materials especially when joining dissimilar
metals. The filler metal needs to be metallurgically compatible with the
base metals along with low melting point which eventually helps in forming a
strong joint with minimal alteration of basemetal properties. The ability to
braze dissimilar metals allows user to go for metals which can best suit the
functional requirements of an application without any attention to the
melting temperatures.
Brazing differ from welding in terms of flexibility. It is ready for any
degree of automation. Simple & easy automation techniques such prefluxed
assemblies & preplaced lengths speed up the production in a moderate
production while in case of larger runs, heating torches & robots easily
apply premeasured amounts of filler metal.
Brazing method generally produces a tiny, neat fillet than the irregular
bead of a welded joint. The overall appearance projected through brazing is
comparatively much better than a welding method. A highly important point
while considering on consumer products where the appearance of the matter
plays a vital role. The joints brazed can be used almost always without any
requirement for additional finishing operations.
Air
Condition/Refrigerator
