From The Name You Trust
The team at Bond Technologies is pleased to announce we have expanded our technology offerings from Friction Stir Welding Machinery to Additive Friction Stir Deposition Machinery. The same unrivaled engineering and attention to detail that goes into our FSW equipment can still be found in our new AFSD offerings.
Customer relationships are extremely important for Bond’s future success, as exemplified in our dedication to three things: satisfied customers, continuous innovation, and pride in Bond’s high performance and quality products.
Bond Technologies has its roots in producing custom engineered welding systems and tooling, and since our inception, world-class engineering has been our foundation. True to our roots, we still offer custom engineering for all of our standard products, and a customizable controller platform which allows researchers the flexible environment they need to develop their ideas. Bond supplies products, services, and support to an international customer base, in over 15 countries.
What is AFSD?
Additive Friction Stir Deposition is a solid state additive manufacturing process in which a room temperature feed rod is plasticized and deformed below its melting temperature and deposited onto a substrate to form a three dimensional “printed” volume.
Because this deformation and deposition takes place in the solid phase of the material, the deposited formation is a fully dense structure with forged like fine equiaxed grains yielding exceptional ductility, strength, and toughness, resembling what is found in forgings rather than castings.
The deposition rate for AFSD is quite high compared to other additive manufacturing methods, allowing structures to be created very quickly.
Applications for AFSD include creating near net shapes to replace costly long lead time forgings, and replacing complex castings with stronger and more durable components.
Multiple AFSD Options
Bond offers two types of AFSD technology, SoftTouch AM (TM) and MultiRod. Each technology offers unique performance characteristics and benefits.
SoftTouch AM (TM)
In the SoftTouch AM (TM) process, a nonrotating rod is fed into a spinning die via a servo-controlled axis. The feed force and spinning die plasticize the material that is then fed through orifices in the die where it is deposited.
SoftTouch AM (TM) yields low forces on the material substrate because the material is fully plasticized when it leaves the die. Narrow deposition beads are more easily achieved.
MultiRod AFSD
In MultiRod AFSD a plurality of feed rods rotates with the deposition die and are fed directly onto the work piece via servo axis. The feed force and rotation generate heat and plasticize the material.
MultiRod technology allows for maximum shearing and scrubbing of the parent material because of the off axis rotation. Higher deposition rates can be achieved per pass with more rods. The simple die design allows for manufacture from high temperature materials.
AFSD Machine Offerings
Bond is pleased to offer several AFSD machines capable of either AFSD process. Each machine features fully integrated high speed data acquisition (> 1000 Hz) as standard, a robust and easy to use programming environment, and the full support of the Bond team behind it.
The GL Series
The GL series machines are a cost effective and versatile solution for advanced research into the friction stir welding and friction deposition processes. Advancements in data acquisition and CNC controller capabilities have increased their viability in the research and production worlds. The GL7 is designed for robust performance and minimal deflection while producing five axis (X, Y, Z, A, B) coordinated motion. It offers higher load capability, lower mechanical deflection, and lower spindle run-out than any machine in its class
GL7
- 5 axis coordinated motion
- AB tilt for parallel deposition passes
- 2 speed spindle
- 544Nm-1600 RPM
- 143Nm-4000 RPM
- 2800mm X, 1500mm Y, 700mm Z work area
- 1500mm X, 1000mm Y, 700mm Z strokes
- 20kw spindle motor
The RM Series
The RM series stir welding systems are high-performance machines that are specifically configured for laboratory research and for production of small components. The RM series is an economical option where maximum rigidity, high force capacity and high-speed data collection facilitate cutting-edge research in a small package. When supplied with the optional BondStir T128 temperature data transmitter, the BondStir Temperature Control System, and AFSD capabilities the RM7 can be the cornerstone of a premier additive friction stir deposition research facility.
RM15
- 3 axis coordinated motion
- 5 degree manual B axis tilt
- 2800mm X, 1000mm Y, 600mm Z work area
- 20000mm X, 500mm Y, 600mm Z strokes
- 39kw spindle motor
RM7
- 3 axis coordinated motion
- 5 degree manual B axis tilt
- 1250mm X, 800mm Y, 400mm Z work area
- 700mm X, 300mm Y, 400mm Z strokes
- 20kw spindle motor
AFSD Machine Features
In addition to multiple AFSD technologies Bond offers unique and highly beneficial features with every machine.
Liquid Cooled Toolholder
The Bond AFSD toolholder is designed to provide liquid cooling near the die, and accommodate more cost-effective consumable tooling. Maximum spindle speed with cooling is 4000 RPM. There is also an add-on for providing shielding gas if desired. This system is also designed to interface with the T128 temperature monitoring system.
High Speed Data Acquisition
Every Bond machine features a user configurable data acquisition and logging system equipped to monitor typical process variables. Data collection of various parameters (as setup by user) may be displayed and graphed in real time, and/or accumulated and written to an Excel spreadsheet format for later analysis. Process data files can be generated to be used later for quality verification or further process development.
AFSD Machine Options
In addition to multiple AFSD technologies and standard features Bond offers many performance enhancing options with every machine. A few of them are listed here.
BondStir T128 Temperature Collar
The BondStir T128 is a temperature transmitting system utilizing radio telemetry to transmit temperature data to the machine controller for display and logging. The temperature data can also be used as input for closed-loop temperature control, an essential step in AFSD process development and in production process monitoring.
Closed Loop Temperature Control
Going beyond just temperature measurement, the BondStir software is a true closed-loop temperature controller. BondStir monitors temperature feedback from the tool and, through hardware and custom software developed by Bond, modulates spindle speed to maintain a consistent deposition temperature.
Inert Gas Shroud
As an option, our machines can be supplied with a shielding gas delivery system that floods the work zone with inert gas. Gas on/off can be controlled from the HMI or by program. The use of shield gas is essential when processing materials with high melting points, such as steel, copper and titanium, and with tool materials that are prone to oxidation at high temperatures.
