For Release: Oct. 30, 2019
Elkhart, Ind. — Bond Technologies, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to build and install equipment to support the world’s first final disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel.
Finland-based Posiva Oy, a nuclear waste-management company, has retained Bond to provide a system that will use Friction Stir Welding to attach the lid onto large copper canisters that will be filled with spent nuclear fuel and embedded in bedrock at a depth of 420 meters.
The disposal of spent nuclear fuel must be stored in a way that safeguards human life and minimizes impact to the environment. Using copper is one part of a process that Posiva Oy has developed to accomplish this. Copper endures the anoxic conditions deep inside the bedrock where the canisters will be stored – and will not corrode. Copper is also an ideal metal for the Friction Stir Welding process.
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a relatively new technology for joining metals together using a spinning tool that produces frictional heat. Sometimes described as more of a forging process than actual welding – FSW is a solid-state joining technique used to join metals not easily fused with traditional welding. Ideal for materials such as aluminum, copper and other metal alloys, FSW is commonly used in the Aerospace, Railway, Automobile, Ship Building and Marine industries. Friction stir welding makes possible very high-quality welds with minimal distortion. It is also a process that can be easily automated, making it an ideal solution for industrial use.
Posiva has been working with Bond to design and engineer this system for a few years. The award of the build contract will be the largest such job for the Elkhart, Indiana based company since it began five years ago.
“This contract confirms Bond’s position as a global leader in friction stir welding systems, and also provides an opportunity for us to be a key part of something that helps make the world a better and safer place,” said Dave Hofferbert, President of Bond Technologies.
Bond provides highly engineered products and services to the R&D, aerospace, aluminum processing and automotive markets. Bond Technologies is a leader in friction stir welding machinery, tools and process.
For more information, visit https://bondtechnologies.net/ and https://www.posiva.fi/en. For media inquiries, contact Dave Hofferbert at Bond Technologies at 574-327-6730.
About Bond Technologies
Bond Technologies, located in Elkhart Indiana USA, is a leader in friction stir welding machinery, tools and process. FSW is a solid-state joining process that uses a rotating pin to stir metals together. FSW makes possible very high-quality welds with minimal distortion.
By bringing together some of the most experienced professionals in the FSW industry, Bond offers a full line of FSW machines from compact units up through large scale multi-axis, multi-spindle systems. For more information, www.bondtechnologies.net
