COME TALK WITH THE WORLD EXPERTS IN SOLID STATE PROCESSING

Bond at FABTECH Chicago | Sept. 8–11 | Booth #B17039 with KUKA | RFSSW on a KUKA Robot!

Bond at FABTECH Chicago

Sept. 8–11 | Booth #B17039 with

KUKA RFSSW on a KUKA Robot!

Meet us at

Detroit, MI | October 6-9 | BOOTH 3651

Proud Sponsor of IFWC 2026  May 19–21 | Cambridge, England

Design Guidelines Download

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Bond Technologies has taken on the task of producing a robust, repeatable Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding (RFSSW) system, which brings higher performance and lower costs to the automotive industry and other industries working with aluminum alloys.  This new tool compares favorably with riveting and resistance spot welding as the methods of choice for automotive chassis welding.

“With this breakthrough, Bond now offers a performance and cost-competitive alternative to self-piercing rivets and resistance welding of aluminum sheets. Our Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding machine can be mounted to a robot or, as a stand-alone unit. Test results show that cycle time of less than one second are achievable for automotive aluminum sheets.”

–Dave Hofferbert, President of Bond Technologies

RFSSW vs. Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW)

RFSSW is a solid-state joining process developed and patented by our friends at Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG) in Germany, with whom Bond has a working partnership. The process was developed using the tools and techniques of friction stir welding (FSW) in a new way, making possible solid-state spot welds in aluminum alloys that are flush with the sheet, in contrast to earlier uses of FSSW to make spot welds. FSSW fundamentally leaves a keyhole, which reduces its strength. By independent manipulation of the probe, shoulder and clamping ring, both axially and rotationally, a solid zone of “stirred” material is created between the sheets, yielding higher strength. Like other friction processes, this weld has extremely high quality and repeatability, with proper controls. Until now, the RFSSW process has been limited by the speed at which a weld can be made. Bond overcame this obstacle by designing a rigid, compact and light weight system, capable of higher force, torque and speed than has been possible previously. We also paid attention to the changeover time for tooling, reducing it to 30 seconds. Additionally, the Bond RFSSW machine is lighter and more versatile than other such devices.

Download the Design Guidelines for Friction Stir Welding

“All the major car manufacturers are already doing this, GLOBALLY, MOVING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES IS NOT LONGER JUST AN OPTION – IT’S A MUST.​

Original Equipment Manufacturers and suppliers of the automotive industry have an opportunity now to position themselves as leaders in this growing market. With the use of Friction Stir Welding and its many benefits in the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle industry, OEMs can be ready.”​

– Dave Hofferbert, President of Bond Technologies.

As sales of hybrid and all-electric cars continue to gain momentum, Bond Technologies is focused on using Friction Stir Welding technology to help automotive OEMs address some of the challenges associated with the manufacture of battery trays for hybrid and electric-powered vehicles.

“One area where Friction Stir Welding can offer solutions is in solving how to fabricate battery housing efficiently,” Hofferbert said. “It is a manufacturing-friendly, robust way to seal cast and extruded structures that require a leak-free joint.”

Bond can provide automotive OEMs with highly viable manufacturing solutions for battery housings, solutions which include material handling, friction stir welding, inspection and quality management for suppliers and OEM’s involved in the manufacture of vehicle components.

“At Bond, our team will help with any parts design needed to incorporate FSW, and help your company fully implement FSW in production,” Hofferbert said. “We provide the complete solution including process development, data management, quality control and more.”

 

Bond’s Design Guidelines for Friction Stir Welding gets you one step closer. These guidelines, designed by Bond’s engineers, will help your team build Friction Stir Welding technology into your manufacturing process.

Services

Bond Technologies employs a full engineering staff handling both mechanical design and controls. With over 75 years of combined experience, Bond can design and supply machines and fixturing for small production parts to large systems used in the aerospace, automotive, ship building and railcar industries.

Beyond designing incomparable FSW machines, Bond Technologies offers consulting, design and build services for FSW machines and tooling.

 

Process Development

  • Workholding Design
  • Material Handling
  • Work Cell Automation
  • Production Startup Support
  • Data Management
  • Quality Control
  • Pin Tools and Related Tooling 

Integrated Solutions

Education, training, and technical support

Bond Technologies will not only help your company set up and start production with your new FSW machine(s), we will also help you learn and understand all you need to know about Friction Stir Weld Technology – allowing FSW to become a core competency for your company, and for your team to become the experts.

 

Custom Engineering Solutions

Special Purpose Machines

In cases where an application requires specialized equipment, Bond Technologies can design and build equipment to meet your needs. Although Bond Technologies standard machine product lines offer the most cost effective and quickest solution, there are situations in which the products available just don’t fit the bill. For these situations, Bond Technologies can develop custom machine and tooling solutions.

 

Download the Design Guidelines for Friction Stir Welding

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Contact bond’s team today for more information about incorporating an FE 100 machine into your company’s manufacturing capability

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