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!
Friction extrusion (FE) technology, invented in 1991 by researchers at The Welding Institute, has long been a subject of interest in materials research. However, its commercial applications were limited due to the lack of suitable equipment.
Until now.
Bond Technologies designed and built the first-ever purpose-built Friction Extrusion machine, and our FE systems are the only FE machines on the market. We have taken FE technology and put it to work for our customers.
Bond Technologies is the only supplier of FE Products.
Conventional extrusion of metals has been around for a long time. Typically, a metal billet is heated and pressed through a die with some shape, producing stock for a multitude of applications.
Extruded materials are often stretched to straighten the material and to increase the yield strength, and then aged to improve ultimate strength.
FE modifies this process by adding severe plastic deformation of the billet as it is extruded through an opening.
This additional step produces the unique advantages of FE over conventional extrusion:
Materials produced by friction extrusion exhibit unique characteristics, including very-to-ultra-fine grain size, low matrix dislocation density, and the ability to consolidate materials with high porosity. These characteristics make them suitable for a wide range of applications.
The applications for materials produced by FE are vast and continue to expand. These materials are used in creep-resistant structures, lightweight magnesium and aluminum components, products with enhanced thermal and electrical properties, and more.
Bond’s FE technology is driving innovation in materials processing. With Friction Extrusion, the possibilities for creating new materials with unique properties are endless, making it a valuable tool for industries such as Automotive, Aerospace, Electronics, and Energy.
Friction Extrusion is a solid-state metal joining process that does not require an external heat source. FE is similar to friction stir welding (FSW) in the way that heat and deformation are produced. FE relies on friction and plastic work produced by relative motion between a non-consumable die and a workpiece. As a result, it is undesirable to liquefy the workpiece, since the source of heating depends on resistance to relative motion. The solid-state nature of the process produces all of its desirable characteristics.
In the friction extrusion process, a rotating die with a grooved feature cut into its face is forced against a billet, which may consist of solid material, swarf, or powder. Relative motion produces friction and plastic work, heating and softening the feed stock. The features on the rotating die deform the material radially inward toward an opening through which the material is extruded. This principle may be produced by a number of tooling arrangements.
Bond’s FE machines mark a significant advancement in friction-based metals processing. Our FE welding machines boast the extreme force and torque required to extrude feedstock into wire, rod, or tubes of a practical size, opening up new possibilities for metal shaping. Bond’s groundbreaking machines are designed for the reprocessing of powders, chips, or bulk materials into innovative new materials with unique characteristics.
The FE Series has a wide range of commercial applications. FE has the potential to revolutionize the additive manufacturing industry by producing bar stock from engineered powder, which can then be used as weld wire or stock for a friction deposition system, creating ultra-fine-grained structures.
For customer service questions, call us directly at +1 (574) 327-6730.