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The field of welding is ever-evolving and has led to the consistent discovery of new processes, one of which being micro welding. In 2016 Lynn Welding added a subset of micro-welding; called micro-resistance welding to its long list of capabilities. While micro welding is performed on a much smaller scale then traditional welding, the process itself is not that all different. This form of welding is extremely popular in the electronic industry but its uses are vast. In this post we will define what micro welding is and the 4 types of micro welding that are available.
What is Micro welding?
Micro welding is a technique that fuses together tiny parts that typically have a thickness that is less than 0.5 millimeters. This intricate form of welding is known to require a high level of precision and focus. Another characteristic that differentiates this process from its larger scale counterpart is the amount of heat that is needed, micro-welding requires a significantly lesser amount of heat to fuse the material.
Types of Micro Welding
Similarly to other welding processes, micro welding can be performed a few different ways. There are 4 types of micro- welding currently in practice; micro-laser welding, tig micro-welding, flash micro welding and, micro-resistance welding.
Micro-Laser Welding
Micro-laser welding is a technique that is laser-driven and does not produce any gas. The laser used in this form of micro welding helps to create a quality fusion weld through a deep pierce. In addition the lack of gas helps to avoid contamination of the surrounding material. You can often see micro-laser welding being used for components in industries such as electronics, automotive, and medical.
Flash Micro Welding
Flash micro welding is typically used to create clean joints using high pressure. In this technique two metal components are joined by getting pressed together tightly and slowly at a specific temperature. This kind of micro-welding was developed with cost reduction and production optimization in mind. Flash micro-welding can often be seen making chains of precious metals like gold or silver.
Tig Micro Welding
The tig micro welding process requires very small equipment, relatively close to the size of a pen. The small scale, highly precise equipment utilizes the gas tungsten arc process to create a weld. Tig micro-welding allows the welder to apply the placement of the weld and is often used in components of high alloy density. During this process there is less residual stress produced and has much more structural integrity.
Micro-Resistance Welding
Micro-resistance welding, the type of micro-welding that Lynn Welding offers, uses a smaller version of its respective equipment to create minute spot or seam welds. This process fuses the material together by tightly clasping the pieces together between electrodes that apply a specific electrical flow and pressure.
Lynn welding’s most common applications for this process include;
- Wires and Foils
- Honeycomb Welding (for pre-braze positioning)
- Sensitive electronics
- Hermetic sealing of foils using the micro-resistance seam welding process.
- Small electronic and mechanical components
- Lighting Components
- Battery Tabs
- Sensors
- Motor connections
- Miniaturized components.
- Joining in heat-sensitive areas
This delicate process that is completed by expert welders has created new opportunities for both engineers and welders. At Lynn Welding, our micro-resistance welding capabilities were born out of a customer request. The request was for a .004” thick stainless-steel foil patch to be welded onto an existing metal encapsulated insulation blanket. Lynn Welding was able to utilize its Amada 1000 ADP Advanced Capacitive Discharge Welders to develop a repair procedure that was ultimately approved by the United States Air Force. Today, we have over 12 capacitive discharge resistance welding machines in our micro-resistance welding department. To learn more about Lynn Welding’s capabilities visit our micro-resistance welding page!
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