Spot Welding Aluminium

cheapcookie

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Hey can some one explain to endless sphere what it would take to spot weld aluminium to aluminium ?
 
harder than copper ?

In some videos on youtube,
they put thin sheet steel sandwiching the aluminium and the electrodes, why is that ?
 
Dunno, maybe they needed it. If it was purely for welding it would make it easier bc the steel would create heat and fuse. The power needed to weld .1mm cu didn't even come close to sticking .1mmAl. ( just a polish n clean for surface prep) Maybe some alloys of Al might work ok. Look into it for us!
 
cheapcookie said:
harder than copper ?

Aluminum has a higher specific heat capacity than copper (though it's lower per volume due to copper being three times as dense). Its thermal conductivity is close to, but lower than, that of copper. Aluminum forms a tenacious oxide skin from exposure to air, which makes it difficult to wet when welding. You have to scour the surface off, and not dilly-dally getting it welded after cleaning it.
 
Bear in mind that in the sunstone vid they are welding with opposing electrodes- it's far easier, and that Al is super shiny. How much prep was omitted from the actual vid. I might try having a quick crack at welding some thin sheet lying around my shed. I'll be using opposing electrodes so it's not really going to be that deterministic, I'm already conceding defeat for use on cells.
 
the Sunstone vid was using a single pressure activated electrode , but yes its not the same as the dual electrode welding we need for cells..
PASP-HP-CP-300x300.jpg
 
Well I just tried welding 0.3 mm Nickel and got nowhere. 200 Joules did nothing... Solders beautifully though ;)
 
jonescg said:
Well I just tried welding 0.3 mm Nickel and got nowhere. 200 Joules did nothing... Solders beautifully though ;)

Can you try with alu from a soda can ?

Prepped nicely it could make for a nice supply of alu
 
Hillhater said:
Al from soda/beer cans is 100% coated with prtective epoxy laquer..both sides..
some interesting info on that
https://www.wired.com/2015/03/secret-life-aluminum-can-true-modern-marvel/
 
..An interesting article,
...... the first thing I learned there was that manufacturing aluminum cans is so challenging, and requires such a vast amount of study, design, and precise machining, that many consider cans the most engineered products in the world.
but as a lifelong "canmaker" , i have to say its only a very superficial glimpse of the full story..
EG.. aluminium cans are relatively easy to make compared to the electo coated steel ones that are equally common inEurope.
One detail relavent to us here is that can manufacturing technology was the basis that battery manufacturers adopted to produce the casings for all those "D", ,"C" , "AA" etc etc primary cells, and also the shells for 18650 cells and similar.
 
adding another higher resistance material in a spot welding sandwich maybe creates the heat needed to do the most conductive materials: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/15485-Can-Aluminum-be-spot-welded
 
You can also compress them between two plates with nuts bolts rivets exedra with a conductive paste. What are you using for and at how many amps what are the cells what chemistry what's going on here. Could be paper clips or a laser welder ?
 
Hillhater said:
Al from soda/beer cans is 100% coated with prtective epoxy laquer..both sides.. So a lot of prep will be required. :eek:
And the thickness is less than 0.1mm in the side walls, or 0.25 mm in the center of the bottom "dome"
eww. i thought Coke was acidic enough to eat through stuff, why arent we all drinking epoxy?
 
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