Metal Joining Techniques

There are many ways to connect several metal stamping parts together. The most common are bolted connection, rivet connection and welding. These technologies connect stamping parts together to build parts of different geometries and shapes. Mechanical connection technology can be divided into two types, one is rigid connection technology, such as welding or riveting, which can make metals permanently fused with high strength, and the other is active connection, where movable metal joints can also connect sheet metal stamping parts.

Metal Connection Method

Precision metal stamping parts connection mainly includes three types, bolt connection, rivet connection, and welding. In general, the three connection methods have their own advantages and disadvantages.

The bolt connection structure is simple, the type is diverse, the connection is reliable, the assembly and disassembly are convenient, and the cost is low. However, it is easy to loosen under alternating loads, which requires high hole-making accuracy.

The equipment required for the welding process is simple, the production efficiency is high, the weld seam strength is high, and the sealing performance is good. However, it is inconvenient to disassemble.

The riveted connection has high strength and good sealing performance. However, this technology is inconvenient to disassemble and requires high hole-making precision.

Bolted

Bolt connection is a connection method in which two or more stamped components are connected into a whole by bolts in engineering structures, and are mostly used in steel structures. The bolt bears shear and tension at the connection part. Generally, according to different bolt strength grades, it can be divided into ordinary bolts and high-strength bolts. The connection using high-strength bolts can be divided into friction type connection and pressure type connection. The former exerts a large pretension on the bolt, so that the contact surface of the connected part can transmit force through friction; the latter relies on the shear and the bolt rod.

Welding

Metal welding is a manufacturing or sculptural process of joining stamping steel parts. During the welding process, the workpiece and the solder melt or do not melt, forming a direct connection weld of the precision stamping parts. In this process, it is usually necessary to apply pressure to join the weldment. The process is made of another metal called a filler metal, which has the same or similar composition characteristics and allows the connecting stamping die parts to maintain continuity. During the welding process, the molten connecting elements must be protected from harmful external gases, lest they affect the strong and rigid parts being manufactured.

Welding can connect stamping automotive parts used in different industrial fields, such as industrial ventilation and air conditioning, medical diagnostic equipment, computers and electronic equipment.

Riveting

Riveting is another most common techniques used to permanently join two or more sheet metal press parts. There is a cylindrical tube, which has a head at its end and can have different shapes. The diameter of these heads is larger than the rest of the rivet so that it can be inserted into the hole and installed. The method of using axial force to pierce the nail rod in the rivet hole of the part thickly and form the nail head to connect multiple parts.