CNC machining equipment has reduced the costs of manufacturing by an important measure, and although many new methods, like induction pipe bending, have gained prominence, older methods still have industry traction are modernized. Flash butt welding, projection welding, spot welding, upset butt welding, and seam welding represent the five major resistance welding methods employed in the manufacturing industry. To provide one example of the way these procedures take place, a look at flash butt welding might be helpful.

When flash butt welding is used to join two surfaces, a forge structure — instead of a cast one, as is usually seen in forge butt welding — is created. In flash butt welding, a current is passed through two surfaces that will be bonded, and it is each one’s surface roughness that determines the points of contact between the two; it’s through these points that the current will travel. During this same process, heat is used to get the surfaces to a molten state, and as one surface encroaches on the other, the flashing out takes place.

This is different from how welding is accomplished in resistance pressure welding, where smooth surfaces and full contact are called for. In flash butt welding, impurities present on the surfaces are removed during the flashing. Although the point of post weld heat treatment is a reduction of residual stresses after a welding, it is not expected to get rid of them completely.

Those in charge of flash butt welding must take special care with the rate of the flash feed. If the flashing is not strong enough, or if it lapses during the procedure, the heating will not be successful. This is why firmly controlling the flash feed rate is crucial.

Flash butt welding is popular among those working with greatly alloyed steel because other welding methods using the material produce inferior results. Moreover, flash butt welding is not just an economical option, it is also a relatively straightforward one. Its applications can be observed in the automobile industry, and in any field where small sub-assemblies are important. Improvements in the manufacturing industry are countless: everything from high pressure fittings to spot butt welding and the use of stick electrodes on metals attest to the drive of those involved in production.