PTG opens £1.6m Friction Stir Welding Research Centre in Rochdale

Posted by on 2 Dec 2020

Precision Technologies Group (PTG) has announced the opening of a new £1.6 million friction stir welding research centre at its Milnrow based headquarters and machine tools manufacturing facility. Equipped with PTG Powerstir single-head gantry type and dual weld-head FSW machines, the new centre offers exciting opportunities for prototyping, product and child-part development, materials testing, production trials and low-volume production.

“Our FSW research centre has been established to assist manufacturers in developing new products and processes, as well as better understanding the immense capabilities that PTG Powerstir machines offer,” comments PTG regional sales director, Mark Curran. “By increasing their knowledge of the FSW process, we can also assist Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive supply chain businesses in becoming more confident and proficient in tendering for manufacturing projects they may not have previously considered.

“With governments around the world setting increasingly ambitious targets for the wholesale switch to electric vehicles,” he adds, “now could be a particularly good time for organisations who have yet to embrace the advantages of friction stir welding for the production of components such as vehicle panels, skateboard chassis and battery cell housings, to get in touch with us.”

Ensuring a tight weld-flatness tolerance
PTG Powerstir FSW machines have long been a preferred choice for transport applications globally. Aimed directly at manufacturers of skateboard chassis structures, the dual weld-head process developed by PTG ensures that a tight weld-flatness tolerance - essential in making certain each battery cell sits perfectly level within its housing - is achieved during battery tray floor construction.

PTG Powerstir dual weld-head FSW machines provide an even and stable welding process – something that is achieved thanks to the company’s unique ‘matched’ dual-force control systems and balanced upper and lower head welding parameters. The result is exceptionally stable friction stir welding by both the upper and lower weld heads, producing matched weld seams with balanced heat input. This, in turn, minimises post-weld distortion and equips each welded assembly with a significantly improved flatness tolerance when compared to existing conventional single-side FSW techniques.

High-output production cell
As aluminium extrusion lines usually produce panels of 300 mm to 600 mm wide, PTG has also developed a fully automated, high-output Powerstir FSW production cell for the rapid friction stir welding of multiple extrusions, to create single structures for fabrication into battery tray floors. These structures are typically up to 2.4 metres wide.

Reduced wall thickness
“In addition to providing a state-of-the-art means of joining metals and achieving extremely high-strength results, it is also important to consider that in many instances, the use of friction stir welding also allows for reduced wall thickness – an important aspect in reducing vehicle weight,” says Mark Curran. “As the friction stir welding process generates very little heat, the crystalline structure of the metal remains unchanged, retaining its original strength. There is no need for inert gas, no need for heat-treating post weld, and no requirement for additional surface finishing.”

Powerstir FSW manufacturing applications for electric vehicles include:

• Battery tray floor assemblies
• Battery trays and boxes
• Chassis and structural components
• Control box panels
• Vehicle body panels
• Brake regeneration systems
• Coolant units and heat exchangers

PTG. The first name in precision
Incorporating the brands of Holroyd, PTG Powerstir Friction Stir Welding and Holroyd Precision Rotors, PTG has established itself at the forefront of high-precision machine tool design, build and supply for specialised applications. The range includes advanced machine tools for the production of complex helical components such as compressor rotors, pump screws and high-accuracy gears, and Powerstir machine tools for friction stir welding advanced alloys used in transport applications. With production facilities in the UK, USA and China, Holroyd Precision Rotors manufactures the special purpose, ultra-precision helical components used in a wide range of industries, including refrigeration, air-conditioning, gas and vacuum pumping, industrial air handling, aerospace, medical equipment, motion control, power transmission, power generation, oil & gas, fluid transfer and high-end automotive. PTG also provides advanced technical consulting services.

http://www.holroyd.com/