Heavy Equipment Welding
Full-strength, cross-sectional friction welds built to stand up to demanding heavy equipment applications.
Send a Drawing / RFQ View the Design GuideAxle, drive shaft, hydraulic component, turbine, yoke, casting, forging, or dissimilar-metal challenge: start with the heavy equipment part you are trying to improve.
Heavy equipment components need joints that can carry demanding service without adding unnecessary material or machining.
American Friction Welding (AFW) is a leading producer of friction-welded components for the heavy equipment industry. Its ability to weld parts involving dissimilar metals, grades, thicknesses, and shapes makes rotary friction welding a strong solution for heavy equipment production, especially where near-net-shape manufacturing can reduce material and machining or where a full-strength, cross-sectional bond is required.
Reduce material and machining on large, high-value components.
Bonding near-net-shape castings, forgings, billets, bar stock, pipe, plate, or other forms can substantially reduce material and machining time, creating significant overall cost savings on a finished heavy equipment component.
Different sections of a heavy equipment component can require different materials.
AFW can evaluate components made from dissimilar metals, grades, thicknesses, and shapes, giving heavy equipment designers another manufacturing option when one material is not ideal for the entire component.
The weld has to stand up to demanding service.
Rotary friction welding creates a solid-state, full-strength cross-sectional metallurgical bond without filler metal. The process helps avoid air or porosity in the weld while its narrow heat-affected zone helps preserve the molecular and material integrity of the parent metals.
Join the shapes and materials the heavy equipment component actually needs.
Heavy equipment applications at AFW include axles, castings, drive shafts, forgings, hydraulic cylinders, pistons, shafts, steering shafts, turbines, and yokes. AFW can support the application from initial process review through repeatable production.
Rotary Friction Welding
Solid-state joining creates a full-strength, cross-sectional metallurgical bond without melting the base materials. Because there is no conventional fusion-weld pool, the process helps avoid trapped air and porosity in the weld. Minimal surface preparation is required because oils and surface impurities are displaced into the excess weld material, or flash, during the process. No filler metal is required, and the bond can develop strength comparable to the parent materials.
- No filler metal
- Minimal surface preparation
- Narrow heat-affected zone helps preserve the molecular and material integrity of the parent metals
- High-strength, full cross-sectional bond for demanding applications
Heavy Equipment Component Applications
Heavy equipment friction welding applications include:
- Axles and drive shafts
- Hydraulic cylinders and pistons
- Castings and forgings
- Shafts and steering shafts
- Turbines
- Yokes
Use the material each section of the heavy equipment component actually needs.
Heavy equipment components may call for different metals, grades, thicknesses, or shapes within one assembly. AFW can evaluate similar and dissimilar combinations when the design benefits from putting different material properties in different areas of the finished part.
Suitability depends on the exact alloy designation, heat-treat condition, joint geometry, required mechanical properties, and service environment.
AFW can evaluate these and many other metal constructions for suitable heavy equipment applications.
Near-net-shape joining can remove cost before a heavy equipment component reaches final machining.
For heavy equipment components, the manufacturing case is straightforward: use the right starting shapes and materials, join them with a solid-state process, and avoid buying and machining material the finished component does not need.
Bond castings, forgings, billets, bar stock, pipe, plate, or other near-net forms instead of machining the entire component from oversized stock.
Joining near-net-shape sections can substantially reduce the machining required to reach final component geometry.
Evaluate different metals, grades, thicknesses, and shapes when one material or starting form is not the best choice for the entire heavy equipment component.
The solid-state process uses a narrow heat-affected zone and does not require filler metal, helping preserve the integrity of the parent materials.
The friction welding process bonds across the joint cross-section while displacing oils and surface impurities into the flash.
Evaluate the manufacturing route before machining is locked in.
If an axle, drive shaft, piston, hydraulic component, steering shaft, turbine, yoke, casting, or forging is being machined from more stock than the final geometry requires, or if different areas of the part need different material properties, AFW can evaluate whether a friction-welded construction offers a better route.
Establish the process, validate the joint, then repeat it.
Review the Application
AFW reviews the drawing, component geometry, exact materials, material grades, thicknesses, performance requirements, production volume, and quality documentation.
Develop the Process
Welding parameters, tooling, fixturing, upset requirements, flash behavior, dimensional considerations, and secondary operations are evaluated.
Validate the Joint
Prototype and development welds can be evaluated using destructive, metallurgical, dimensional, and non-destructive methods appropriate to the application.
Move Into Production
Once the process and inspection plan are established, computer-controlled friction welding supports repeatable production to customer requirements.
Production weld integrity has to be measurable.
AFW supports friction-weld development and production with destructive and non-destructive testing methods selected around the customer's requirements.
Destructive & Metallurgical Testing
Available evaluation methods include:
- Bend testing
- Tensile testing
- Torque testing
- Macroetch examination
- Hardness testing
- Impact testing
- Cross-section examination
Non-Destructive & Dimensional Inspection
Ultrasonic testing can be incorporated into production inspection as specified by the application, from sampling plans through 100% inspection when required.
Dimensional inspection can also evaluate drawing-specific characteristics such as overall length, runout, and concentricity.
Start with the component, material problem, or manufacturing constraint.
Friction welding is not a sideline at AFW. It is our core manufacturing process.
AFW has provided subcontract friction welding services since 1986 from its Waukesha, Wisconsin facility.
- North America's largest friction welder
- 18 high-precision, computer-controlled friction welding centers
- 63,000-square-foot climate-controlled facility
- ISO 9001:2015 certified
- AWS C6.1 and C6.2
- ISO 15620
- ASME IX
- Product design and development support
- Material procurement
- Flash removal
- Weld testing and inspection
- Precision machining
- Finishing and special-process coordination
- Inventory management
- Weld Procedure Specifications (WPS)
- Corrective / preventative action program
- Internal quality audit program
- ERP system: Vantage by EPICOR
AFW's role is to help determine whether friction welding makes technical and economic sense for the application, develop the process when it does, and produce it consistently.
Questions engineering and sourcing teams usually need answered first.
What heavy equipment components does AFW friction weld?
AFW's heavy equipment applications include axles, castings, drive shafts, forgings, hydraulic cylinders, pistons, shafts, steering shafts, turbines, and yokes.
How can friction welding reduce cost on a heavy equipment component?
Bonding near-net-shape sections can substantially reduce material and machining. Castings, forgings, billets, bar stock, pipe, plate, and other starting forms can be evaluated as part of a friction-welded construction rather than machining the complete component from oversized stock.
Can AFW join dissimilar metals, grades, thicknesses, or shapes?
Yes, many combinations can be evaluated. AFW's heavy equipment experience includes components using different metals, grades, thicknesses, and shapes. Final suitability depends on the exact materials, geometry, and performance requirements.
Why is the solid-state process useful for demanding heavy equipment?
Rotary friction welding creates a full cross-sectional metallurgical bond without filler metal. The process has a narrow heat-affected zone, and oils and surface impurities are displaced into the excess weld material, or flash.
What material forms can be used in a heavy equipment friction-welded assembly?
AFW's heavy equipment applications include castings, forgings, billets, bar stock, pipe, and plate. The best construction depends on the finished geometry, materials, machining requirements, and production needs.
What supporting services can AFW provide?
AFW's heavy equipment capabilities include product design and development support, material procurement, flash removal, weld testing, precision machining, finishing, special-process coordination, and inventory management.
What should I send AFW for a heavy equipment application review?
Send the drawing or model when available, material specifications, component dimensions, annual volume, testing requirements, and the manufacturing problem you are trying to solve. AFW can begin by reviewing whether friction welding makes technical and economic sense for the component.
Have a heavy equipment component that uses too much material, takes too much machining, or needs a stronger way to join different sections?
Send the drawing, material specifications, annual volume, testing requirements, or simply the manufacturing problem you are trying to solve. AFW can evaluate whether near-net-shape construction, dissimilar materials, or a full cross-sectional friction weld can improve the manufacturing path.
Send a Drawing / RFQ Review the Design GuideMaterial Types: castings, forgings, billets, bar stock, pipe, and plate.
Other Industries Served: Aerospace, Agriculture, Automotive, Beverage, Chemical, Food, Heavy Equipment, Medical, Military, Oil and Gas, Power Generation, and Transportation
