Month: September 2021

Comparing Stud Welding to Other Fastening Systems

Posted on by norfas by norfas

Many kinds of fasteners are utilized across industries, from bolt systems to rivets, and different types of stud welding are among those hundreds of fastening systems. Stud welding is implemented in many different fabrication instances for a fast, clean, and strong connection. If you’re working with drawn arc, capacitor discharge (CD), or short cycle stud welding, you can find everything you need at Northland Fastening Systems (NFS). We provide a comprehensive supply of tools for rent or purchase, studs in a complete range of dimensions with custom sizing available, and accessories. We also have an expert staff that can give technical guidance, advice, and support. Stud welding fastening systems are more effective, stronger, longer lasting, and more advantageous than several other connection techniques for a variety of reasons.

Other Fastening Systems

If we look at some of the following other fastening systems, we can determine their disadvantages and see why stud welding might be a better solution depending on the application.

  1. Back welding: Back welding requires holes to be punched through the surface and deburred for a cleaner finish. When the weld is complete, the result needs to be sanded and smoothed further for a flat connection point. This process is much slower than stud welding, and the punched holes weaken the surface material. On the other hand, stud welding doesn’t need any prior hole punch, and creates a clean finish by default.

 

  1. Drilling and tapping: This process only works effectively on thick surface materials with longer studs. Because the drilling and tapping process requires several preparatory and finishing steps, it’s also slower and more constrained in application than stud welding.

 

  1. Inserts: The main issue with inserts is that they begin to loosen over time. They are also prone to crack paint-finished surfaces and leave stains as they corrode. Inserts require punched holes that weaken the parent material and require a deburring step before inserts are installed, and the reverse side of the connection point is often not clean. Stud welded points are not only faster and cleaner than inserts, but also they will never loosen. In fact, either the stud will bend or the surface material will crack long before a stud welded connection point loses stability.

 

  1. Bolting: While through bolting can create a strong connection, it also requires hole punches through the surface material and deburring of those holes. Technicians installing a bolting system need access to both sides of a surface for two-handed assembly. Installed bolt heads are bulky and often leave stains on the parent surface. A bolting assembly can leak when exposed to liquids, and the punched holes weaken the surface material.

Stud Welding

For the majority of applications where stud welding can be used in place of these other fastening methods, it will be to your advantage to implement a drawn arc, CD, or short cycle process. Stud welding is faster, cleaner, less invasive, stronger, cost-effective, and flexible than many other fastening methods.

To learn more about using stud weld fastening systems, contact NFS at (651) 730-7770 or request a quote online.

Lightweight Applications of CD Stud Welding

Posted on by norfas by norfas

There are several types of stud welding utilized in many different industries. Northland Fastening Systems offers a comprehensive supply of welding tools for rent or purchase, studs for all applications, accessories, and the expertise of our own technicians to customers worldwide. Depending on the application, one type of stud welding operation may be better suited than another. When it comes to capacitor discharge (CD) stud welding, there are hundreds of applications that make the fabrication of many products possible. CD stud welding is best suited for smaller-dimension studs and pins. The CD welding process doesn’t leave marks on the opposite side of the weld surface, so it’s ideal for clean results on thin surfaces.

CD Stud Welding

CD stud welding might be more prevalent than many people might realize. It’s used in hundreds of products and tools we use daily, from automotive applications to the installation of home insulation. Some of the lightweight applications of CD stud welding are even more common in most people’s lives. For example:

 

  • Cookware: Many pots and pans are assembled using stud welding operations. Various handles, lids, and specialized pots like steamers and pressure cookers are made stronger and longer-lasting with stud weld connections. In the face of heavy-duty commercial cooking, strong stud fastening systems hold up to the extreme heat and stress of an industrial kitchen.

 

  • Hardware: There are many different applications for the general category of hardware. From brackets, cleats, and hinges to tool handles and specialty kits, CD stud welding with pins and small-dimension studs is a highly effective fabrication method. Hardware for commercial doors also utilizes CD welding for escutcheon plates and insulators.

 

  • Small appliances: While various types of stud welding are used in the manufacturing of many kinds of large appliances, from home ovens and dishwashers to factory-grade food processing equipment, CD welding is also used extensively in building small countertop appliances. This includes most microwaves, deep fryers, hot plates, coffee makers, and more.

 

  • Jewelry: Along with soldering and other fine fabrication methods, stud welding is a useful tool for the jewelry industry and jewelry arts. High-quality jewelry is designed to last a long time with frequent use and hold up to routine cleanings. Using stud and pin welding, jewelers and artists can create strong connections between components.

 

  • Electrical setups: Because it provides a strong connection with no backside marking, CD welding is ideal for electrical enclosures, circuitry systems, terminals, and more. It’s also heavily used in fabricating devices like pumps, motors, and even communication equipment.

Even for small applications, CD stud welding is one of the most effective light-weight systems for rapid production with little-to-no warping. If you’re working with any type of stud welding, NFS has the supplies you need. To learn more about our supplies and services, contact Northland Fastening Systems at (651) 730-7770. Request a quote online to get started with us today.

 

Building Railway Bridges with Construction Welding

Posted on by norfas by norfas

All kinds of welding operations are utilized in manufacturing across various industries. When it comes to stud welding, the range of its applications is much broader than you might think. Not only is stud welding used heavily in the production of food-grade appliances, electrical enclosures, connector pins for various applications, sheet metal construction, and much more, it’s also used in the fabrication of critical infrastructure. One common use of stud welding in large-scale construction is bridge building. Many types of bridge construction rely on stud welding for composite structures, fastening systems, and more. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we provide the tools, studs, accessories, and guidance necessary for all applications that depend on construction welding to get the job done correctly.

Not only does stud welding play an important role in roadways and roadway bridges for commercial and consumer travel, it’s also an essential operation for railway bridges. Our nation’s railways—which carry industrial, commercial, and passenger trains all over our country and across our borders—are a highly important part of our economy and our citizenship. Railways support the transport of foods, medicine, water, fuel, and many other products that give communities and businesses access to the necessary items for surviving and thriving.

Construction Welding

Construction welding, and stud welding in particular, are imperative for the composite connection points between slabs of concrete, cement, and other heavy-duty, long-lasting engineering components, and the girders of steel beams that provide flex and strength in an operating bridge.

The combination of concrete slabs and metal beams connected through shear stud beams means railway bridges can meet strict safety standards and hold up to train travel, weather, and the movement of the earth for many years. Shear reinforcement with studs connects two materials securely while also providing ductility and strength in the face of shift and stress.

Railway bridges typically use heeded shear studs with thick diameters, installed in exact row patterns along the seams of concrete slabs. Shear studs used in construction welding for railway and other bridges are typically 125, 150, 175, 200, or 250 mm in height with diameters of 16, 19, 22, or 25 mm.

Shear connector studs are highly economical and robust, creating an engineered structure that reacts to shock flow moving in a predictable pattern across a working railway bridge. For some bridges that utilize metal decking and sheet spans, composite construction with stud welding dramatically increases long-term flexibility, and decreases the effects of brittleness and quickly degrading strength of concrete support systems.

To learn more about how shear connectors and other construction welding applications improve bridge construction, contact NFS at (651) 730-7770. You can also request a quote online to get started with us today.