Category: Stud Welding

On every work site, there are multiple factors laborers and managers need to actively address to ensure everyone’s safety. Industrial work creates hazardous situations involving powerful tools, extreme temperatures, tall heights, toxic materials, and more. All these issues have safety precautions and operational guidelines put in place to prevent worker fatigue, injury, or fatality. Compared to some other manufacturing operations, stud welding can be a very safe production process. However, without the appropriate accident prevention measures or an understanding of the equipment, it can become dangerous, and in some cases, even deadly. Working with high-quality equipment on construction welding projects paired with adhering to safety systems will help you and your team avoid welding-related harm. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we provide a comprehensive range of quality supplies, including tools for rent and purchase, drawn arc, capacitor discharge (CD), and short cycle welding studs, welding accessories, tool repair services, and the expertise of our own technicians.

Construction Welding

Like any type of fabrication process, construction welding has a basic checklist for maintaining safe working conditions. These standards include the use of certain precautions and attention to areas of concern including:

Grounding for Construction Welding

Welding machines of all types, not just construction stud welding, require proper grounding for electrical current to be safe. Stud welders must be in contact with the earth through a unit grounder or by the use of a grounding clamp when performing thru-deck welding.

Live wires

Welding technicians and nearby workers should never interact with live wires without proper protective gear. Welding should also never be performed with pooling water in the area. Live electrical parts and live wires that need attention should be handled with the correct safety gear.

Cables Used in Construction Welding

Especially on work sites where technicians are moving welding units over long distances, cable management is a major safety concern. Cables should not be used if damaged or stretched, placed in areas where they will be exposed to trucks and other heavy traffic, or hung to hold their full weight at a single point.

Spatter in Construction Welding

While stud welding has minimal spatter when done correctly, some occasions might result in wider spatter if a tool has an inaccurate calibration. Technicians should be aware of increases in spatter and adjust to prevent them from affecting safety.

Flammables 

Gas cylinders pose explosion and fire risks, and the heat and sparks that occur during a weld could pose additional fire hazards to other nearby flammable materials. Solvents, fiberglass, paper, and other highly flammable materials should be removed from the welding work area.

Ventilation 

Workers’ safety is compromised by fumes generated in the welding process if workers do not have proper ventilation. Welding outdoors offers enough ventilation in most cases, but indoor work must have supplemental ventilation, especially when welding through paint and other surface coatings.

Summary

If these basic safety guidelines are followed at every construction welding site, workers are protected and quality results can continue on your job site. For more information about supplies and services, contact NFS at (651) 730-7770 or request a quote online today.

Different insulations have countless uses throughout buildings, vehicles, machinery, and more. Insulation is a critical component in residences, commercial operations, municipal properties, infrastructure, and of course, industrial facilities. Modern insulation technologies are advanced solutions for a broad range of heat, fire, and cold exposures. The insulation systems used in every application are also improving quickly to meet growing demand for passive buildings and net-zero energy operations throughout industries. While insulation can be installed in many ways, from spraying insulation foam to adhering sheeting, a large number of residential, commercial, and industrial insulations are installed with stud welding. CD weld studs and CD welding pins, in particular, are highly useful for fast, clean, and strong installation of various types of insulative materials. If you’re installing insulation with welding pins, you can find all the supplies you need with Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), including tools for rent and purchase, CD studs and pins, and welding accessories. We also offer repairs for most welding models and the advice of our own expert technicians.

CD Weld Studs

Insulation serves multiple purposes, all generally around the control of heat and cold conduction from one area to another. In buildings, insulation is the main component in atmosphere control, preventing indoor temperatures from becoming difficult to regulate. In more complex applications, however, insulation can act as an extreme heat shield for temperatures up to 1,220ºF.

Insulation Function Overview:

1. Fire proofing: Not only is insulation capable of fire proofing in working environments where sparks, flammable liquids, gasses, dust that could combust, and other high risks of fire are present, it’s also important for home and businesses in general.
2. Fire stopping: Insulative materials that can withstand temperatures between 300ºF and 1,200ºF are critical fire-stopping solutions. These insulations are made from noncombustible materials and are typically applied between rooms and around building skeletal structures to keep fire from spreading through a building.
3. Heat containment: For building insulation and general heat containment in large spaces, insulation installed with CD weld studs can cover the environmental control for an entire building.
4. Heat shield: Smaller insulative heat shields are installed in cars, trucks, planes, trains, and other vehicles operating with combustion engines. These heat shields are also used in most industrial settings where machinery operates at high temperatures.
5. Cool containment: Like heat containment insulation for a whole building, insulative materials also contain cool air generated by air conditioning. This is especially important for buildings in continually hot climates.
6. Cool shield: Industrial facilities also often use extremely cold systems like liquid nitrogen. These low-temperature materials can be dangerous to workers and equipment exposed. The use of cool shield panels to insulate against these systems is important.

Summary

In many cases, these insulation systems are installed with stud welding. To learn more about insulation fasteners and other CD weld studs, contact NFS at (651) 730-7770 or request a quote online.

 

 

Skyscrapers and other multistory buildings are known for their use of powerful steel beams, like the one showcased in the famous Lunch Atop a Skyscraper photograph. While these large buildings rely on structural steel for their construction, those materials are also used in many different industries. From general manufacturing to the aerospace industry, structural steel is often included in the products themselves or in the machinery that gets the job done. For several applications that use steel beams, stud welding is a critical fastening system that provides strong, clean connection points quickly and efficiently. Shear connectors, bar anchors, and several other stud types are significant supplies for composite building with steel beams, but there are other types of structural steel welding that utilize stud welding equipment. If you’re stud welding structural steel, you can find everything you need with Northland Fastening Systems (NFS). NFS has a comprehensive supply of welding tools for rent and purchase, studs, accessories, and more.

Structural Steel Welding

Welding with studs like shear connectors and bar anchors is an often-overlooked part of what makes constructing and manufacturing with beams and other structural steel possible. While the primary use of steel is in the construction industry, the material and stud welding systems are also used in the shipbuilding, automotive, mining, aerospace, energy, and manufacturing industries.

Structural Steel Welding is a Large Part of Global Infrastructure.

Because structural steel is used so heavily throughout industries, it’s a large part of global infrastructure. Aside from buildings, studs make up a large part of composite construction, allowing for the building of bridges, roads, pipelines, and mines.

Stud welding is the best fastening system in existence for steel and composite construction. Not only is it cost-effective and fast, but it also creates a bond stronger than the stud itself. Stud welding has a better appearance than most other attachment techniques, leaving the reserve weld surface mark-free.

Major benefits

Other major benefits of stud welding with steel include the fact that workers only need access to one side of the work surface and that a stud-welded connection is leak-proof and resistant to corrosion. Alternative fastening systems like rivets require access to two sides of a surface, and rivets have a tendency to fail or loosen over time. Studs will not require replacement when the weld is performed correctly and is operating within expected parameters.

Stud welding units like the Tru-Weld TW 6902 and many others on the market are perfect for job sites where structural steel construction takes place. They are portable and robust for easy transportation, and they are also extremely easy for operators to learn and operate.

Overall, when building with structural steel and composite construction, stud welding should be your choice for fastening systems. For more information about supplies for structural steel welding, contact NFS at (651) 730-7770 or request a quote online.

 

 

 

 

Part 1 of this two-part blog series covers the development of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS), also known as automotive steel, and the first-generation AHSS categories, which includes a brief description of first-generation ferrite and martensite-based steels such as DP, MS, CP, and TRIP steels. In Part 2, we  cover second-generation steels and the use of AHSS in the automotive industry. Since the beginning of AHSS development in the 1990s, these materials have slowly begun to replace various steel and aluminum components in multiple vehicles. In many instances, AHSS offers a higher crash resistance than aluminum and is lighter than other steels, making vehicles both safer and more efficient. As with aluminum and any other steel parts, many AHSS components of modern vehicles are constructed with stud weld fastening systems. Stud welding is a mainstay in automotive manufacturing. Not only does it provide a powerful, clean connection point that can be quickly installed, it’s also cost-effective, leak-proof, and only requires access to one side of a work surface. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we work with multiple customers in the automotive industry to supply welding studs, accessories, and other equipment.

Welding Studs

Fastening welding studs to AHSS surfaces requires an understanding of the correct stud materials and dimensions, as well as tool and power calibration, but it can easily be done. Many manufacturers working with AHSS have quickly transitioned their stud welding technicians to these newer materials.

AHSS Material

The second generation of AHSS materials are based on austenitic microstructures. Current second-generation high-strength steels include:

• TWIP steel: Twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel has excellent mechanical properties at room temperatures. It is highly resistant to corrosion with outstanding strength and energy absorption greater than twice the ability of previously used steels.
• L-IP steel: Lightweight with induced plasticity (L-IP) steel is a lighter version of other TWIP steels. They are high-manganese alloys that have high-impact resistance and stretch, forming properties ideal for automotive parts.
• SIP steel: Shear band formation-induced plasticity (SIP) steel is another material based on TWIP alloys. When shear band force is applied to SIP steel, structures are actually strengthened in the austenitic matrix.

AHSS in Welding Studs

Both first- and second- generation AHSS types are utilized in the manufacturing of vehicles ranging from daily drivers to public transportation. Not only are these steels stronger than conventional steels and aluminum, they are also lighter, more sustainable, and even more affordable than previously used materials. These steels are utilized in modern vehicle parts that will absorb shear force, high-energy resonance, shock, load bearing, and many other critical components.

If you’re working with AHSS in the automotive industry, or any other application such as aircraft, shipbuilding, or general manufacturing, stud welding is likely one of your primary fastening systems. For more information about our supply of welding studs and other equipment, contact NFS at (651) 730-7770 or request a quote online.

The earliest forms of welding, dating as far back as 1,800 BCE, forged basic bronze and irons into various weapons and tools. Over the centuries, more sophisticated uses of metal developed, such as the pattern welding used to make Damascus steel and Japanese swords. When electricity was harnessed in the 1800s, resistance-welding technology was quick to advance. Today, we have many resistance-welding techniques and other arc-welding operations that utilize electricity to heat metals. Stud welding is one of many modern operations that use specifically calibrated electrical currents to fuse metals. While it’s implemented extensively throughout multiple industries, stud welding is also a frequently used fastening technique in the automotive industry. In the past 10 years, car companies have replaced a large number of other steel and aluminum stud welded parts with advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) due to its weight and crash resistance. If you’re working with AHSS and welding studs, you can find all the supplies and technical support you need with Northland Fastening Systems (NFS).

Welding Studs

NFS offers a complete supply of drawn arc and CD studs, welding tools for rent and purchase, accessories, and the advice of our own welding technicians. We also provide repair services for the majority of stud welding models.

Because one of the most prevalent uses of AHSS is for automotive parts, the different types of those materials are often discussed and classified as automotive steels with a minimum tensile strength of 440 MPa.

Welding Studs with AHSS Materials

There are two generations of AHSS materials. The first generation of AHSS includes ferrite and martensite-based steels, while the second-generation group are steels based on austenitic microstructures. Attaching welding studs of any dimensions to an AHSS work surface requires an understanding of the steel itself.

• DP Steel: Dual-phase (DP) steel is a first-generation ferrite-based steel category. DP’s high-strength steel grades have low-yield strength to tensile strength ratios, high-fatigue resistance, and uniform elongation properties.
• MS Steel: Martensitic (MS) steel is a first-generation stainless steel alloy. It can be tempered and hardened with heat treatments to become highly durable, wear-resistant, and strong in mechanical applications.
• CP Steel: Complex-phase (CP) steels are extremely fine-grained with micro ferrite structures. They have high work-hardening properties, high-fatigue strengths, wear-resistance, and can absorb high energy resonance.
• TRIP steel: Similar to CP steel, transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel has a high-yield strength for first-generation steels. Their microstructures of austenite can be transformed to martensite structures when bearing load or being deformed.

Summary

In the second part of this two-part blog, we discuss second-generation AHSS steels and all AHSS applications in the automotive industry. If you’re working with welding studs on an AHSS work surface or any other materials, you can find the supplies you need with NFS. Contact NFS at (651) 730-7770 or request a quote online.

 

 

 

 

 

There are many tools and types of equipment we use daily that are built with stud welding processes. From the cars we drive to the appliances we use in our kitchens, stud welding operations are frequently called on for efficient, strong fasteners throughout various industries. The prevalence of stud welding being used for various fastening systems is due to its many benefits. Stud welding creates a powerful connection point with clean results. It can also be used in fastening multiple materials, including steel, aluminum, copper, and brass, and it’s reliable for composite construction to combine materials like concrete and wood to steel beams. If you’re working with steel weld studs on your production floor or job site, you can find everything you need to get your project completed at Northland Fastening Systems (NFS).

Steel Weld Studs

One major use of steel weld studs is in the manufacturing of construction equipment. Common construction equipment, such as excavators, cranes, dump trucks, and backhoes, are all built with steel studs, but many specialized types of equipment also rely on the use of stud welding in their fabrication.

1. Dragline excavator: Used typically for excavation at greater depths, a dragline excavator has a long boom with digging buckets suspended from cables. These excavators are critical for the removal of sediment underwater. They are used in the construction of ports, marinas, canals, and for clearing pathways for water traffic.
2. Trenchers: For pipe laying, cables, irrigation, drainage, and other systems, trenchers are used to dig long, deep ditches in the earth. They have a fixed arm with a digging chain or tooth-bladed digging wheels. Wheeled trenchers are best suited to cut through hard-packed earth and gravel.
3. Pavers: In road construction, pavers are essential when applying asphalt. Pavers have feeding buckets that are loaded continuously with a dump truck as the paver evenly distributes asphalt on the roadway. They provide partial compression to the asphalt, but a roller must go over the surface as well for full compaction.

 More Uses

1. Telehandlers: Telescoping handlers are hoisting machines that can lift heavy-duty materials or equipment up to construction scaffolding and platforms. They can also raise and lower workers to different job-site levels with buckets or cabins.
2. Feller bunchers: In logging and site clearing, feller bunchers are large-scale grips that can hold trees, make a cut, and move large branches without the trees felling. Felling trees makes for a dangerous worksite, but a feller buncher helps quickly and efficiently remove trees and free up a site for dump trucks and excavators to enter.
3. Piling equipment: Foundation construction requires the boring or driving of piles into the earth. Pile borers can drill holes into the ground, and hydraulic drivers ram the pile into the ground to the required depth.

For any of the preceding construction equipment, you can count on us to supply you with the correct steel weld studs and other materials. Contact NFS at (651) 730-7770 or you can request a quote online for more information.

 

 

Compared to many other manufacturing operations, stud welding is a relatively young technology. The first uses of stud welding didn’t occur until after World War I in the early 1900s. Early stud welding was used in composite construction to fasten wood to steel beams in the shipbuilding industry. Today, stud welding is still used in shipbuilding, but it’s also heavily utilized across multiple industries for a vast range of applications. As a fastening system, stud welding creates powerful connections quickly without needing access to two sides of a work surface and without leaving marks on the reverse side of the weld. If you’re working with any kind of stud welding process you can find all the supplies you need with Northland Fastening Systems (NFS).

Stud Welding Supplies

NFS provides a complete supply of studs, welding tools, accessories, repair work, and the advice of our own expert technicians. The reach of the stud welding process across industries is broad, and we work with many customers to help them complete all kinds of projects.

Stud Welding Process

The full scope of stud welding as a manufacturing operation includes the following industries:

• Automotive: For cars and other vehicles, stud welding is used to install heat shields, power steering components, electrical routing, insulation, exhaust components, instrumentation, trim, hydraulic system components, and more.
• Infrastructure: Because the stud welding process can install shear connectors that combine steel to concrete, it can be used for large-scale infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, piping, conduits, drainage systems, and more.
• Construction: Stud welding is often used to build multistory buildings, such as apartments, offices, municipal buildings, and even skyscrapers.
• Agricultural equipment: Farming equipment relies on stud welding for the installation of many parts, including brackets, cabs, spreaders, threshers, fenders, hoses, shrouding, and more.
• Appliances: Both large and small appliances are often built using the stud welding process. Commercial and residential dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines, stoves, microwaves, ovens, and many other common appliances are built with studs.
• Shipbuilding: Ships of all sizes are built with stud welding to this day.
• Electronics: From hydraulic lines and transformers to terminals and enclosures, many electronics are built with studs.

More Industries

• Industrial: Signs, cover plates, enclosures, controls, and floor indicators are some examples of industrial equipment made with stud welding.
• Furniture: Many metal furniture items are made with studs, such as filing cabinets, shelving, racks, and desks.
• Lawn and garden: Lawn mowers, seeders, tractors, and some other gardening and landscaping equipment are built with stud welding.
• Power and energy: Transformers, tanks, transducers, and other energy equipment use studs as fasteners.
• Cookware: Pots and pans, utensils, and other kitchen supplies are built with food-grade stud welding.
• Jewelry: Pins and thin studs can be used for decorative purposes like jewelry.
• Hardware: Tool handles, interior design hardware, brackets, and other systems can be installed with stud welding.
• Doors: insulation doors, escutcheon plates for door knobs, and some commercial doors are installed with studs.

This is just a sampling of the many applications of stud welding. For more information about the uses of the stud welding process, contact NFS at (651) 730-7770 or you can request a quote online.

 

Northland Fastening Systems started in 1987 with the goal of bringing stud welding into the future and committing to excellence in service and products. Over the past 30 years, we’ve seen many changes in the stud welding industry, from new products and technologies to differences in the market itself. Today, stud welding is used across industries, including the construction of buildings and infrastructure, installing insulation, building electronics, and much more. In many ways, stud welding is a superior fastening system. Stud welding quickly provides a powerful, clean connection point, requires access to only one side of a work surface, is leak and corrosion resistant, and is cost-effective. For any manufacturers and contractors working with stud welding, Northland Fastening Systems has the supplies and services needed to get the job done. We provide a comprehensive supply of studs, accessories, tools, and other support for industrial and construction welding.

Construction Welding

In our past 30 plus years of operation, the biggest market change we’ve seen is the shift in demand for construction vs. industrial stud welding supplies. In the early days of NFS, many parts of the Twin Cities were still being built to become the metropolises they are today. The greatest demand for supplies came from the construction welding industry.

Now that metro area growth has slowed, a large increase in industrial demand has grown, shifting the majority of our market supply from construction to industrial.

80% Industrial

Today, about 80% of our business is with the industrial market. This includes customers manufacturing parts and assemblies of all kinds. We supply to the automotive, electronics, food service, sheet metal, agricultural equipment, robotics, and even furniture industries. The largest use of industrial stud welding supplies includes electrical enclosures and enclosures in general, commercial and industrial food service equipment, and the fabrication of multiple parts with sheet metal. Factory equipment is also largely built with studs and other types of industrial welding systems.

20% Construction

While demand for construction welding supplies has decreased, the construction market still makes up about 20% of our business. Many different types of multi-story buildings and other structures are built with stud welding. The use of shear connectors in composite construction is critical for bridges and other infrastructure, and thru-deck welding is a prevalent operation in modern building. In addition to thru-deck welding and shear connectors that fasten concrete to steel beams, bar anchors are also used in composite construction, and CD studs are key in the installation of insulation for most building types.

Stud welding continues to be one of the most versatile and reliable fastening systems today for both the industrial and construction markets. For more information about our supplies for industrial and construction welding, contact Northland Fastening Systems today at (651) 730-7770 or request a quote online.

Since its invention in the early 1900s, stud welding has proven to be an exceptionally useful tool for a wide range of industries. From construction to electronics, stud welding offers a fastening system that connects metals with strong, rapid, and clean operations. When applied correctly, stud welded connections are stronger than the stud and base material put together. In fact, one of the quickest ways to test the accuracy of a weld is by seeing if the stud will fail in a bend test before the connection point fails. If you are working with stud welding, you know the benefits it provides to many manufacturing processes. Stud welding is quick, cost-effective, and powerful. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we provide a complete range of supplies for the drawn arc, capacitor discharge (CD), and short cycle stud welding process. This includes studs for each type of welding, tools for rent and purchase, welding accessories, and even repairs for most welding equipment.

Stud Welding Process

One of the reasons why the stud welding process is advantageous for so many industries is because of the strength a full fusion weld point provides. Stud welding operations completely fuse stud materials to surface materials. This fusion can be done with a variety of metals, including steel, aluminum, and even copper.

What Is Complete Fusion?

Complete fusion requires both metals to reach melting temperatures. Molten metals will fuse together at the weld point and create a complete connection between parts. All layers of stud and surface material should be molten in order to create complete fusion. Because of this requirement for deep penetration, stud lengths will shorten a specified amount when installed, depending on material and weld types.

A homogenous weld point that is completely fused will be clean with no spatter or puddles. Complete fusion eliminates the risk of a cold or porous weld that will likely fail. Any incorrect applications that have incomplete fusion can be revealed with testing. Incomplete fusion issues can be prevented by accurately calibrating welding equipment, using the right power, and performing a weld in the correct duration and positioning. With drawn arc welding, ceramic ferrules and shielding gas also help technicians achieve complete fusion in the welds.

Summary

For complete fusion through paint, annealing, and other surface treatments, technicians should adjust accordingly and use grounding clamps on the job site. In facilities where automated stud welding systems are integrated into a production line, complete fusion results are often built into the equipment. Automation parameters for complete fusion can be adjusted when stud dimensions, materials, and other specifications are changed.

If you are working with any kind of stud welding process in any industry, and are looking for supplies, equipment, and more, we can help. Contact NFS at (651) 730-7770. You can also request a quote online to get started with us today.

Welding with an electrically generated arcing current was first developed in the late 1800s by several British, Russian, and American inventors. In 1887, Russian inventor Nikolay Benardos presented the first arc welding system with a carbon electrode. The same year, another inventor, French Auguste de Méritens, also developed a carbon arc welder. Over the next 130 years, new technologies for welding would be invented and developed to the advanced state-of-the-art systems they are today. Modern metal welding hosts an umbrella of operations from gas metal arc welding (GMAW) to electron beam welding (EBW). Stud welding is also a commonplace welding operation that is used across industries. If you are working with a drawn arc, capacitor discharge (CD), or short cycle stud welding process, you can find all the supplies you need at Northland Fastening Systems (NFS). NFS provides a complete selection of welding equipment, including tools for rent or purchase, welding studs, accessories, and even repairs for most models.

Stud Welding Process

Stud welding machines can utilize either AC or DC power supplies depending on the welding application and the facilities. The power source for any stud welding process can be one of three general designs: transformers, generators, or inverters.

Transformers:

Using electricity from main utilities, transformers convert moderate electrical currents and voltage into high current and low voltage. Generally that conversion takes 110–240 V supplies to around 17-45 V with anywhere between 55 and 590 amp. Transformers are less costly than other power supplies, but they can only be used within a facility because of their large size.

Generators:

For job-site welding with portable welders, a generator is often the best choice for power conversion. These designs convert mechanical energy into electrical energy with an electric or internal combustion motor. Generators are also called alternators because they convert that energy from mechanical to electrical to reach the same voltage step-down that transformers provide.

Inverters In the Stud Welding Process

Inverters are a newer power source for welding units because they use high-power semiconductors that have only recently been adapted into wider technologies. These systems take main utility AC and change it to DC, then they invert that DC power to step-down the voltage and change the current to the calibrated weld requirements. The most significant feature of inverters is that they can be adjusted with software systems thanks to their use of semiconductor chips.

Within these categories of transformers, generators, and inverters, there are many variations that can be used as power supplies for stud welding. Each type of stud welding and welding overall will require different calibrations of voltage and current that can be achieved with these power supply designs.

If you are in need of any supplies for your stud welding process, contact NFS at (651) 730-7770. You can also request a quote online to get started with us today.