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Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

hw.ac.uk

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Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#21

Post by AllegedAlec »

abduhl wrote: post #18
AllegedAlec wrote: post #8

Sounds really interesting. The only potential downside I see is that metal and glass generally expand differently under heat and have different tensile strengths etc. I wonder how they plan to deal with that.

Isn’t that the whole reason this is a breakthrough? It’s even discussed in the article... Professor Duncan Hand, director of the five-university EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Laser-based Production Processes based at Heriot-Watt, said: “Traditionally it has been very difficult to weld together dissimilar materials like glass and metal due to their different thermal properties - the high temperatures an…

I read that more as being about the welding process, while I'm more thinking about how it would function during its use.

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#22

Post by [deleted] »

abduhl wrote: post #18
AllegedAlec wrote: post #8

Sounds really interesting. The only potential downside I see is that metal and glass generally expand differently under heat and have different tensile strengths etc. I wonder how they plan to deal with that.

Isn’t that the whole reason this is a breakthrough? It’s even discussed in the article... Professor Duncan Hand, director of the five-university EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Laser-based Production Processes based at Heriot-Watt, said: “Traditionally it has been very difficult to weld together dissimilar materials like glass and metal due to their different thermal properties - the high temperatures an…

[deleted]

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#23

Post by danmaz74 »

AllegedAlec wrote: post #8

Sounds really interesting. The only potential downside I see is that metal and glass generally expand differently under heat and have different tensile strengths etc. I wonder how they plan to deal with that.

They say that “We tested the welds at -50C to 90C and the welds remained intact, so we know they are robust enough to cope with extreme conditions.”

So, it seems like they're aiming for applications where temperatures stay in the ranges of human habitats.

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#24

Post by AllegedAlec »

tk75x wrote: post #19
AllegedAlec wrote: post #8

Sounds really interesting. The only potential downside I see is that metal and glass generally expand differently under heat and have different tensile strengths etc. I wonder how they plan to deal with that.

“We tested the welds at -50C to 90C and the welds remained intact, so we know they are robust enough to cope with extreme conditions.”

They don't specify anything about the nature of that weld though, for example how big the glass and the iron pieces were, and whether it was a point weld or a continuous weld, and the geometry of the weld itself (for example if it had an inside/outside corner).

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#25

Post by gattilorenz »

excalibur wrote: post #15

Eyeglasses with frames welded to the lenses would be kinda cool, and may even justify current commercial price points (not that they would be sold for them).

Wouldn't it be impossible, then, to replace the lenses with new ones (in case of scratches, or with eyesight changes over time)?

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#26

Post by xutopia »

excalibur wrote: post #15

Eyeglasses with frames welded to the lenses would be kinda cool, and may even justify current commercial price points (not that they would be sold for them).

I guess you could make rims smaller this way... however most glasses nowadays use plastics.

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#27

Post by MisterTea »

AllegedAlec wrote: post #8

Sounds really interesting. The only potential downside I see is that metal and glass generally expand differently under heat and have different tensile strengths etc. I wonder how they plan to deal with that.

Plenty of glass to metal sealing is done for hermetic purposes. One use is glass sealed connectors for aerospace use. Also components for ultra high vacuum systems which use metal to glass (or ceramic) joints to transition between materials or electrical isolation.

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#28

Post by AllegedAlec »

danmaz74 wrote: post #23
AllegedAlec wrote: post #8

Sounds really interesting. The only potential downside I see is that metal and glass generally expand differently under heat and have different tensile strengths etc. I wonder how they plan to deal with that.

They say that “We tested the welds at -50C to 90C and the welds remained intact, so we know they are robust enough to cope with extreme conditions.” So, it seems like they're aiming for applications where temperatures stay in the ranges of human habitats.

Even in that range, you can run into issues. I know of local buses in my home town where a lot of them would have cracks in the front window because when they went over speed bumps, the frame would flex enough that strain was placed on the window. If you remove the silicone glue or whatever it is they use to afix windows, this problem would get a lot worse.

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#29

Post by excalibur »

gattilorenz wrote: post #25
excalibur wrote: post #15

Eyeglasses with frames welded to the lenses would be kinda cool, and may even justify current commercial price points (not that they would be sold for them).

Wouldn't it be impossible, then, to replace the lenses with new ones (in case of scratches, or with eyesight changes over time)?

That would make it rather difficult. In my experience people usually replace the frames and lenses together, but ymmv.

Re: Welding breakthrough could transform manufacturing

#30

Post by MichaelApproved »

crispyambulance wrote: post #16
AllegedAlec wrote: post #8

Sounds really interesting. The only potential downside I see is that metal and glass generally expand differently under heat and have different tensile strengths etc. I wonder how they plan to deal with that.

I think it depends on the application and scale whether or not that is an issue. For joints that are intended to remain at a constant temperature, no problem. For very small structures where thermal expansion amounts to very little relative displacements, also no problem. But, yeah, this isn't a solution for joining outdoor windows to metal frames.

> But, yeah, this isn't a solution for joining outdoor windows to metal frames.

Says who? Welds held up to pretty harsh conditions -50C to 90C.

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