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Improving Global Quality of Life
Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies
On the other hand, when looking at the welding process utilised for joining chassis parts, it is clear that many
welding processes are converging with gas metal arc welding. This is because it is recognised that gas metal
arc welding has many strong points, such as applicability to many types of joints, good balance between
productivity and cost, and adaptability to robot welding. Consequently, it is believed that gas metal arc
welding will be the major method from now on.
Laser-arc hybrid welding is expected to succeed in mass production. Thought there are some doubts
about this becoming the major method for chassis part welding, such as the loss of flexibilities in torch
operation and arc force direction, there are many merits far exceeding arc welding, including low distortion.
If production efficiency is balanced between before and after processes by high-speed welding, however,
laser-arc hybrid welding will be surely applied to some fields.
A new technique, friction stir spot welding, in now being introduced. Resistance spot welding and arc
welding have been the major processes so far suitable for robotised welding. This is one of the reasons
that enabled them to be propagated in the world. The friction stir spot welding is also flexible and suitable
for 3-dimensional welding. Although friction stir welding is used for straight line continuous welds in train
and airplane manufacture, its application in automotive production lines will depend on its flexibility and
application to robotised welding. Although the application of the friction stir spot welding is currently limited
to aluminium panels, its application to steel panels is being investigated, so it is expected to be successful
in the future.
9.6.4
Hot topics
Need to reduce CO
2
emissions to fight global warming through improved combustion, reduced
vehicle weight and reduction of loss of efficiency through friction.
Research and development of efficient welding technologies for high-tensile, ultra high-tensile,
galvanised steels and other lightweight materials e.g. aluminium, tubular construction.
Research and development of efficient welding technologies to support changing vehicle safety
requirements.
Development of next generation environmentally friendly powertrains such as hybrid and battery
powered vehicles.
9.7
Mining, minerals and materials processing sector
The mining, minerals and materials processing sectors have been growing rapidly over the past 20 years in
many parts of the world, in response to increasing world commodity demands. In Australia, for instance,
this growth has been at 5% p.a., with that country currently generating thirty three-billion-dollar-plus per
year mineral exports (coal A$11B, aluminium A$8B, iron A$5B, gold A$5B, copper A$2B, zinc A$2B). Many
initiatives of the various sectors of the minerals industry have resulted, over the years, in a corporate focus
on business performance, with a resultant decrease in exploration and longer-term research around the
world. This decline has threatened the long-term viability of the industry by limiting the utilisation of new
sources and restricting the growth of knowledge and capability to produce.
The current recent global downturn and reduction in demand has seen, however, a new focus by companies
on the need for improved productivity and capital returns. While the boom in mining and minerals may have
been overtaken by the global credit crunch, most industry and economic experts agree that the way forward
is through innovation-led productivity growth. Welding, as an essential enabling technology in a wide
range of mining infrastructure and equipment manufacture and maintenance applications, can contribute
significantly to this new focus.
