Hi Lala,

arc welding (Tig Mig etc.) is now fairly well established.

However, there are two new exciting new applications.

1). is where the welding head is attached to a robot, and complex shaped can be formed by adding weld. it is a form of rapid prototyping. Rolls-Royce use it to put bushes onto casings in production.

2). have a look at stir friction weld. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction_stir_welding The UK welding institute are pioneering this. The research arm are also good people to speak with :

http://www.twi-global.com/technologies/welding-surface-engineering-and-material-processing/friction-stir-welding/

http://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/

http://www.theweldinginstitute.com/

If you let me know the application you have in mind, I may know of other developments.

Regards Paul

Dear Riley,

Thanks for the useful details regarding the arc welding. A recent development  in welding technology is the cold metal transfer(CMT) process where the wire retraction motion assists droplet detachment during short circuit.Thus metal can transfer welding pool without the aid of the electromagnetic force leading to drastic decrease the spatter and heat input.The process is ideally suited to welding aluminium and dissimilar joints.

Regards,

Sukla

welding essentially remains a repair phenomena. the recent developments will be worth the endeavour when welding graduates to facilitate as a main production process, like metal forming, or foundry, or powder metallurgy.

I know I am going to be bowled when I say "welding essentially remains a repair phenomena". But going to basics helps

Many arc  welding robots have been put in service on production line due to features such as spatter suppression,bead defect elimination,high speed welding capability and efficiency.

Look at adaptive arc welding power supplies and hybrid processes like laser / GMAW.  Websites for companies like Fronius and Lincoln Electric have a lot of good information.

Nanotechnology has been established as the research fieldthat will lead to the next generation of breakthroughs in thescience and engineering sectors.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/157597807/Predicting-the-combined-effect-of-TiO2-nano-particles-and-welding-input-parameters-on-the-hardness-of-melted-zone-in-submerged-arc-welding-by-fuzzy-lo

Dear Lala,

as said before, arc welding includes many well established techniques. In the recent years there has been a lot development of techniques to control the welding current. CMT is one of them. Nowadays, all bigger suppliers of welding equipment have there  technologies, for "cold" welding, like CMT or deeper penetration (force arc, etc).

We go a different way by stabilizing the arc with laser power. You might know that from hybrid processes, which used multi kW laser power. Our approach is to use only a couple 100 W. Therefor we don't have a deep penetration, but we are able to guide and stabilized the arc.

For us and our partners this is an actual field of development in laser/arc technology.

Gas tungsten arc welding is just one of many exciting possibilities in the glorious world of welding. It uses a nonconsumable tungsten electrode to produce a quite fascinating thingumy made of metals all stuck together in a sort of tungstenny mass, but without the excess residue, embarrassment or shame of ordinary welding.

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Gas_tungsten_arc_welding

To quote Shukla

"ascinating thingumy made of metals all stuck together in a sort of tungstenny mass, but without the excess residue, embarrassment or shame of ordinary welding"

One may deploy these droplets to consolidate to a desired mass.  Will this [consolidation] be called welding?  there are techniques like OSPREY process or RAPID PROTOTYPING, WHICH may be deployed to use competently.. .

I did append as a closing remark

"I know I am going to be bowled when I say "welding essentially remains a repair phenomena". But going to basics helps"

Having taught welding and compared competence and competitiveness this is how the perspective clarifies, 

Your reference made me laugh; the uncyclopedia indeed. :-)

Not one to reference in academic journals though.

We have used TIG for many years, (developed in the 1940's I think)  it is particularly good for different metals even Aluminium.

http://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/job-knowledge/tungsten-inert-gas-tig-or-gta-welding-006/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_tungsten_arc_welding

Regards

Paul

PS not sure why  Priyavrat Thareja thinks it is primarily a repair process. Nearly all cars in production used robot welders, as do many assembly processes; washing machines, Dish washers, pipelines just to name a few.

http://robot.fanucamerica.com/products/robots/arc-welding-robots.aspx

Regards

Paul

Maximum development has been realized in Gas Metal Arc Welding(GMAW) process with a variety of operating modes characterized in part by the form of metal transfer. Pulse mode and double pulse mode of metal transfer have created a revolution in welding technology and thus GMAW process is being utilized for both ferrous and non ferrous materials as well as for sheet to relatively thicker material.

Paul,

For Robot welding you require 2 pieces ( base and appendage ) and an electrode ( or source of filler or fusion.

When you are starting with pre- materials ( not raw materials), the process- called joining- is essentially a synonym like repair.

My concept of a manufacturing process is competent enough.

I do not consider as quoted statement

"assembly processes"; washing machines, Dish washers, pipelines just to name a few.

as only a sub/ slave manufacturing process if any

Sub Merged Arc Welding(SAW) process is selected for applications requiring high deposition rates and for  materials not limited by its heat input.

http://ewi.org/increasing-productivity-with-submerged-arc-welding/

George A. Young has already referred to hybrid welding processes in an earlier post.

Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding (laser + GMAW, laser + TIG etc.) technology has also been developing fast in the past decade or so, but I am not sure if it has already been introduced into actual production on a wide scale.

See the following links for more information.

http://www.industrial-lasers.com/articles/print/volume-28/issue-6/features/laser-gma-hybrid-joining-of-thick-high-strength-steels.html

http://www.industrial-lasers.com/articles/print/volume-29/issue-4/features/innovation-in-shipbuilding-using-vertical-down-hybrid-laser-welding.html