Welding aluminum

about TIG welding, isn't expensive too? we have to consider the jig to hold the parts together to avoid gas leakage, right?

Regards.

Have you never watched American Chopper?

Why would you weld an aluminum pipe to the block, when the rubber hose will rot and require changing, later? Once your into the rubber industry, you never get out...

I have parts from other vehicles, so what I do is unbend the pipe and remove the old block that goes to the compressor, make the new bends with my new routing and weld the new block for the new compressor. The problem is not so much resources but the time to get the parts.

If you need cold welding, it's going to be laser welding.

There are many known brands: Trumpf(German), Bystronics (Swedish)

This is the only welding machine I experienced, that you can pick up the welded part straight away after it is welded.

No kidding!

It's common for an Automotive A/C repair shop to purchase bulk hose and bulk fittings of various designs to fit what may be encountered in the field. The mechanic simply finds the hose end fittings he needs, measures the length of the assembly needed, cuts the hose to length, and crimps on the fittings. No welding! - No heat damaged hose! Unless you're into something really special here, I'd recommend talking to your local automotive jobber that specializes in A/C to see what's available. some jobbers carry bulk hose and a hose end fitting assortment. They will make up a hose assembly for you based on your specs. They usually have a book of specifications that allows them to look up what's needed based on year, make and model of automobile.

I agree with FKIA, your project sounds like you have limited resources for your prototype. find the appropriate fittings and weld or tap the a fitting into the block and attach your hoses.

If you really have to weld you could try using a heatsink paste like Cold Front instead of making up copper heatsinks.

can heat sink paste use for welding too?

i dont know... the amount of heat from welding and soldering...

hmmm... here in Malaysia, laser welding is booming like hot cakes as the electronic industry is facing huge demand in this part of the world...

Personally, I was involved with Industrial Robotics for 6 years, and last year I've arranged Robotics Laser Welding system for a local exhibition and faced a difficulty.

It was to find a suitable "SAMPLE", I am sure if you want to get your parts laser-welded, you may approach these laser suppliers to DEMONSTRATE on your alu parts.

Cheer, :D Please don't say this idea is from me.

"can heat sink paste use for welding too?"

This paste is used when welding steel panels during car body repairs.

Nigh,

Thanks for the advice.

Hello, Do you know a source for cold front type material in the USA? We do alot of specialty welding in my shop where this would be nice to have around.

pipewelder

I've only ever seen this from Frost in the UK but, looking at their web page, the tub is marked in imperial units so it wouldn't surprise me if it was made in the USA. You could try e-mailing Frost to ask them, they might tell you or buy a tub from them & look for the manufacturers name on it.

Have you thought about an adhesive for this? Methyl Methacrylates like ITW-Plexus's MA830 can give you strengths on average of 2000 to 3500psi. Most are approved for underhood temps. The adhesive will act ast an insulator, but you can probably get by using this for prototypes.

pull the hose, bolt the aluminum to the block with a flange, replace the hose. You can wrap a soaking rag around the aluminum pipe just short of the rubber hose. Aluminum is a good conductor of heat, so make sure it's a big rag with a lot of water in it, and keep it damp so the tube will never be hotter than 212 degrees. In fact, maybe it would be better to rig up some dry ice, but not so close to the hose that it causes it to become brittle. Another solution: Fill the tube and hose with water. There's a product called Alumalloy that can be used like solder with a propane torch, but you'd have to get the block really hot before the solder would flow on it, so spend a couple of days warming up the block first.

Why are you crimping the rubber hose prior to the welding or brazing? We always brazed/welded first & then crimped on our hoses.

Another solution: bore out the hole in the block so it's cylindrical (if it isn't already), tap it, thread your pipe, screw it in there. I like that even better than a flange because threads are less likely to be jiggled lose and begin leaking. In fact, even if you are going to weld it, this would be a good preliminary step.

As per a previous comment tube to block joints are normally done first then hose crimped on. Most mass production joints are flame brazed.....it is possible to repair leaky joints after hose have been crimped on but success depends several factors and would need to discuss specific application details.

Derek Davies

This link will solve your problem.

http://www.durafix.com/

Thanks to all for your feedback, all of them were very useful. I am making 10 parts, the first 2 parts I was able to weld them wrapping with soaking rags around the hose, next I will try the adhesive ITW-Plexus's MA830. I also want to try the durafix, so we will order them and see how it works. The "Frost" recommendation was new for me, but definitely is something that I want to try.

Thanks a lot again.

After following this post I bought some Durafix & tried it on some bits of aluminium angle. It's pretty easy to use (not quite as easy as it looks in the video) and the result is a tough joint. It took more heat than I expected but not enough to damage the parts being joined. It is certainly a product that I will use again.