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Welding

Woolf Aircraft Products Inc. is a preeminent provider of precision welded and brazed metal tube products for customers in the aerospace, military, and defense industries. We are pleased to provide a wide range of welding services, including gas arc welding, plasma arc welding, shielded metal, and resistance. Our state-of-the-art robotic 6-axis MIG and 2-axis TIG welding equipment allow us to automate high volume projects, for enhanced production efficiency. We further ensure quality and consistency by performing our fixturing in-house.

Welding 101

Welding is a process by which two or more pieces of metal are joined to create one part. The process uses heat or pressure to melt the component pieces, usually with the use of filler material to help hold the pieces together. The consumable filler material can be homogeneous with a material composition similar to the base material, or heterogeneous, which uses filler with a different material composition from the base.

Welding Processes

There are a wide variety of processes, each of which uses different materials, equipment, and procedures to join parts together. Depending on the type of material being welded and the intended final product, a different process may be used.

Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW/MIG)

Gas metal arc welding uses an electric arc formed between a consumable MIG wire electrode and the base metal of the workpiece to melt and join the metal. The process can be divided into two subcategories:

  • Metal inert gas welding, which uses inert gases to protect the weld from active atmospheric gases that can interact with the metals and damage the weld.
  • Metal active gas welding, which uses active gases to enhance the power and depth of the arc weld.

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW/TIG)

Gas tungsten arc welding uses a similar process to GMAW welding, except that the electrode used to create the arc is composed of non-consumable tungsten. GTAW is an inert gas welding process, as it uses inert gases to protect the weld.  GTAW welding can be divided into three separate processes: 

  • Autogenous orbital welding, in which the filling material is provided by melting the base material, and there may be no need for additional filler. Often, if filler is used, it is composed of the same material as the workpiece.
  • Wire feed orbital welding, which uses a computerized system to rotate the arc mechanically, and a wire feed provides the filler material.
  • Manual welding, which uses manual labor to produce a consistent arc length between the electrode and the workpiece to complete the weld.

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW/Stick Welding)

Shielded metal arc welding, or stick welding, is a manual process that uses a consumable electrode shielded by a metal cover. The cover melts along with the electrode, thereby protecting the weld material from active gases in the surrounding environment.

Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)

Plasma arc, like GTAW, uses a non-consumable electrode, often composed of sintered tungsten within a copper nozzle. The nozzle tip is extremely narrow, constricting the arc and plasma gas into a highly concentrated flow of heat, which melts the base metal to create the weld. 

Resistance Spot Welding

Spot welding uses pressure as well as heat to join two metal surfaces. The process uses two copper electrodes, one on either side of the base metal surface. Electrical current flows through the electrodes, generating heat which melts the metal components together. Since this process requires that electrodes be used on both sides of the material, it is typically used on sheet metal, which is thin enough for the electrodes to generate sufficient current to heat the intervening material.

Materials We Work With

At Woolf Aircraft Products Inc., we produce quality welds on even the most durable and hard metals. Materials that we work with include: 

  • Steel
  • Stainless steel
  • Aluminum
  • Inconel
  • Titanium
  • Brass
  • Copper
  • Copper-nickel
  • Alloy 40 (21Cr-6Ni-9Mn stainless steel)
  • Hastelloy

Additional Services

In addition to our quality welding, we are pleased to offer a wide range of metal fabrication services, including: 

  • Boring
  • Brazing
  • Forming
  • Machining
  • Milling
  • Shearing
  • Grinding
  • Mechanical assembly
  • Part marking
  • T-Drill pullout
  • CNC machining

Contact Woolf Aircraft for Welding Services

For more than 45 years, Woolf Aircraft Products Inc. has been providing superior metal fabricated tubes in a wide range of materials and designs for customers around the world. Our tube assemblies have been used for medium to heavy trucks, turbine engines, aircraft components, tract military vehicles, and many other specialized vehicles. We can produce tubes up to 8 in. diameter with production capacity anywhere from 1 to 40,000 pieces. 

To learn more about our wide range of metal tube products and services, contact us today.

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