Stud welding finds favor among many manufacturers and metalworkers. It “welds” by employing fasteners aka weld studs. These come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and designs. They are also available in different materials. Besides steel fasteners, another common type is aluminum weld studs.
Using Aluminum Studs
Stud welding is capable of utilizing any metal in the process. Steel is a common material. However, many welders prefer to use aluminum. They find that aluminum weld studs are a good match for two specific metals. These are:
1. Aluminum
2. Zinc alloys
However, it is important to realize first the difficulties using aluminum studs presents to a stud welder – or any welder for that matter. Some metalworkers and fabricators are reluctant to tackle aluminum as a base or a fastener in stud welding for one of two reasons:
1. Thermally conductive
2. Electrically conductive
To help overcome the issues in using aluminum, some stud welders opt for capacitor discharge (CD) stud welding over drawn arc stud welding. However, both are possible providing proper pre welding work – including a thorough cleaning, occurs. The selection or preference of one method to another depends upon the application. CD stud welding is best for welding fasteners of a small diameter to emaciated metal. It is popular in sheet metal shops. Arc stud welding is optimally suited for medium to large diameter studs. It is more common in shops specializing in the fabrication of structural steel and other metals.
Aluminum Stud Welds
Stud welding is a fast, one-step system in which fasteners (studs) are applied to a base. The weld studs come in diverse sizes, shapes, designs, and material. Studs and bases need not be identical. Steel upon steel is one common match. Although providing more challenges, another popular option is aluminum stud welds. When combines with an aluminum base, this becomes an ideal match.