Pulse Welding Arrives

Byline: Tom Murphy

After years of engineering, testing and pitching its proprietary magnetic pulse welding manufacturing process for joining dissimilar metals, Dana Corp. appears to have a high-volume customer.

The Toledo-based supplier plans to use the innovative spark-free welding method to produce a driveshaft for a high-volume light truck produced in the U.S. by one of the "Big Six" auto makers in 2006 for an '07 model. Dana and the OEM customer are close to finalizing the purchase order.

Assuming that program launches successfully, Dana expects other auto makers will want the technology for their driveshaft programs as well.

"They'll see the advantage of the application, and of course other competitors will take their stab at the technology or some alternative to it," says Mike Laisure, president of Dana's Automotive Systems Group, as the supplier dedicates a new technology center in Maumee, OH. "It won't just be a little pet project on the side."

Driveshafts traditionally are arc-welded - a hot, messy and potentially dangerous process. The added weight from the welds at each end of the shaft can cause "distortion." To prevent noise and vibration problems when the driveshaft spins, manufacturers such as Dana have to weld on counterweights for balance.

Magnetic pulse welding minimizes the need for counterweights because it ensures much more consistent joints through a super-tight molecular bond. The process requires no heat or welding wire, it minimizes scrap and it's clean and distortion-free.

"We could get to the point where the driveshaft is balanced in the manufacturing process, and we don't even need the extra equipment to spin them and balance them," Laisure says.

The technology's most significant attribute, however, is that it allows different metals to be joined - a feat not possible with arc welding. As a result, most driveshafts are made of welded steel components, even though steel is not necessary throughout the entire shaft.

Dana intends to build driveshafts by using magnetic pulse welding to join aluminum and steel components. The supplier estimates this first contract will result in weight savings of about 25% for the driveshaft.

Auto makers are eager to shave vehicle weight as they wrestle with federal fuel economy requirements, especially for bulky V-8-powered pickups and SUVs.

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