[Applied Cryogenics]

What is Cryogenic Treatment?

[Industries]

          Tools

          Auto parts

          Non-Ferrous

          Plastic Industry

          [Welding]

          Firearms

What can you expect?

Why ACI?

Industries - Welding Electrodes and Contacts

* Increased Life in Welding Electrodes
* Wire Feed Contacts Last Longer
 

One of the surprising things about cryogenic processing is that it affects non-ferrous metals. Conventional wisdom says that only ferrous metals should be improved by cryogenics. But this is not true. We know from experience that resistance welding electrodes last two to four times longer after cryogenic processing. Wire guides and contacts also last longer.

The typical mode of failure for welding electrodes is thermal cyclic fatigue. The part is heated and cooled many times which causes cracks to form. The cracks then propagate and the surface starts to collapse. This changes the surface area which throws off the welding parameters and the part starts to fail rapidly. Cryogenic processing delays the initial cracking and reduces the resistivity of the part. The increased life reduces welding costs and increases profits. It also improves the quality of the weld.

Resistance Welding Electrodes
Weldments
MIG wire guides
MIG Nozzles

Cryogenic processing has uses in weldments and in welding. Weldments often contain residual stresses, and cryogenics will release those stresses. Weldments will not distort as much during use.

Resistance welding electrodes

Cryogenically treated resistance welding electrodes will last about 3 to six times longer than untreated electrodes. The mode of failure for the electrodes is thermal cyclic fatigue, hastened by the pressure put on the electrode. The electrode end starts to mushroom, and then the weld parameters go out of specification. Cryogenic processing can greatly delay this. Auto makers use these electrodes by the thousands.
 

Other uses in the welding industry are wire guides for wire welding machines and nozzles used on wire feed welders. These nozzles build up ash and weld spatter. The spatter and ash do not stick as readily when the parts are cryogenically treated.

Electrical contacts also benefit from cryogenic. They can carry more current, and lose less live on make or break. Relays and circuit breakers are prime beneficiaries to this technology.