Joining:
Combining sheet-metal parts

Welding involves joining parts made of the same material. The resulting seams can be sealed and are highly resilient. This means that the part created by the joining process has the same properties as if it had been made from a single piece of sheet metal. Ringele uses four welding methods:

• Manual welding: Our qualified specialists work with steel, stainless steel and aluminium.
• Robotic welding: Using automated robotic welding systems with changeover systems, we can produce vacuum-tight or decorative weld seams to a high quality standard that can be verified using x-ray technology.
• Laser welding: Laser welding is fast and works with very high energy concentrations. However, heat input into the component is comparatively low. Since this has the advantage of creating little warping or tarnishing, minimal or no reworking is required at the end.
• Spot welding: Spot welding involves heating two sheet-metal parts at specific points. Mechanical pressure causes the parts to fuse together. Heat input is high, but only at very specific points. As a result, there is little warping compared with other methods.

Stud welding involves joining stud-shaped parts to larger components. This technique increases the functionality of the component without creating a leak, as can occur with press-fitting, for example.

Press-fitting and riveting can be used to join parts – including those made of different materials. This is a particularly cost-effective joining method and increases the functionality of the component. Threaded bolts, for example, can be press-fitted.

In many areas of manufacturing, industrial bonding has taken the place of conventional joining techniques such as welding or soldering. Industrial bonding creates stable joints that can also be sealed. Moreover, bonding offers numerous advantages: The method can be used to join different materials. There is no warping or stress, so the surface and texture of the sheet-metal parts do not change. Bonding also damps vibrations and the large joint surface area ensures forces are transferred uniformly and without stress peaks. Finally, the bonded parts are electrically insulated, which prevents contact corrosion.

Our adhesive specialists ensure that the preparations and process parameters essential for the adhesive bond are precisely defined and complied with. Where necessary, we help our customers develop bondable designs and select adhesives and bonding systems

Clinching involves riveting pieces of sheet metal together without the need for rivets. It can be used to connect components made of the same material, or of different materials.