IIW White Paper

9 Needs and challenges of major industry sectors for future applications

This is a scope of work connected with additional costs compared with the manufacture of non-joined components or products. This must be compensated for by advantages: Material savings Weight saving More suitable design Great flexibility in the fabrication Conservation of resources In spite of the described peculiarities, development is heading towards the integration of the joining processes into the fabrication chains in such a way that they do not impair the fabrication sequences. This not only leads to shorter throughput times but also sets stringent requirements on the reliability and cleanliness of the joining processes and of the tests connected with them. Production using joining technology and safety at work Joining technology utilises materials fromwhich very specific hazards to the employees and the environment may originate if safety at work and appropriate health protection measures are not observed ( see Chapter 6.2 ). When gas torches, arcs and laser and electron beams are used, provision must be made for corresponding radiation, eye and heat protection. Extraction and room venting units with suitable filters must be utilised against any arising fumes, dusts and gases and vapours harmful to health. In some cases, new knowledge also leads to the prohibition of the utilisation of certain filler materials, such as the use of solders containing lead. If welding technology is used for the processing of materials with alloying elements harmful to health, provision may have to be made for particular protective measures for the welders and the operators in order to comply with the recommended limiting values, e.g. of certain manganese, nickel or chromium compounds in fumes and dusts. Suitable devices, facilities and protective clothing must be not only available but also used. Moreover, the hazard potential of a few joining processes themselves is occasionally underestimated and this results in fires. Production using joining technology and simulation In order to be able to integrate joining processes into fabrication chains quickly and reliably, their complete simulation is desirable. There is still a considerable need for development here. For this purpose, particular interest centres not only on the simulation of the processes but also on their results because cost-intensive and time-consuming tests can be saved in this way. To this end however, significance is attached to the exact physical knowledge of the processes as well as to the behaviour of the materials during their processing. When simulation tools are considered, the results portrayed can frequently be optimised even further because boundary conditions are taken into account to an insufficient extent. In the simulation and modelling fields, the representation of reality using digital tools today, sometimes still necessitates hardware requirements which are not available to a lot of users. For joining technology, non-optimum models and a lack of model parameters today sometimes still result in inaccuracies in the modelling and these cannot be tolerated. In part, these are multiplied in such a way that generated modelling operations cannot be utilised for joining technology. Moreover, data exchange is It must be borne in mind that safety measures apply to building sites as well and not just to the fabrication in factory workshops. At IIW, Commission VIII is not only intensively concerned with the complex range of subjects but is also ensuring that demands or complaints are not exaggerated.

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Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies

Improving Global Quality of Life