Fun Facts About Welding That You Probably Didn’t Know

There are many different job opportunities in the field of welding and each one incorporates technology and manufacturing. There are also many levels of welding certification, with varying focuses and concentrations. It’s an ancient skill and one of the few remaining hands-on careers for men and women who appreciate the art of welding.

The Old – and New – Technology of Welding

Whether you are a welder yourself or you know someone who is, here are some fun facts about welding that you probably have never heard before.

• People often complain about machines taking over human jobs in today’s industry. However, this dates back as far as the early 1960s. General Motors utilized the first robot in an industrial setting in 1961. Named “Unimate,” a motorized arm performed welding jobs on command.
• NASCAR fans might be surprised to learn that as many as 950 man hours are spent on welding and building each race car before it makes it out onto the track.
• There are a number of different welding processes rather than just one basic concept. Explosion welding is one of these and it involves joining all kinds of metals together; even ones that typically are not connectable.
• Russian cosmonauts attempted to weld in outer space back in 1969. Today, welding is used for countless projects involving the International Space Station.
• The term “fume plume” is the smoke, or flume that rises from the materials being welded together.
• Boasting about our country, President Roosevelt was proud of the welding developments during his term. He wrote a letter to Prime Minister Winston Churchill explaining how beneficial welding was when it came to building ships in record time!
• Ultrasonic welding is a friction-based welding process that utilizes acoustic sounds to create energy. Plastic pieces then vibrate together and are bonded. The first plastic bodied car was created using this process. This type of vehicle wasn’t a great success but the process still is used today.
• Over half of the products created in the United States require the process of welding in order to be completed.  Whether it’s something small like a cell phone or something large like a motor vehicle, welding is everywhere that you look.
• Welding happens on a universal level as well. Two pieces of metal in space can touch and instantly become bonded together permanently. This doesn’t happen on Earth because of the atmosphere creating an oxidized layer between each surface of the metal.

Welding began as a very basic process, but over time has evolved, just like many other forms of technology. Now, utilizing robotics and welding has streamlined the manufacturing process for many products.