A method for stripping a rod-shaped conductor using laser radiation is provided. The rod-shaped conductor includes an electrically conductive core and a coating that is at least partially transparent to the laser radiation. The method includes traversing the conductor for a first time with at least one laser beam to at least partially reduce transparency of the coating, and traversing the conductor for a second time with the at least one laser beam to at least partially reduce adhesion of the coating.

Disclosed is method and device for forming an electrode plate. The method includes: performing tab cutting on a substrate so that the substrate forms a body portion, an edge portion connecting to the body portion, and a plurality of tabs that connect to the body portion but are separated from the edge portion; and performing edge portion cutting on the substrate to separate the edge portion from the body portion. The electrode plate is formed in two steps. First, the tab and the edge portion are separated, so that in the process of cutting, impact of vibration of the edge portion on the tab is small, greatly reducing the risk of deformation of the tab caused by vibration of the edge portion and damage to the tab caused by being pulled by the edge portion. Second, edge portion cutting separates the edge portion from the body portion.

A method of diffusion bonding metal or metal alloy containing workpieces, comprises (a) coating the bonding surfaces of the metal or metal alloy containing workpieces with a layer of a coating material, (b) abrading the coated bonding surfaces to remove surface oxide, the coating material being in liquid form, (c) removing excess coating material or excess abraded metal or metal alloy containing workpiece material from the coated bonding surfaces, and (d) diffusion bonding the coated bonding surfaces of the metal or metal alloy containing workpieces together. The coating material is operable to form a stable barrier on the bonding surfaces of the metal or metal alloy containing workpieces under ambient conditions, and evaporates from the bonding surfaces under diffusion bonding conditions. There is also a bonded workpiece formed using the method of diffusion bonding metal or metal alloy containing workpieces.

A tool for friction bit joining a workpiece material includes a bit with a tapered pin and a non-cutting tip. The bit has a top surface opposite the pin with at least one feature recessed in, or extending from, the top surface and configured to transmit torque to the bit to rotate the bit around a rotational axis.

An aluminum alloy brazing sheet may include a sacrificial material having a function of a brazing material on at least one surface of a core material, wherein the sacrificial material has a composition containing: in a mass %, 2% to 5% of Si; 3% to 5% of Zn; and an Al balance with inevitable impurities the core material is made of an Al—Mn-based alloy, an in the core material before brazing, Al—Mn based secondary particles having an equivalent circle diameter of 100 to 400 nm are distributed with a number density of 0.3 to 5 particles/μm.sup.2.

Described herein is an aluminium alloy multi-layered brazing sheet product for brazing in an inert-gas atmosphere without a flux that includes a core layer made of a 3xxx alloy that includes <0.2 wt.% Mg, and that provides a covering clad layer that includes 2-6 wt.% Si on one or both sides of said 3xxx alloy core layer and a Al—Si brazing clad layer that includes 7-13 wt.% Si positioned between the 3xxx alloy core layer and the covering clad layer, wherein the covering clad layer has a thickness X.sub.1 and the Al—Si brazing clad layer has a thickness X.sub.2 and wherein X.sub.2 ≥ 2X.sub.1. Also described herein is the use of an aluminium alloy multi-layered brazing sheet product in a flux-free controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) operation to produce a heat exchanger apparatus.

A friction stir spot welding apparatus includes a pin member formed in a solid cylindrical shape, a shoulder member formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, the pin member being inserted in the shoulder member, a rotary actuator that rotates the pin member and the shoulder member on an axis that is in agreement with an axial center of the pin member, and a linear actuator that linearly moves each of the pin member and the shoulder member along the axis. A tip-end part of the shoulder member is formed in a tapered shape.

In an embodiment, a method of forming a cooling plate, comprises laser welding a plurality of weld lines to physically connect a first substrate and a second substrate wherein the plurality of weld lines forms an inflatable track; and inflating the inflatable track with an inflation fluid to form a cooling channel in the cooling plate. In another embodiment, the cooling plate can comprise a first substrate and a second substrate and a plurality of weld lines can form a fluid tight seal for a cooling channel located therebetween.

The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a part comprising a formation of successive solid metal layers (201 . . . 20n) that are stacked on top of one another, each layer describing a pattern defined using a numerical model (M), each layer being formed by the deposition of a metal (25), referred to as solder, the solder being subjected to an input of energy so as to start to melt and to constitute, by solidifying, said layer, wherein the solder takes the form of a powder (25), the exposure of which to an energy beam (32) results in melting followed by solidification so as to form a solid layer (201 . . . 20n). The process is characterized in that the solder (25) is an aluminum alloy comprising at least the following alloy elements: —Fe, in a weight fraction of from 1 to 3.7%, preferably from 1 to 3.6%; —Zr and/or Hf and/or Er and/or Sc and/or Ti, in a weight fraction of from 0.5 to 4%, preferably from 1 to 4%, more preferably from 1.5 to 3.5%, even more preferably from 1.5 to 2% each, and in a weight fraction of less than or equal to 4%, preferably less than or equal to 3%, more preferably less than or equal to 2% in total; —Si, in a weight fraction of from 0 to 4%, preferably from 0.5 to 3%; —V, in a weight fraction of from 0 to 4%, preferably from 0.5 to 3%. The invention also relates to a part obtained by this process. The alloy used in the additive manufacturing process according to the invention makes it possible to obtain parts having remarkable features.

A heat transfer unit for a motor vehicle may include a metallic heat transfer block and a base plate. The heat transfer block may include channels that are configured to be flowed through. The base plate may include an outer region and a material bonding region. The base plate may be exposed towards the outside and may be materially bonded to the heat transfer block in the material bonding region. The base plate may be formed out of an aluminium, an aluminium alloy, or a wrought aluminium alloy. The outer region of the base plate may comprise a protective coating produced by anodising at least in regions, and the material bonding region of the base plate may not have a protective coating produced by anodising.