A double-head double-sided high-efficiency friction stir welding device includes a base (1), a pair of columns (2) arranged on the base (1), an upper beam (3), at least one worktable connected with a horizontal surface of the base (1), vision sensors (7) mounted on the upper head (5) and the lower head (6) and used for identifying the weld, and a CNC controller (8) used for controlling operations of the gantry, the upper head (5), the lower head (6), the worktable and the vision sensors (7).

Provided are a long-life and inexpensive friction stir welding tool that is not dependent on the mode of friction stir welding or the type of material to be welded, and a friction stir welding method using the friction stir welding tool. The friction stir welding tool comprises a body portion having a shoulder portion, and a probe portion disposed on a bottom surface of the body portion, and is characterized in that the probe portion is spherical-crown shaped. Preferably, the shoulder portion is flat or convex, and preferably the hardness of the shoulder portion is greater than the hardness of the probe portion.

A friction stir welding tool member according to the present embodiment has a shoulder portion and a probe portion concentrically projecting from an upper surface of the shoulder portion. The shoulder portion includes a curved surface processed portion that is curved to have a curved shape on an outer peripheral edge of the shoulder portion. A space occupancy occupied by the two-dimensional space in which neither the shoulder portion nor the probe portion exists is in a range of 30% to 70%, the space occupancy being determined based on a projection drawing of a side surface region surrounded from a tip of the probe portion to the curved surface processed portion of the shoulder portion.

A friction stir processing system can include a rotatable die assembly. The rotatable die assembly can include a die body and a plurality of die segments. The die body includes a die base and a die stem. The die stem extends axially from the die base, the die stem defines an extrusion cavity, and the die body is formed from a first material. The plurality of die stems are coupled to the die stem. The plurality of die segments are disposed around the extrusion cavity to collectively form a die surface opposite to the die base. The plurality of die segments are formed from a different material than the die body.

A friction stir spot welding method according to one aspect of the present invention includes: performing a plunging process of moving a shoulder (28) toward a second workpiece (102) from a first workpiece (101) side while rotating a rotary tool to plunge the shoulder into the first and second workpieces; and performing a backfilling process of pushing stirred materials that have flowed into an inside of the shoulder in the plunging process out of the shoulder and backfilling a plunging hole with the stirred materials, the plunging hole being formed by the plunging of the shoulder. In the plunging process, the shoulder is plunged to a position that is shifted from a boundary between the first workpiece and the second workpiece to the second workpiece side by 1 mm or more, such that a component of a protective layer (104) is concentrated in a central portion of a stirred portion (105) when the backfilling process is completed.

The present invention includes: a preparation step in which a stepped portion including step bottom and step side surfaces is formed along an inner circumferential edge of a jacket body; a placing step in which a sealing body is placed on the jacket body forming first and second butted sections; and a main joining step in which friction stir welding is performed by moving a rotary tool along the first butted section, while only a stirring pin of the rotary tool is in contact with only the sealing body. During friction stir welding, a central axis of rotation of the rotary tool is tilted towards a central side of the jacket body so that the angle of tilt with respect to the step side surface is equal to the angle of inclination of an outer circumferential surface of the stirring pin with respect to the central axis of rotation.

A head piece and a welding tool, in particular an FSW tool, equipped therewith, and a welding method. The head piece has a through-opening for a plasticizing welding means, in particular a rotating welding pin. The head piece also has a profiled end face which faces the workpiece during welding and has end face regions of different heights and a sloping shoulder, which conducts the plasticized material of the workpiece and connects the end face regions.

A primary joining rotary tool F comprises a stirring pin F2including a circumferential face tapers to become thinner toward a tip portion of the stirring pin, a flat face F3 at the tip portion of the stirring pin F2 and a projecting portion F4 projecting from the flat face F3. Friction-stirring is performed in the primary joining process by inserting the stirring pin F2 that is rotating into an abutted portion J1 in a manner that only the stirring pin F2 is in contact with the base member 2 and the lid plate 5 with the flat face F3 being in contact with the base member 2 and the lid plate 5 and with a tip face F5 of the projecting portion F4 being in contact only with the base member 2.

The present invention is characterized by including a primary joining process to perform friction stirring to a first butted portion by moving a stirring pin one round around a sealing body with a predetermined depth along a set moving route set at an inner position relative to an outer peripheral side face in a state that only the stirring pin of a rotary tool being rotated is inserted into the sealing body and that an outer face of the stirring pin is slightly in contact with a step side face of a peripheral wall step portion. In the primary joining process, after only the stirring pin being rotated is inserted into a starting position set at a position on an inner side relative to the set moving route, the stirring pin is gradually inserted to the predetermined depth while an axis of the rotary tool is moved to a position on the set moving route.

An additive manufacturing system for depositing an extrudate onto a substrate comprises a deposition head. The deposition head comprises a stirring tool, rotatable about an axis of rotation AR and comprising a tool distal end and a tool proximal end, axially opposing the tool distal end along the axis of rotation AR. The stirring tool defines a bore, extending from the tool proximal end to the tool distal end. The bore is configured to receive feedstock, biased toward the tool distal end. The deposition head also comprises a die, which is positioned adjacent to the stirring tool, defines a die axis AD1, and comprises a die distal end and a die proximal end, axially opposing the die distal end along the die axis AD1. The die axis AD1 is parallel with the axis of rotation AR of the stirring tool.