How is friction stir welding done?

Friction stir welding (FSW) consists in assembling two parts by bringing them to a pasty state thanks to a rotating pin, in particular thanks to a robot or a FSW head for CNC.
Specifically, the rotating tool is pressed into the material until the shoulder touches the surface of the material being welded. The friction allows the material to be heated locally to a temperature sufficient to make it easily malleable without melting. The tool can then advance over the parts to be welded. The material flows from the front to the back of the tool to form the welded joint.
To learn more, see our videos on friction stir welding technology.