|
Demands for improved productivity, efficiency, and quality pose challenges to the welding
industry. As materials become ever more sophisticated in their chemical composition to provide
ever-better functionally specific properties, a more complete and precise understanding of how
such materials can be joined for optimal effectiveness and efficiency will become essential.
Traditional options for welding will surely evolve, sometimes to provide unimagined capabilities.
In addition, totally new methods will almost certainly emerge as evolution of materials gives way
to revolution to meet unimagined new designs and design demands. The paper considers process systematization and corresponding advances of constituent technologies, discusses some of the role and future direction of welding technology, welding materials, productivity and efficiency, education and safety having an impact on future growth in welding technology. Analysis of drivers and the key needs of some manufacturing industries have been researched, giving general trends and strong indications as to expected trends in technology that will be seen in the future. It also provides a good foundation for future research and creates awareness of the developmental direction of welding processes and materials in manufacturing industries. |
full paper (pdf, 288 Kb)