NEW SUB-CON FRICTION WELDING SERVICE DOWN UNDER

By Thompson Friction Welding
schedule29th Jun 14

Midlands friction welding specialist Thompson is helping pioneer a new sub-contract service for repairing earth moving equipment parts in Australia.

The company has supplied Queensland-based Friction Welding Australia with a friction welding machine as part of a new venture launched by experienced business partners Norm Johnson and Fay Vogelzang.

They have invested £1.4m (2.5m AU$) in the dedicated facility at its long-established manufacturing firm, Nordon Cylinders, and created three new jobs at the Brendale operation.

Senator Bob Baldwin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, officially launched the service at a special open day attended by guests including representatives from the British Government and Thompson.

The Thompson PR5H machine will mainly be used to friction weld hydraulic cylinders up to 105 mm in diameter, although it has been equipped with an extended back stop and tie bars in order to join a wider range of components.

FWA’s sub-contract service is the first in the country to use the friction welding technique for repairing hydraulic cylinders as an alternative to the traditional MIG welding method.

FWA has employed two friction welding engineers to run an afternoon and evening shift operation and appointed a business development manager to market the new facility.

“Using the friction welding process means hydraulic cylinders can be brought back to OEM specification. It not only achieves high accuracy, crack free welds, which are computer certified to ensure strength and provide traceability, but it’s also environment-friendly because it requires no gases or welding consumables,” explained director Fay Vogelzang.

“We couldn’t have asked for a more helpful sales and technical support team and we’ve been impressed by their thoroughness and the quality of the machine,” she stated.

The company’s future plans include expanding the service to offer friction welding of other components including drive shafts and drill rods.

Craig O’Kane, head of investment at UKTI Queensland, said UK Trade & Investment was delighted to have been able to help Thompson forge a successful partnership with Friction Welding Australia.

“It's companies like Thompson which prove that the UK remains a global force in advanced manufacturing,” he added.

More details on FWA and Thompson Friction Welding can be found online respectively at www.frictionweldingaustralia.co and www.thompson-friction-welding.com.


Photo caption (l to r): FWA director Fay Vogelzang, electorate officer Cathy Tonks, Craig O’Kane, head of investment UKTI Queensland, Rob Stevens, TFW Asia sales manager, Bob Baldwin MP, Peter Lovegrove TFW managing director and FWA director Norm Johnson.