Mechanised post-weld treatment of welded structures for automotive and cargo applications (MIDWEST)

Mechanised post-weld treatment of welded structures for automotive and cargo applications (MIDWEST)

Project time: 2020 – 2023

Budget: 7 800 000 kr

MIDWEST will develop mechanisation solutions for Post-weld treatment methods of welded components.

Locally applied Post-weld treatment methods (PWT) such as TIG remelting and burr-grinding are used (manually) in the manufacturing industry and have been shown to greatly improve the service life of welded structures when applied correctly. The newer HFMI (high frequency mechanical impact) method enable an even better service life improvement and also enables the use of high strength steels in fatigue-loaded components.
However, the manual handling of these PWT methods is time-consuming and requires specially trained personnel. The methods can also have a disadvantage with regard to the working environment (vibrating tools, dust and noise pollution) and have therefore hardly been implemented in the industry. For full benefit and utilization of these methods to a greater extent, full mechanisation is required in combination with reliable quality assurance of the result.
The newly launched MIDWEST project will develop and implement mechanisation solutions for PWT methods of welded components and structures. The ultimate goal is increased fatigue life, improved load capacity and product quality, productivity, reduced scrapping and a more sustainable and efficient production when these PWT methods is fully used in the Swedish automotive and transport industry. The solutions are aimed at wheel loaders and transport vehicles, loaders, forklifts and fatigue-loaded chassis components in cars.

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