What Are Brazing and Welding, and How Do They Work?

Welder performing braze welding on wire mesh

Precision, all-metal filtration requires the use of precision tools and techniques. At Fluid Conditioning Products (FCP), our goal is simple: to design, engineer, and manufacture precision all-metal filtration that delivers the high performance that our customers require. Induction and torch brazing are a couple of techniques we utilize to manufacture all-metal fuel strainers and filters that meet—and frequently exceed—our customers’ expectations.

In today’s blog post, we’re going to cover just what brazing is, how it works, how it differs from welding, and what braze welded filtration solutions are available to you from FCP.

What is Brazing?

Brazing is a joining process traditionally applied to metals in which molten filler metal (the braze alloy) flows into the joint.

How Does the Brazing Process Work?

Brazing essentially works like this: you heat the base material of the part, as the filler alloy melts, capillary action takes over, flowing the filler metal into the narrow space between close-fitting joint parts.

As the filler metal is brought slightly above its liquidus melting point, it is guarded by a chemical cleaning and purifying agent, called a flux. The filler then flows over the base metal (also known as wetting) and is subsequently cooled to join the workpieces together.

Brazing and Welding: Is There A Difference Between Them?

While both brazing and welding are used to join metals in the fabrication process, brazing and welding differ slightly in operation. Essentially, welding is a technique of melting down a base metal, causing fusion to join metals. Brazing joins metals by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint.

What Are Some of The Different Methods of Brazing?

At FCP, we utilize some of the more common methods of brazing, highlighted below:

Manual Torch Brazing

A fuel gas flame supplies the necessary heat required to melt and flow filler metal in this method. This process is completely manual and requires low capital investment. Torch brazing involves the use of a flux, so a post-braze clean is often needed.

Induction Brazing

Brazing’s clean and rapid method uses high-frequency induction heating, which allows for tight temperature control and heat placement. We induce heat into the workpiece by an adjacent coil delivering a rapidly alternating current.

The Benefits of Brazing

welder performing braze welding

Brazing’s most significant benefit is that metal fabricators can join similar or different metals while still producing a strong joint. Let’s look at some of the other benefits of brazing:

  • Tighter, precision control
  • Not needing a post-processing heat treatment
  • Producing joints with minimal thermal distortion and residual stresses compared to welding
  • Easily adaptable for mass production
  • Lower power input and processing temperature than welding
  • Being able to join dissimilar base materials
  • Producing stronger joints than soldering

At FCP, our brazing operation is highly regarded throughout many commercial aerospace and defense industries.

Some of our customers who depend on our brazing capabilities include:

  • General Electric
  • Pratt & Whitney
  • Hawker Beechcraft
  • U.S. Dept. of Defense
  • General Dynamics
  • U.S. Gauge

What Other Welding Techniques Does FCP Perform?

We routinely perform TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding, spot welding, capacitive discharge welding, and underwater resistance welding. We can weld assemblies smaller than a dime and can handle large assemblies up to 1500 lbs.

We work with common metals such as carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and nickel alloys (Monel, Inconel, and copper-nickel). So, no matter what type of weld your project requires, we have the process technology to meet your needs.

Need Precision Brazing or Other Welding? Turn to Fluid Conditioning Products!

At FCP, we have over 36 years of brazing and welding experience. We have the resources and the know-how to handle jobs few others can. For starters, thanks to our capacitive discharge spot welding equipment, we’re able to specialize in the finesse needed to weld wire mesh.

We’re NADCAP and “SUBSAFE Level 1” qualified—some of the most exacting standards the welding industry can attain. This means we’re trained to tackle welding for the submarine industry. Have a brazing project that you’d like to have FCP tackle? Send us a request for a quote, and a representative will be in touch with you soon.

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