LIFT Partners with Ohio Startup Applied Impulse Inc. to Showcase Innovative Welding Technology

New welding system helps meet the need for stronger and lighter manufacturing practices at LIFT

DETROIT – LIFT, the Detroit-based Department of Defense-supported national manufacturing innovation institute, today announced it has partnered with Applied Impulse Inc. (Aii) to place a revolutionary “impact welding” system at the institute’s Detroit facility for project work and demonstrations.

The innovative system, developed by Aii, a LIFT member based in Columbus, resulted from decades of research and development at The Ohio State University’s college of Materials Science and Engineering. It employs a new method of welding dissimilar alloys while generating little to no heat, eliminating any “heat-affected zone”, unlike traditional joining methods such as welding by melting.

“One of the biggest challenges in manufacturing, specifically around lightweighting, is joining dissimilar materials, such as aluminum and steel,” said Dr. Glenn Daehn, CEO of Applied Impulse. “From a technical point of view, we believe impact welding is  usually the absolute best

way to join dissimilar metals because the  bond created that is as strong as the base metals and has none of the issues associated with heating

and melting, such as softening, intermetallic formation and thermal distortion.”

The joining system uses high voltage to vaporize a thin foil which creates a gas that propels one material into the target material at a very high velocity, joining the materials upon impact. The new joint meets or exceeds the strength of both base materials, resulting in a very high integrity joint.

“Joining dissimilar materials has been a challenge for decades as manufacturers, particularly automakers, have tried to lightweight their vehicles,” said Hadrian Rori, Chief Technology Officer, LIFT. “We are thrilled to have this multi-material joining system in our facility as we continue to explore smarter ways to manufacture cars, trucks, airplanes with stronger and lighter materials.”

Along with multi-material joining, LIFT’s technology focus areas include Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) and Computational Engineering; Advanced Alloy and Process Development, and; Applications of Additive, Metamorphic and Future Manufacturing.

LIFT is a public private partnership between government, industry and academia focused on technology and talent development in support of the U.S. industrial and defense manufacturing bases.

“Our mission is to drive American manufacturing into the future by connecting materials, processes and systems to showcase the future of manufacturing,” said Nigel Francis, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, LIFT. “Small companies like Applied Impulse, and its unique technology, are at the center of that future and we are proud to partner with them to showcase it.”

ABOUT LIFT

LIFT, operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is the Detroit-based, public-private partnership between the Department of Defense, industry and academia, committed to the development and deployment of advanced manufacturing technologies, and implementing talent development initiatives to better prepare the workforce today and in the future. LIFT funded in part by the Department of Defense with management through the Office of Naval Research. Visit www.lift.technology or follow on LinkedIn at LIFT or on Twitter @NewsFromLIFT to learn more.

 ABOUT APPLIED IMPULSE INC.
Applied Impulse, Inc. (Aii) is an Ohio corporation, located in Columbus, formed to commercialize the impulse manufacturing IP portfolio of The Ohio State University. For additional information on Aii’s novel joining technologies, find us at appliedimpulseinc.com.