Spinning out welding

Delphi Technologies, a

subsidiary, has started a new welding company called

to commercialise

Deformation Resistance Welding (DRW) technology.

Initially, SpaceForm will seek OEM and Tiered supplier development contracts to confirm, design, prototype and validate DRW for a wide range of mobile applications.

"The key benefits of DRW go well beyond the innovative resistance weld itself. The ability to weld tubes and other configurations and dissimilar materials enables designers to create totally new structural approaches,” said Tim Forbes, director, new markets, commercialisation and licensing for Delphi.

The process creates atomically bonded joints through the heating and deformation of the mating surfaces. With DRW, tubes may be joined with other tubes, sheets or solids in a rapid and highly automated fashion. DRW forms near instantaneous, full strength welds.

DRW also allows the use of dissimilar materials to optimise cost and performance. It can create leak-tight joints with uniform circumferential weld strength and can be applied to tubular structures and hydro forms used in space frames for automobiles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, bicycles, and wheelchairs.

Delphi’s most recent decision to spin-out SpaceForm is the latest step in its efforts to commercialise and license internally developed technologies.