MADE IN MILWAUKEE: AMERICAN FRICTION WELDING

Automation drives growth at American Friction Welding

SOME CONSIDER friction welding to be the “black magic” of the welding world – at least that’s how those unfamiliar with the process view it, said Casey Fischer, general manager of American Friction Welding.

“You’re just going to spin a part together, place it to another part and expect a full surface bond?” Fischer said. “It’s a funny concept if you think about it.”

American Friction Welding is a bi-metal friction welder of nearnet-shape parts for original equipment manufacturers in a variety of industries including agriculture, automotive, construction, food, medical and more.

The Waukesha-based manufacturer recently moved into a new 63,000-square-foot facility and has experienced growth during the COVID-19 pandemic with plans to hire up to 13 more employees, said John Fischer, Casey Fischer’s father and AFW president.

While Casey Fischer’s layman’s explanation offers the gist of it, friction welding is a fairly complex process that comes with a learning curve, especially for people who haven’t experienced the benefits of a friction-welded component.

In the friction welding industry, growth doesn’t just come from being an expert in the trade; you have to be an expert educator too. John Fischer said there are many customers out there whose products would be better constructed with friction welding, if only they knew how it works.

“That’s the main barrier from us getting customers,” Casey Fischer said. “A lot of people don’t know what friction welding is and that’s why we’re growing our online page to become an educational resource.”

Friction welding involves adjoining two metal objects through rotational motion and the forging pressure that is applied to each object. Friction works to generate a narrow zone of high temperature, transforming the point of contact, known as the “weld interface,” into a plasticized state. The weld interface is subjected to tremendous amounts of pressure, which help forge a metallic bond between the atoms of each object.

The key is that an object’s overall molecular integrity remains intact because that heat-affected zone is so narrow. Friction welding also creates a complete cross-sectional bond without using fluxes and filler metals associated with conventional welding.

The process also allows for dissimilar metals to be welded together with greater ease, John Fischer said, adding that the weldment will be as strong as the parent material.

AFW has also found growth in its ability to make both very small and large components; the company is one of the largest subcontract friction welders in the United States, John Fischer said.

AFW has 14 friction welding machines, two of which are automated. In fact, the company says the basis for its growth has been automation, which is why AFW plans to roll out a third automated cell in the coming months. The manufacturer also recently purchased an adjacent property, allowing AFW the capacity to double its footprint in the future.

With skyrocketing prices for certain metals during the pandemic, some manufacturers have sent product overseas to be machined down into smaller-sized components. However, AFW has seen customers return to the U.S. for friction-welded near-net-shape manufacturing, which is a process involving smaller parts being welded together to form a larger part.

That’s a big deal for a company’s cost structure because less material is being used to create the component, Casey Fischer said.

Although AFW has competitors in the United States with similar welding capabilities, the competition would prefer to develop a weld and sell the machine to customers, Casey Fischer said.

“We are here to develop the weld together and to come up with a way to streamline production efficiency,” Casey Fischer said. “We want to make sure we’re bringing down cost and becoming a long-term solution for customers.” n

American Friction Welding general manager Casey Fischer loads a component into an automated cell.

AMERICAN FRICTION WELDING

505 Northview Road, Waukesha

INDUSTRY: Friction welding EMPLOYEES: 28 Teamafw.com

BRANDON ANDEREGG

Reporter

P / 414-336-7144 E / brandon.anderegg@biztimes.com T / @bandereggmke

10 YEARS MISDIAGNOSED

Kelsey Gumm was just a few weeks into Navy boot camp training, when she first passed out, She woke up in the back of an ambulance and doctors sent her on her way, after telling her she had overexerted herself and was dehydrated. These episodes continued over the next ten years. But in 2014, Kelsey experienced an intense blackout. She couldn ’t feel her arms and legs and a colleague commented on how gray she looked.

The nurse practitioner decided to put in a cardiology consult. After two echocardiograms and an EKG, the cardiologist turned to her and said: “Petty Officer Gumm, I don ’t know how to tell you this, but your career in the Navy is over ” and went on to explain that she has a rare heart condition called left ventricular non-compaction. All of the fainting that she ’d been experiencing was ventricular tachycardia, irregular heart rhythms that could have killed her.

Within a month of that doctor ’ s visit, Kelsey was medically retired from life in the Navy and had to learn to live with her new normal: life with heart disease. Since then, Kelsey has had a pacemaker and defibrillator implanted in her chest, visits with her cardiologist regularly, and has found a new passion in biking.

Kelsey says: "with the help of the American Heart Association, I have learned to live my life and not let heart disease hold me back. " She loves sharing her story and encouraging other women to be an advocate for their health. When asked if she would go through all of this again, Kelsey's response is: "in a minute, if I knew that it was going to bring me to this point. "

FIGHT STRESS WITH

HEALTHY HABITS

1. Slow down.

Plan ahead and allow enough time to get the most important things done without having to rush. 2. Snooze more.

Try to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. To fight insomnia, add mindfulness and activity. 3. Let worry go.

The world won't end if a few things fall off of your plate. Give yourself a break and just breathe. 4. Laugh it up.

Laughter makes us feel good. Don't be afraid to laugh out loud, even when you're alone. 5. Get connected.

A daily dose of friendship is great medicine. Make time to call friends or family so you can catch up. 6. Get organized.

Use "to do" lists to help you focus on your most important tasks and take big projects one step at a time. 7. Practice giving back.

Volunteer your time or spend time helping out a friend. Helping others helps you. 8. Be active every day.

Exercise can relieve mental and physical tension. Find something you think is fun and stick with it. 9. Give up the bad habits.

Too much alcohol, tobacco or caffeine can increase blood pressure. Cut back or quit to decrease anxiety. 10. Lean into things you can change.

Make time to learn a new skill, work toward a goal, or to love and help others.