Aerospace

Welding of Aluminum Coolant Flanges

The Challenge

Recently, a leading designer and manufacturer for the military and aerospace industries approached HPS to request our fabrication and aluminum welding expertise in helping weld their aluminum cooling flanges.

Our client, a globally recognized pioneer in laser technology and electro-optical sensors, had state-of-the-art laser and electro-optical systems that required large amounts of cooling. They provided us with a custom machined 6061 aluminum cooling flange with 37° aluminum VCR flare fittings, and asked us to weld them together.

The Strategy

With over 30 years specializing in specialty welding, HPS knew the best way to tackle the job. Referring to a customer-supplied drawing, HPS used precipitation hardened alloy 6061 aluminum and ER5356 filler to weld the fitting to the client’s exact specifications and all associated standards.

When welding aluminum, helium leak testing can be an arduous challenge. If not done correctly, aluminum’s porous nature can lead to warpage and damage the fittings. To combat these concerns, HPS performed in-process tests and QA/QC inspections throughout the procedure including: a helium leak check, argon pressure test, and flatness check / horizontal plane to ensure the fitting met all of the client’s expectations.

The part was only 3” x 4” overall, with flange face flatness held within an extremely tight tolerance of 0.002”. The highly critical dimensional tolerances were achieved through the use of extremely talented craftsmen, and the proper type of welding equipment, which is recognized for its superior arc-shaping capabilities. Upon final completion, the flange received a full Helium Leak check test. HPS turned this special project around for our client within one week.

The Result

Operating in the aerospace industry, precision is critical. Based on their previous work with HPS and knowledge of our broad range of custom welding capabilities, the customer trusted us to carefully weld the fittings, minimize distortion, and lower the porosity level to a leak-tight fit.

HPS’ industry expertise and strong collaboration with the client led to a quick and precise execution of the project. With our extensive track record and expertise in a wide variety of techniques, the client knew they were in good hands. The customer called and High Purity Systems delivered!

Interested in a collaboration with High Purity Systems? Contact us now.

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Our team installed process supply lines for liquid nitrogen, gaseous nitrogen, compressed dry air, ammonia, dilute silane, hydrogen, and a chilled water loop. All of these lines supported and connected the MOCVD tool, a Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) system, silane, ammonia and nitrogen cabinets, a portable chiller, and the hydrogen bank that was located outside.

HPS used orbital welding equipment to install the single wall stainless steel tubing (Coaxial) for non-hazardous gases and double containment stainless steel tubing for highly combustible and hazardous gases. The tubing ranged from ¼” OD to ½” OD. Each line was pressure tested prior to completion. Once completed, our team had a third-party QA/QC validate the system’s analytical counts for turnover to the customer.

The Result

As with every job HPS tackles, our sincere dedication to quality and complete customer satisfaction on this project was unparalleled. Every weld was completed to American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B31.3 and semiconductor standards for weld oxidation limits and weld profile.

Once the project was complete, the customer was excited to use their finished laboratory. They appreciated High Purity Systems’ drive to deliver valuable guidance during project development, provide quick solutions to on-site challenges, and overcome unanticipated issues.