Sheet metal fabrication
Welding vs brazing: which is right for a metal housing?
Answer
Brazing joins two metal parts by heating the assembly together with a filler metal whose melting point is below the melting point of the parts themselves . Once the filler melts, capillary action draws it into the joint gap, so the parts are joined by a thin, continuous fillet rather than by melting the parent metal. That is what makes brazing the right process for tube and fitting assemblies. The base metal never melts, so the joint keeps the dimensional accuracy of the parts either side of it, the braze fillet is smooth, and heat distortion is small compared with welding.
Sources
- Metal Brazing Services China | Furnace & Tube BrazingBrazing joins two metal parts by heating the assembly together with a filler metal whose melting point is below the melting point of the parts themselves . Once the filler melts, capillary action draws it into the joint gap, so the parts are joined by a thin, continuous fillet rather than by melting...
- Custom Metal Welding Services China | TIG & MIGWhen is brazing the right choice? Brazing suits copper and brass, tube assemblies and joints between dissimilar metals. It is also the better route where lower heat input and less distortion are needed than a fusion weld would allow. Can you weld formed or machined parts? Yes. Welding is combined wi...
- Solenoid Valve Housing: Why There Is No Weld SeamA seam is a decision, not a detail. If the joint sits in the sealing or pressure path of a solenoid valve housing, deep drawing removes it at the forming stage instead of managing it for the life of the part. Q: Do deep drawn solenoid valve housings have a weld seam? A: No. A deep drawn housing is f...
- Solenoid Valve Housing: Why There Is No Weld SeamKey point A seam is a decision, not a detail. If the joint sits in the sealing or pressure path of a solenoid valve housing, deep drawing removes it at the forming stage instead of managing it for the life of the part. Frequently asked questions Do deep drawn solenoid valve housings have a weld seam...
- Metal Brazing Services China | Furnace & Tube BrazingBrazing also joins combinations that welding cannot: copper to steel, brass to stainless steel, and parts with a large difference in wall thickness, with no strict limit on the thickness ratio between the two sides of the joint. Lower working temperature than welding, so the joint keeps its structur...
- Custom Metal Welding Services China | TIG & MIGKey requirements: Reliable connection with controlled heat input Welded metal housing Material: Stainless steel or carbon steel Process: Cutting, bending, TIG or MIG/MAG welding Key requirements: Dimensional accuracy and finished surface quality What We Need to Quote 2D drawing or 3D model Material ...
What an engineer still needs from you
- material and material condition (grade, temper)
- material thickness, plus the key diameter, height and wall thickness
- tolerances, burr direction and the visual acceptance standard
- annual volume - it decides whether tooling is single-hit, progressive or transfer
- surface finish, and any secondary machining, annealing or plating
Need a DFM feasibility assessment for your project?
Send the engineering drawing (STEP or PDF) with the material grade, thickness and annual volume. Balford engineers then check it against the process window - draw ratio, wall thickness, tolerances, blank and tooling route - and come back with what is feasible and what is not. An answer on this page cannot replace that review.
Upload a drawing for DFM reviewHow the DFM review worksRelated questions
- Laser cutting vs punching vs plasma: which should I choose?
- How do I calculate bend allowance and the K-factor?
- How do I compensate for springback in sheet metal bending?
- What minimum bend radius and hole-to-bend distance should I design to?
- What are the sheet metal gauge and thickness equivalents?
- How is tube bending calculated and what is the unfold length?
This page is an engineering answer, not a quotation and not a dimensional acceptance. It is generated from Balford's published material and held to the verified company fact sheet.