Automatic Brazing Machine

Brazing is the method in which two metals are joined with the help of filling metal, flux, and heat. The brazing method created strong joints that are used in many industries. 

Flux is a chemical paste that helps in better joints, and it is applied to the metal tubes before joining them together and applying heat.

Brazing Process

The typical steps in manual brazing are the exact steps in automatic brazing machines. These steps are 

• Cleaning the metals before joining and placing them near each other
• Application of flux in the place of joint
• Putting the metals in a position of the joint together
• Applying heat and the filler metal on the site joint
• Wait for the filler metal to fill the space between the joint and braze the metals
• Cleaning of the joint and the crazed metal is ready to use

An automatic brazing machine helps in the brazing of metals without manual power. When you are using an automatic brazing machine, you can braze more joints in less time, and in this way, you can also reduce the energy that you put into it. 

An automatic brazing machine is best used in industries that make valuable everyday items like refrigerators.

1.     Why Do You Need an Automatic Brazing Machine?

With the advances in time and machinery, you have to update according to new findings, and automatic brazing machines are the need of the day.

You need it for the brazing of the metal tubes and pipes. An automatic brazing machine can braze several metals like copper, steel, aluminum, and brass. 

These metals are used in several industries and daily items like refrigerators, furniture, equipment used in making vehicles, and agricultural equipment.

An automatic brazing machine can provide many benefits that result in increased production. Using an automatic brazing machine makes the brazing products resistant to vibrations, with significantly fewer chances of leakage.

The automatic brazing machine is used to perfect the process of brazing. It also reduces the chances of human error. Using an automatic brazing machine can help the manufacturer to reduce the cost spent on labor.

There are undoubtedly good points of the automatic brazing machines that are: 

• The joints made by brazing are stronger than any other technique
• The brazing method can help us to join different metals
• Heat is only needed once in this process
• You can see that significantly fewer residues are created in this method 

    Figure 1 Automatic Brazing Machine

2.     Can Brazing Be Automated?

Brazing is the process of combining two metal pipes or tubes, and automatic machines can do the process, so yes, it can be automated.

Brazing with an automatic machine is a rapid and economically friendly option.

Using an automatic machine, you can set the possibility of applying flux and prepositioning the metals for joining robotically to braze the joint in less time.

The automatic brazing machines provide extra progress in the quality and speed of the brazing process.

The automatic brazing machines have a mechanical structure to braze the metals one by one, so there is no need for a supervisor or a worker to do all the work because the machine does all of it.

Figure 2 Automated Brazing

3.     What Is the Strength of a Brazed Joint through an Automatic Brazing Machine?

An automatic brazing machine is used for brazing joints, and the strength of brazed joints can depend on various factors. These factors are

• The base metals that we are going to join and braze together
• Clearance of the joint
• The amount of flux because too much flux cannot cause strengthening of the joint.
• The type of filler metal we are using
• The strength of a brazed joint differs with the use of different filler metals and the base metal, which we have to braze.
• The strength of the brazed joint also depends on the space between the metals. Suppose we increase the distance between the metal joint, and the power of the brazed joint decreases. When we decrease the space between the metals, we have to braze the joint strength increases.

Figure 3 Strongly Brazed Joint

4.     What Are the Joint Configurations in the Brazing Process?

You can make different types of joints when brazing. Most of the time, the joints made are butt lap joints, butt joints, and lap joints.

A butt joint is a joint where both base metals are on the same plane when brazed. Whereas a lap joint is the joint in which a metal tube overlaps the tube already existing, and it is the reason for its name lap joint.

A butt lap joint combines a butt joint and a lap joint. These joints are essential in different metal-using industries.

5.     What Is the Paste Used in an Automatic Brazing Machine?

When a binder is mixed with metal alloy, the material that we get is called brazing paste. In brazing paste, the metal alloy we use is in powdered form.

In brazing, when we apply flux, this is the step to add brazing paste to the joint to provide security. The brazing paste is also helpful in making the joint resistant to oxidization.

Brazing paste is used in almost all types of brazing, like induction brazing, furnace brazing, and flame brazing. The brazing paste is added in flux and then applied in all these brazing techniques.

Figure 4 Mixing of the Brazing Paste

6.     What Are the Applications of Automatic Brazing Machines?

The applications of automatic brazing machines are countless. If you think about it, you can use this automatic brazing machine for brazing metal pipes or tubes that you use in any field. The applications that are already being used are:

·         Brazing Copper

You can use an automatic brazing machine for brazing metals like copper. Copper metal tubes are widely used in manufacturing cooling equipment like refrigerators and air-conditioners.

·         Plumbing 

You can use an automatic brazing machine in the brazing of tubes and pipes used in the plumbing to make stronger joints that are less liable to rust.

·         Metal Furniture

You can use an automatic brazing machine to make metal furniture. You can use the automatic brazing machine to make metal furniture for making stronger joints and furniture.

Figure 5 Brazed Joints in the Metal Furniture

·         Brazing Metals for Vehicles

Using automatic brazing machines can also braze metals that will be used to make vehicles.

·         Metal Bars

You can also use the automatic brazing machine for brazing metal bars that we can use in transportation like trains and buses.

·         Agricultural Machinery

The machinery used in the agriculture industry also includes the joints in metals so that you can use automatic brazing machines in the agricultural sector.

·         Medical Equipment

The automatic brazing machine creates strong joints; therefore, you can use it in the brazing of joints in medical equipment.

Figure 6 Medical Gas and Vacuum System Brazing

·         Tool Production

You can use the automatic brazing machine to make the tools used in every industry for rehabilitating the equipment and creating new machinery.

7.     What Are the Benefits of Using an Automatic Brazing Machine?

An automatic brazing machine is used in industries to braze metal tubes. It is very beneficial for the users and provides us with these benefits.

·         Time-Saving

Using an automatic brazing machine can save a lot of time as the automated machine can braze 2 to five joints in one minute, and if you are working manually, the time for one brazed joint will be five to 10 minutes.

·         Safety Features

When we use an automatic brazing machine, it has the features to avoid any accidents or fire, and therefore, it is safer. 

The automatic brazing machines have fire extinguishers and safety glasses to stay away from the heat as much as possible. 

·         Strength 

The automatic brazing machine can help make the strongest brazed joints because of the right amount of flux and heat it applies to the metals we have to braze.

It does not make errors, and we can get the joints without human errors.

Figure 7 Strongly Brazed Joints

·         Clean process

In the process of automatic brazing, when the suitable gas is used for heating, the brazed joint is very clean, and we don’t have to clean and polish it afterward.

The automatic brazing machine creates significantly less mess, and the brazing is more of an in-and-out procedure mostly.

·         No Workers 

When using machines, we can reduce the cost we spend on the workers that do the job. An automatic brazing machine can braze joints without the need for any labor.

8.     What Type of Heat Is Used in an Automatic Brazing Machine?

As I already discussed, an automatic brazing machine uses heat to join the metals. Four types of heat are used in a brazing machine: flame brazing, vacuum brazing, induction brazing, and resistance brazing.

The methods of heating are primarily used in automatic brazing machines that are: 

·         Flame Brazing

In manual brazing, flame brazing is used mainly, and it is done with the help of a hand-held torch. It is the most common method of heating used around the world.

In flame brazing, sometimes a furnace is also used to apply heat to the joints, but this method of furnace brazing is not very common and has many drawbacks.

When using flame heating in the brazing method, you have to apply heat to a wide area around metal joints when you want to braze a large assembly.

You have to heat both metals when using flame brazing and keep moving the flame heating source to distribute the heat and prevent the splash of flame.

For torch brazing, we have many fuel options like acetylene, propylene, natural gas, and propane burned with air or, in some cases, oxygen.

Safety: The safety gear is essential when using flame heating in brazing and gases like oxy-acetylene. Any direct exposure to the heat and results can be devastating like lung damage due to inhaling fumes, loss of eyesight due to sparks in the eyes, explosions, and burns due to accidents of fire.

Figure 8 Flame Brazing

·         Induction Heat Brazing

Induction heat results from the current passing through electromagnetic coils and creating heat. You can also use induction heat in the brazing process, which is very effective.

The awareness of using induction heat in the brazing process has been increasing with time, the induction heat is more localized and secure, and it has been seen that significantly less heat is lost when brazing with induction heat.

Induction heat brazing can also be done with automatic machines, and you can also use induction heat when brazing manually.

There are rods of induction heating available, so you can use them manually. These induction brazing rods have many designs to get what suits your needs.

Figure 9 Induction Heat Brazing

·         Vacuum Furnace Brazing

The joining of two metals can also be assisted with vacuum brazing. In this method, both parts of metals that we want to join are cleaned, brought together, and applied flux on them. Then after putting on the filler metal, they are placed in the vacuum furnace.

The vacuum furnace is heated, and the metal tubes are brazed. The vacuum heating method in the brazing process has to be protected from the pressure of the vacuum to keep the operation running.

Figure 10 Vacuum Furnace Brazing

·         Resistance Brazing 

In the resistance brazing, the filler metal has to be melted to braze the joint. For this process, a current is passed so that the filler metal melts, and the joint is brazed without melting the metal tubes (we are brazing).

In resistance brazing, forcefully, the metals are joined together so that we will braze. After applying the filler metal in the place of the joint, a current is passed in the forcefully combined common.

Passing the current will melt the filler metal and join the metals to make a brazed joint. The joint is then cooled, and the brazing is completed.

Figure 11 Automatic Brazing Process

9.     What Are the Gases Used in Automatic Brazing?

In an automatic brazing machine, the heat is produced by burning gasses. Different types of gasses are used according to the metals we are brazing. The types of gasses commonly used in brazing are:

·         Natural Gas

Natural gas is methane and ethane gasses combined. It is the safest and relatively easy to get. 

Natural gas is not costly and is the most used gas in small shops. 

·         Propane

Propane gas needs oxygen in large amounts to burn. It is used when natural gas is not available. It is available in a liquid state and is not dirty. 

·         Acetylene

Acetylene gas is quite an impure gas, and it can cause imprints of residues, so it is not used in the jewelry industry. 

Acetylene is not very costly, so it is easy to get, and you don’t have to spend too much on it. It is also dangerous because of its flammability.

·         Oxy-acetylene

When acetylene is used with oxygen, the flame’s temperature increases, and it is used in brazing some metals that need higher temperatures. 

Oxy-acetylene is also highly flammable and must be used with a lot of care to avoid burning and too much heat.

·         Hydrogen 

Hydrogen is a pure gas, and it is hazardous because it explodes and burns very quickly. The advantages of this gas are that being the most refined of all the products and is very cleanly brazed.

Hydrogen gas is used to melt the alloys of platinum. It is very light, so it is challenging to keep it contained. Hydrogen gas can leak easily, so it is not used very often due to the difficulty in having the gas and its dangerous nature of it.

·         Butane

Butane is very hard to find. If we talk about the purpose, it is the same as propane, but propane is easy to find, so it is used most of the time.

These gases are usually used for the automatic brazing process.

Figure 12 Natural Gas

10. How Is an Automatic Brazing Machine Better than Manual Brazing?

Humans like to use machines and reduce the manual work needed by them. The automatic brazing machine is considered better than manual brazing for the following reasons.

·         Time 

The automatic brazing machine is way better than manual brazing when we think about time. The time saved can be used elsewhere. The automatic brazing machine can braze more than two metal joints in one minute.

An automatic brazing machine also preheats to prevent start-up time, and it, therefore, consumes less time than manual brazing.

Figure 13 Manual Brazing Method

·         Errors

Compared to manual brazing, an automatic brazing machine makes fewer human errors, making it more reliable than manual brazing. 

Humans make errors based on losing attention to the brazing process, and a machine does not lose attention, so an automatic brazing machine is better than manual brazing. 

·         Precision

When compared to automatic brazing, manual brazing has more chances of leakages, whereas an automatic brazing machine can braze the metals more precisely with few prospects of leakages.

The automatic brazing machine can optimize the flux and heat applied to get the perfectly brazed joints.

·         Temperature

An automatic brazing machine can braze the metals according to the temperature. An automatic brazing machine has specific temperatures, and you can braze the metals according to the temperature.

While in manual brazing, there is no control over the temperature, and a very high temperature can harm the metals in the brazing process.

Figure 14 Automatic Brazing Method

·         Safety 

The automatic brazing machine has safety features for the safety of the people working nearby. The safety glass can prevent the extra heat from traveling from the machine to the outside.

While the manual brazing machine does not have safety glass, and the fire can quickly burn the worker if they are not careful or loses focus for a second.

It can control the heat provided to the metals you are brazing and have safety features to avoid any mishap. These reasons make automatic brazing better than manual brazing. 

11. What Is the Minimum Temperature for Brazing in an Automatic Brazing Machine?

Brazing is the joining of two metals that creates a permanent bonding between these metals using the heat of more than 4500C. The temperature used for heating has to be lower than the metals you need to merge because if the metal melts, the brazing process and joint will be affected.

Heat is mainly used to melt the filler metal in the spaces between the brazing metals. So, it can fill the space and make the joint without any leaking areas. The melting filler metal in spaces between the brazing joint is called capillary action.

The temperature in an automatic brazing machine depends on the metal you are going to braze because there are metals that start getting burnt when too much temperature is applied.

The temperature of the brazing machine starts at 350C, and it can be increased according to the metal.

12. What Are the Industries That Can Use Automatic Brazing Machines?

Automated brazing machines are exact and can help produce 3-5 brazed joints in one minute, which is exceptional. In more significant industries like those described below, you can use the automatic brazing machine and save time and energy. The industries that can use the automatic brazing machines are:

·         Refrigerator Industry

The brazing method is widely used in the refrigeration industry because the refrigerators use a liquid or gas refrigerant, which, if leaked, can deteriorate the fridge’s cooling system. 

Therefore brazing of the joints is used to reduce the chances of holes and thus leakage from the joints keeping refrigerant inside and refrigerator keep working.

The parts of the refrigerator made by an automatic brazing machine are the suction line accumulator, refrigeration accumulator, refrigeration valve, and refrigerant check valve. 

Figure 15 Automated Induction Brazing with Robots

·         Air-Conditioner Industry

With the change in weather conditions, air-conditioners are a significant need of the day, and you can use an automatic brazing machine for brazing the joints of copper tubes used in them.

·         Jewelry Making

You can use automatic brazing machines to make the joints in jewelry making. The jewelry-making industry is extensive, and an automatic brazing machine can help in the fast making of jewelry. 

·         Medical Equipment 

You can use the automatic brazing machine to make the equipment needed in medical equipment. 

·         Heating System Industry

An automatic brazing machine can be beneficial in the making of heating systems. Copper and brass tubes are used in heating systems, and an automatic brazing machine can quickly braze the copper tubes.

·         Motor and Transformer Industry 

The everyday use of items like motors and transformers is a significant need of the day, and you can use automatic brazing machines for brazing the tubes in these industries.

·         Vehicle Industry

Vehicles are our everyday need and to join the metal tubes in its infrastructure we can use automatic brazing machine. In this way, the vehicles will be more resilient and durable. 

Figure 16 Best Brazed Bike Tubes

·         Architecture

You can use the automatic brazing machine for brazing the metals for use in the architecture of buildings and gardens.

You can make beautiful sculptures too if you are interested in the art form of architecture. The architectural industry uses all kinds of metals, and the joints can be made strong by brazing.

The automatic brazing machine can reduce the time consumed to braze manually, so it is the best option for architects.

13. Are Brazing Machines Better Than Welding Machines?

The method of welding is to attach metals, and the only thing same about welding and brazing is the use of heat.

The brazing machine uses a temperature of 4500C, whereas the welding uses higher temperatures and melts the metals we are trying to join together.

On the other hand, brazing uses less temperature to melt the small amount of filler metal applied on the joint for quality brazing. 

When brazing steel metals or non-iron metals, the brazing product can show a high tensile strength of 900MPa. A joint with this much strength is shock resistant and has been seen to have resistance against vibrations. 

Brazing is better than welding in terms of sustaining the dimensional tolerance in the brazing process and having a better metal connection technique. 

Figure 17 Brazing VS. Welding Techniques

Welding Drawbacks

• The welding process cannot join the different metal tubes.
• The residues created with welding have to be adequately cleaned after welding
• Welding uses high temperatures, and it melts the metals, which damages the metal tubes

14. Is Brazing Stronger Than Soldering?

Soldering is a similar method of joining metals, and the difference between soldering and brazing methods depends mainly on the temperature. The soldering temperature is less than 4500C.

Whereas the temperature of brazing starts from 4500C to 11500c. As mentioned before, the temperature in brazing depends on the type of metals brazed.

The brazing method puts the filling metal in the joint spaces, and therefore there are no chances of leakage, and the common produced is much stronger than the soldering joint.

Another reason why brazing metals are considered better is that soldering is a suitable method, and it is used in electronics. Still, when more oversized metal tubes and infrastructure comes, we need brazing.

Figure 18 Brazing VS. Soldering Technique

Drawbacks of Soldering

• The soldering method of joining metalscannot hold more giant metals. You can use soldering to keep smaller joints.
• Soldering is not suitable for products with high temperatures, so the soldered joints fell apart when the temperature exceeded 
• Soldering cannot hold the metal joints in load-bearing products. Soldered joints may fall apart in many conditions. Brazing is the best method in this situation.

15. What Are the Metals You Can Braze with an Automatic Brazing Machine?

You can braze various types of metals with the automatic brazing machine. These are:

• Copper 
• Brass  
• Aluminum  
• Nickel 
• Chromium 
• Cobalt 
• Titanium  
• Steel 

These metals are further used in industries that make products and machinery we use daily.

Figure 19 Aluminum Brazing

16. What Are the Features of an Automatic Brazing Machine?

Features of the automatic brazing machines depend on the manufacturer. The features of an automatic brazing machine include 

·         Safety Features

Automatic brazing machines can control the temperature for heating and stop overheating and burning smoking chances. 

These machines have a safety glass to see the brazing process without getting burnt. They also have a nitrogen fire extinguishing system. It can help extinguish if the heat gets out of hand, which is excellent for avoiding accidents.

·         Display Features

The display of the automatic brazing machine is a touch screen with led panels that make it easy to use and look good.

You can use the input feature to add information regarding the process of brazing.

The automatic brazing machine can preheat, which makes it braze more metal joints in less time and uses a solenoid gas valve.                                 

Figure 20 Copper Brazing

17. Where to Get the Best Automatic Brazing Machine?

You can easily purchase the best automatic brazing machine according to your need. You must search online for the manufacturers and get your machine delivered to your doorstep.

The automatic brazing machine manufacturers are primarily in china, and one of the best manufacturers of automatic brazing machines is dodo machines.

Dodo machines make the machines with the best material, and the safety gear in their automatic brazing machine is efficient. They provide the safety glass and nitrogen fire extinguisher. These are the best gear to avoid accidents in brazing.

The dodo machines can help you to customize your order according to your time. You can also get the aftercare for your automatic brazing machine by contacting the dodo machine office.