Welding Facts

Top 10 Fun Welding Facts You May Not Know

1: Some of the earliest welding recorded dates back to the Bronze age when small gold circular boxes were discovered. They were made by forge-welding two pieces of metal together and hammering them to make one component part. This was some 2000 years BC.

2: When two pieces of metal touch in space they become instantly welded together. Although it sounds pretty far-fetched, it’s perfectly true. Bare or highly polished metal (those without any coating) will weld themselves together in a phenomenon known as cold welding. This is where metallic bonds that hold atoms together, bridge the gap to create one single solid piece of metal. It can’t happen on earth because the atmosphere helps to create a layer of oxidization between the two metals and therefore they won’t weld together without the use of a welding tool.

3: The world’s first industrial robot was made to spot weld. In 1961, American car company General Motors installed the Unimate. It was, in essence, an industrial motorized arm weighing in at a staggering two tonnes. It performed step-by-step commands which were stored on a large magnetic drum. Talk about supersizing!

4: Felling Trailers Inc. employs 90 welders and they have well over 100 welding machines to work with.

5: Two first’s here…Ultrasonic welding was first used on the world’s first plastic-bodied car. While the car didn’t really take on, ultrasonic welding did. This type of welding creates friction through high-frequency (ultrasonic) waves. When the pieces vibrate together heat is produced and the two bond together.

6: More than 50% of all man-made products require welding. From the cars, planes, and trains that we travel about in, to the buildings that we live and work in, and even the laptop that I’m typing this blog post on, they all need a spot of welding before they become fully functional.

7: During the second world war advancements in welding allowed ships to be built in super quick time. The record for the fastest built ship was the SS Robert E Peary which was constructed in 1942, taking just 4 days, 15 hours, and 27 minutes. Funnily enough, this record still stands today. As for the ship herself…well, she had an illustrious career, operating in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans before eventually being scrapped in 1963.

Launching of the SS Peary, 1942-11-12. [Photographs, numbered series, #646]

8: The U.S. will need 372,664 welding professionals by 2026!

9: Both wet and dry welding methods can be performed underwater. The current record for the deepest dry weld ² was set in 1990 at 1,075 ft. deep. In order to complete a dry weld underwater, the area must be completely sealed off by a dry chamber where the weld is completed. The record for wet weld was set in 2005 by the U.S. Navy and is nearly twice as deep at 2,000 ft. deep.

10: A highly skilled welder can earn the salary of a doctor or a lawyer! Welding is one of the very few skills that can earn you a six-figure income without a college degree.

Interested in a Welding Career? – Apply Today

Felling Trailers, Inc. is an ISO 9001 Certified Quality Management System, WBENC-Certified WBE company, and an EOE Equal Opportunity Employer.