Overview
ISO 18785-5:2018 - Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) - Aluminium - Part 5: Quality and inspection requirements defines how to assess and control the capability of a manufacturer to produce aluminium FSSW joints to a specified quality. The standard focuses on process control, personnel competence, equipment validation and maintenance, welding procedure documentation, and inspection/testing practices applicable to aluminium and its alloys.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and intent: Specifies a method to determine manufacturer capability for production FSSW quality; does not assign requirements to specific product groups.
- Welding personnel: Weld setters and operators must be qualified (see ISO 18785-3). Records of qualification are required.
- Inspection and testing personnel: NDT and visual testers must be qualified to ISO 9712 or ISO 20807 (or equivalent); destructive test personnel must be trained for the test methods used.
- Equipment suitability and acquisition: Welding machines and FSSW tools must be capable of producing welds free of imperfections (see Annex A). New or refurbished equipment requires agreed acceptance tests after installation.
- Validation (reproducibility) tests: Reproducibility tests shall demonstrate the machine can repeatedly produce acceptable welds. Validation is required after events that change machine functionality (repairs, upgrades, relocation, etc.). A representative number of acceptable welds - at least three - shall be produced and found satisfactory.
- Equipment maintenance: A documented maintenance plan must ensure control of variables in the WPS (e.g., guides, meters, cables, thermocouples, clamps).
- Welding Procedure Specification (WPS): Procedures used in production must be defined and used during validation and production.
- Pre-weld, thermal control and tool inspection: Joint preparation, cleaning, thermal controls and FSSW tool identification/inspection are required to prevent imperfections.
- Inspection and testing: Requirements cover inspection before, during and after welding, including treatment of damaged or non-conforming welds and weld flash correction.
- Identification and traceability: Traceability processes for welded parts are required to support quality control and audits.
Applications and who uses it
ISO 18785-5 is intended for:
- Manufacturers and fabricators using friction stir spot welding (FSSW) on aluminium assemblies.
- Welding engineers, quality managers, production supervisors and NDT personnel responsible for process qualification and production control.
- Industry sectors with aluminium FSSW use: automotive, aerospace, rail, marine, consumer products, and food-processing equipment.
Using ISO 18785-5 helps organizations establish defensible quality programs, reduce weld imperfections, and support supplier qualification and audits.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 18785-5, friction stir spot welding, FSSW, aluminium welding, quality requirements, inspection, WPS, NDT, equipment validation.
Open preview (PDF)Friction stir spot welding — Aluminium — Part 5: Quality and inspection requirements