Shops that can solder/weld small stainless steel parts?

Gentlemen,

Looking for a place that can solder, braze and/or laser-weld very small parts that are stainless steel. Wires and tubes of less than 0.015" O.D. and such. It doesn't have to be in California but should be in the US. Canada would also be ok if necessary.

Near Poway, CA would be ideal but that will probably remain a dream :-)

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg
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Hi Joerg, Well you can do this yourself with a common propane torch and the correct solder (and flux).

We use Stay-Brite SB11. And Stay clean flux... both made by Harris.

The flux is nasty.

(But maybe you've got a lot of parts?) George H.

Reply to
George Herold

Last time I did something that small, it was at MIT, welding the thermistor leads for my heart blood-flow circuit (my BSEE thesis)...

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...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
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Reply to
Jim Thompson

I've soldered thin stainless sheet with a soldering iron, normal solder and some kind of acid flux

with flux it soldered like it might as well have been tinned copper

-Lasse

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

How about a picture of the parts to be joined?

TIG under Ar gas might be a choice.

Reply to
tm

I just sent you an email hooking you up with someone I used to work with.

This guy is just as scary-smart in his areas of expertise (which include lots of esoteric metal-to-metal joining processes) as you are in yours, so I think you'll get along.

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Tim Wescott 
Wescott Design Services 
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Reply to
Tim Wescott

I found a Youtube video where a guy did this with Harris Stay-Clean flux:

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

Thanks, Tim. I have sent him a response with cc for our catheter engineer in there because he is the guy who knows the mech details.

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Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

The nasty part is the flux, it can splatter and get 'everywhere'. So you've gotta mask the area well and do a good clean up. A little splatter somewhere will eat through your thin walled stainless in some unknown amount of time.

(I wanta meet Tim's guy.)

George H.

Reply to
George Herold

Should be no problem to find a place in Poway Ca. The Stay Bright is a tin silver solder that does not require high temperatures. You can also do si lver brazing with a propane torch. Much higher temperature, but also much more strength. It is going to be hard to find someone that can TIG weld s uch small parts. Most tig welders will not go below 5 amps. Plasma and el ectron beam may be good depending on the part. Resistance welding might als o be good. You can make a resistance welder using a couple of Microwave Ov en transformers.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

Should be no problem to find a place in Poway Ca. The Stay Bright is a tin silver solder that does not require high temperatures. You can also do silver brazing with a propane torch. Much higher temperature, but also much more strength. It is going to be hard to find someone that can TIG weld such small parts. Most tig welders will not go below 5 amps. Plasma and electron beam may be good depending on the part. Resistance welding might also be good. You can make a resistance welder using a couple of Microwave Oven transformers.

Dan

How about induction welding using a preform and in an inert gas atmosphere.

tm

Reply to
tm

At those sizes, you might need a few MHz to do it -- what's the wall thickness?

If you're doing a few ten thousand of them, it's probably worth while.

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk. 
Website: http://seventransistorlabs.com
Reply to
Tim Williams

My catheter engineer colleague is very resourceful, I am sure we could rig up something even it it requires schlepping my old microwave transformer down there. But this has to be able to become a more longterm production relationship, with a controlled and documented process.

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

The wall thickness will be somewhere between 0.001" and 0.002". The part to be affixed is also very small, probably about 0.060" long.

Could be that many each month, long term (many years from now).

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

If you decide to go with brazing, it's often done in production volumes by fixturing the parts (if necessary) and putting them through a controlled-atmosphere conveyor oven like firing a hybrid substrate.

Since this seems to involve human body compatibility there would be more metals to worry about. Welding would be 'cleaner' if it could be made to work.

You might want to check Thomas for e-beam, laser and even resistance welding. I know there are competent places near me here, but I bet you can find ones at least in your general area.

Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

LA and San Diego are centers for that sort of thing on the west coast -- they're where you find most of the aerospace high tech that involves fussy little bits.

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Tim Wescott 
Wescott Design Services 
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Reply to
Tim Wescott

Good points, especially about compatibility since this has to go through sterilization validation and all that good stuff. Fixturing has to be done anyhow because we need a very controlled process.

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

micro wave transformer sounds like major overkill, rule of thumb for tig welding stainless is something like 30A per millimeter thickness

-Lasse

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

On a similar note: I am working up the next version of my Rainbow Color Reader, and for the prototype was going to try one of the AMS color sensors. Problem is, they only look straight up from the board, and I need to look sideways, so I need a small mirror. So, try finding someone that will make you a dozen or even a hundred small mirrors, especially if you want them to be curved to sort of focus the incoming light on to a sensor!

Most stamping places didn't even respond to me, except the few that said then don't do that type of thing!

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie E.

How much do you want to pay? Do you want glass or plastic. (For glass we use Red optronics (China)) There are a few plastic optics places around in the US (Rochester, NY area for sure) But I've never used them.

George H.

Reply to
George Herold

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