Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can plasma weld metal? More than you know. Most welding you've seen is already plasma. The interesting part is what happens when you try it in space.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Can plasma weld metal? More than you know.

00:06 Most welding people know is plasma: a thermal arc between electrode and workpiece

00:28 Other kinds of welding: friction welding and more

00:37 Plasma in novel applications

00:49 My Texas A&M colleagues drill into rock with thermal plasma

01:03 Traditional hot plasma welding: boring, but works really well

01:11 Micro-welding: dissimilar metals, very thin metals, metals to non-metals

01:32 Glue people would argue gluing is chemical welding

01:47 The message: even a "boring" topic merits PhDs, new companies, and new products

02:05 SpaceX is all welded together

02:13 Manufacturing in space changes everything

02:17 You can't just put your TIG welder on a rocket

02:31 The Soviets, 1969: electron beam welding in space

02:48 The coolest thing I learned recently: cold welding in vacuum

02:59 Two perfectly clean, perfectly flat plates touch and fuse. No heat, no pressure.

03:15 Joining is easy. Getting the surfaces clean and flat is the hard part.

03:40 Plasma prepares the surface

03:58 Low-power cold plasma in vacuum (plus additives) removes oxides, oils, and contaminants

04:16 Welding in space is the frontier of space manufacturing

04:29 Microgravity is weird physics

04:33 Shielding gas blows molten metal all over the place

04:43 Metal particles get charged. On Earth gravity pulls them down. In space it doesn't.

05:05 We need new welding techniques for everything we'll build on Mars and beyond

05:21 Wrap-up

If you work in welding, aerospace, space manufacturing, or materials joining, this is the episode.

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