Spot Welding Development at the Arado Works: An account of Four Years' Experimentation

THE first electrical welding tests by the Arado firm were carried out at Warnemiinde in the year 1933 with a Rudolf welding machine. These tests were suggested by the welding of seaplane float frames by the Heinkcl firm, under the direction of Koppenhöfer, with machines of the same type. The results obtained with this welding machine were not very satisfactory since it was not possible, owing to the mechanical operation of the switch, to obtain uniform spot‐welds. The machine had the further disadvantage that the commutator contacts became badly overheated and had to be frequently cleaned. In order to improve the spot‐welding by this machine an agreement was reached with the I. G. Farbenindustrie in Bitterfeld in the autumn of 1933; as a result of which further tests were made with this same machine by the I. G. concern itself at Bitterfeld.