2020 - PACE Award Winner

Innovation: Ejoweld friction element welding

First customer: Audi

The industry has been looking for a method of reliably joining aluminum to ultrahigh-strength steel that also protects against corrosion. 
Ejot Fastening Systems has developed a process for doing that.
The Ejoweld friction element weld uses a rotating coated steel fastener that pierces a top aluminum layer to rapidly weld the fastener to the steel substrate.
The joint is achieved in less than two seconds and requires no pre-drilling or pre-treatment. 
The technology solves the engineering challenges of joining aluminum and steel alloys, which auto manufacturers hope to do to simultaneously reduce vehicle weight and meet safety requirements. Ejoweld is now being developed to join other lightweighting materials, such as magnesium and carbon fiber. 

Website: ejoweld.com