Sheet metal fabrications can be assembled together by spot welding, Tig or Mig welding and by using sheet metal fastenings which have been inserted into punched holes in each sheet metal component. All these assembly methods are explained in details with examples on various pages within the plant list pages of our website. There is another method of attaching studs, earth tags and stand-offs and that’s by welding by Capacitor Discharge (CD) Stud Welding systems.
The main advantage to stud welding is that the stud head is not visible on the reverse side of the sheet metal. This may be very important where the sheet metal component is a front panel or any part that is visible to the final customer and they don’t want to see a witness where the stud has been attached to the sheet metal. You can fill the witness mark around the head of a pressed in stud prior to wet painting but the process is time consuming and expensive. Weld studs can be a cost effective solution to this cosmetic problem where the final sheet metal work is to be powder coated or wet painted. It is worth noting that there can be a heat effect zone (H.A.Z.) on the reverse side of the sheet of metal. This will not be a problem if the part is to be powder coated or painted but may be a factor in your choice of fixing method if the part is stainless steel and not finished in any way.