Delphi Expands Reach of New Tube Welding Technology

TROY, Mich., Feb. 25, 2004 -- Delphi Corp. announced that Annular Deformation Resistance Welding, ADRW, reduces welding cycle time by as much as 80 percent and cuts overall material and capital costs.

The process creates atomically bonded joints through the deformation and displacement of mating surfaces between two similar or dissimilar metallic surfaces. This method creates leak-tight joints with uniform circumferential weld strength.

"Clearly the robustness of ADRW is what makes this Delphi process so unique," said Michelle Drage, director of Technology Commercialization and Licensing at Delphi.

"Many of the results are unprecedented, making this technology applicable and cost-effective not only to automotive companies, but also non-automotive industries."

ADRW is a revolutionary method for joining metal tubes to solids, sheet metal and other tubes leveraging commonly used resistance welding equipment as a catalyst. This is a robust process with a wide weld schedule that produces high quality joints throughout the tolerance range.

Delphi Technologies Inc. leverages a dynamic approach of validation- oriented collaborations with technology leaders in various industries. In a matter of months, a Delphi technology can be implemented, tested, and modified to confirm its usefulness in a new application area. ADRW validation initiatives are currently being conducted, spiking the interest of several Fortune 500 companies.

Specifically, Delphi is working with market leaders in the industrial heat exchanger industry where validation-oriented collaborations are under way. If successful, ADRW has shown to help solve many of the quality problems that arise from the use of conventional methods, a critical feature to chemical and petroleum refiners throughout the world.