As a cost-effective, solid-state welding process, roll bonding passes two or more metals through a pair of flat rollers to bond composite metals.

The key to creating a uniform, more temperature-resistant bond is surface preparation. To start the roll bonding process, it is important to remove any oxides. This can be accomplished by applying a thin layer of inert chromium to the base metal before heating the base metal and cladding metal for rolling.

By combining pressure and temperature and reducing thickness, the roll bonding process breaks down the oxide layers of the metals and exposes the fresh metals. The fresh base metal and clad metal share electrons, which form a high-strength, roll bonded clad ready to be cut –by water jet or horizontal band saws– or manufactured into finished bimetal parts.

The roll bonded bimetal plate can be machined, perforated, bent and pressed into different shapes, including round, cylinder, beam and square. Roll bonded clad plate applications are often used by industries that manufacture thinner and smaller parts for structural and electrical designs.

Stainless Steel World Americas interviews NobelClad for a better understanding of the differences between roll bond, weld overlay and explosion cladding. Check out the article.