Resistance Spot Welding: the route, the tolerances it holds, materials and design tips, with an indicative cost. One of 56 processes in the free finder.
JoiningFamily
4Route steps
27Parts in finder
Resistance spot welding joins overlapping sheet metal by passing current through electrodes that heat and fuse a small nugget at each spot.
At a glance
When to use it, and when not
Best for
High-volume sheet assemblies: car bodies, enclosures, racks and wire goods.
Watch for
Lap joints only, with joint strength set by nugget size and sheet condition.
Step by step
The typical route
Raw material to finished part. Steps vary with material, volume and tolerance; this is the free route from the finder.
Fixture
Locate the sheets in a jig.
Tooling Fixture Tolerance - Lead -
Spot weld
Resistance-spot the weld schedule.
Tooling Spot welder Tolerance - Lead -
Inspect
Peel/check nuggets.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Finish
Finish/coat.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Materials
Materials it suits
Grade
Why it suits this
Low-carbon steel sheet
Welds easily
Galvanised/coated
Corrosion (harder to weld)
Stainless sheet
Corrosion
Design
Design tips
A few general pointers for Resistance Spot Welding. The full, part-specific DFM list is in the dossier.
Welds too close / at edges.Respect spacing + edge distance.
Access for both electrodes.Design open flanges.
Cost
What it costs
Fast sheet joining (auto bodies, enclosures); pennies per weld at volume, well suited to automation.
PER-PART COST vs VOLUME
Per-part cost drops as volume spreads tooling and setup over more parts. The exact figures for your part at your volume, in your currency, are in the dossier.
MODEL EST.
$0.79 to 1.9per part at 100 off
A rough ballpark only. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency, with the full breakdown.
GET THE FULL DOSSIER
Everything you need to quote and source it
The free route above is yours. To actually put a number on this process and buy it well:
Should-cost at your exact volume in 12 currencies, with the material, processing, tooling and overhead breakdown
Who to source from, typical MOQ and lead time, and the exact RFQ checklist to send
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Resistance spot welding joins overlapping sheet metal by passing current through electrodes that heat and fuse a small nugget at each spot. The typical route is: Fixture; Spot weld; Inspect; Finish. High-volume sheet assemblies: car bodies, enclosures, racks and wire goods.
What does Resistance Spot Welding cost per part?
It depends on size, tolerance and volume. As a rough ballpark it starts around $0.79 to 1.9 per part at low volume and falls with quantity. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency. Model estimates, not quotes.
What tolerance can Resistance Spot Welding hold?
It depends on the feature and the finishing operations used.
What materials suit Resistance Spot Welding?
Common choices are Low-carbon steel sheet (Welds easily); Galvanised/coated (Corrosion (harder to weld)); Stainless sheet (Corrosion).
See the exact route and should-cost for your part
The free finder maps your part to its process and full route. Pro adds should-cost at your volume, sourcing and an RFQ draft.
