Lucas Milhaupt leads the industry in application problem solving and takes brazing optimization to the next level with: UltraCoat - Flux coated braze foil designed to reduce cycle times and eliminate variability.
In cases where two flat surfaces are to be brazed, many customers turn to braze alloy in the form of strip. Strip is ideal for covering large surface areas or for sitting flush between two components where wire would cause the parts to sit unevenly. This makes strip ideal for pre-placing shims between two components such as a carbide blank and a steel body or else pre-placing a preform such as a washer between two parts that need to have intimate contact during the braze cycle.
While alloy form and selection are critical aspects of a braze joint, flux is also an integral part in torch and induction brazing. To promote strong joints, a proper amount of flux is needed and, in many cases, when left to manual application, flux is either under or over applied. When flux is underapplied, the flux present will saturate quickly during heating, and oxide build up will prevent the braze alloy from flowing and bonding effectively along both substrates. When flux is overapplied, the alloy cannot effectively flush the flux out of the joint resulting in flux inclusions and voids which leads to lower joint strength.
So how can a company eliminate variability, drive down overconsumption, and improve part quality? Lucas Milhaupt solves all the variables in the brazing equation with one simple solution: Ultra Coat. As the industry leader in solution driven support, Lucas Milhaupt introduces its Ultra Coat product line—flux coated strip that eliminates the need for separate flux and alloy application. By coating the strip with a precise amount of flux, operator variability is eliminated and first pass yield increases. The amount of flux coated on the braze foil is calculated precisely for your application and helps ensure the proper amount of fluxing action for superior alloy wetting without increasing the amount of flux inclusions and porosity left inside the joint. By driving down porosity and improving alloy wetting, no joint strength is sacrificed, and, in many cases, joint strength is higher than joints that use manual flux and braze alloy.