Learn more about the scholarships and grants supported by the AWS Foundation, as well as how to apply.
BRAZING AND SOLDERING MANUFACTURERS COMMITTEE
Brazing and Soldering Manufacturers Committee
Brazing and Soldering Manufacturers Committee
Standing Committee of the American Welding Society
The BSMC is dedicated to providing senior management members a forum to:
- Promote plans and programs that benefit their understanding of brazing & soldering technology and development of the Industry
- Share solutions to current industry, organizational, and business problems/opportunities
- Promote brazing & soldering products and services worldwide
- Promote the development of brazing & soldering equipment worldwide
- Provide a common voice to the brazing & soldering industry, government bodies, and technical standards organizations worldwide
Duties of the Brazing & Soldering Manufacturers Committee:
- Promoting the objectives of the Society among manufacturers of brazing & soldering equipment and supplies.
- Advising the AWS Board of Directors on programs to serve the brazing & soldering community, such as: developing a directory of brazing equipment manufacturers, and developing membership in local AWS brazing and soldering divisions.
- Advising other AWS standing committees on developing programs, within their respective areas of expertise, that will promote the interests of the brazing and soldering industries within AWS.
WHAT IS BRAZING?
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What is brazing?
Definition/description of brazing
A group of joining processes that produce the coalescence of materials by heating them to the brazing temperature in the presence of a brazing filler metal that has a liquidus temperature above 840°F (450°C) and below the solidus temperature of the base materials.
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What is soldering?
Definition/description of soldering
- A group of joining processes that produce the coalescence of materials by heating them to the soldering temperature in the presence of a filler metal that has a liquidus temperature below 840°F (450°C) and below the solidus temperature of the base materials.
Advantages of soldering
- Low liquidus temperatures allow for correspondingly low process temperature (typically Δ20°C/Δ36°F above the liquidus temperature) that minimize heat damage to the base material(s).
- Solder joints can be “unsoldered” and resoldered to repair defects.
General requirements
- Molten solder must wet-and-spread on the base material (faying) surface(s).
- Wetting is the formation of a metallurgical bond between the solder and the base material.
- Fluxes are an integral facet of the soldering process.
- Surface finishes optimize wetting-and-spreading activity on hard-to-solder base materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, etc.
- Solder filler metal nearly always have a lower mechanical strength than the base material.
Soldering Applications
- Electronics applications: solder alloys are used in the assembly of electronic products that include individual device construction, printed circuit boards, and connectors.
- Structural applications: soldering is used to attach of conduit (pipes) together for a variety of application (potable water, chemicals, cryogenic liquids and gases) as well as for gutters and the fabrication of common light-duty products: e.g., cooking utensils, kitchen equipment and hand tools.
The following Industries use brazing and soldering in their everyday processes.
- Aerospace
- Automotive
- Electronics HVAC / Refrigeration
- Military applications
- Oil and Gas
- Construction
- Medical
TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES
Brazing and Soldering Manufacturing Committee (BSMC) members may be exhibiting or attending the following trade shows and conferences.
General Manufacturing
Design 2 Part Shows – www.d2p.com
Wichita Industrial Trade Show – witshow.org
EASTEC – www.easteconline.com
WESTEC – www.westeconline.com
SOUTHTEC – www.southteconline.com
Medical Device Manufacturing
BIOMEDevice – biomedevice.mddionline.com
MD&M Minneapolis – mdmminn.mddionline.com
MD&M East – mdmeast.mddionline.com
MD&M West – mdmwest.mddionline.com
Aerospace
Paris Air Show – www.siae.fr/en/
MRO Americas – mroamericas.aviationweek.com
Space Tech Expo – www.spacetechexpo.com
BSMC Members
BSMC Members
The Brazing & Soldering Manufacturers Committee members promote the objectives of AWS within the brazing and soldering industry. It advises the AWS Board on programs that support manufacturers, such as creating equipment directories and fostering local membership growth. The committee also collaborates with other AWS groups to advance the interests of the brazing and soldering sectors.
Education & Training
Education & Training
EDUCATION
Award Presentation
AWS presents the Robert L. Peaslee Memorial Brazing award each year, recognizing the author(s) whose paper is considered to be the best contribution to the science and technology of Brazing published in the Welding Journal during the previous calendar year. The award consists of a certificate and honorarium.
Robert L. Peaslee Brazing Scholarship
The Robert L. Peaslee Brazing Scholarship was created in 2004 by Robert L. Peaslee and the AWS Detroit Brazing and Soldering Division of the AWS Detroit Section. It is awarded yearly to a student pursuing a minimum four year bachelors degree, or graduate degree, in an engineering school program emphasizing brazing applications.
For further information, visit the Robert L. Peaslee Brazing Scholarship page or contact AWS Foundation.
Ohio State University Brazing and Soldering Course
The Ohio State University Brazing and Soldering course focuses on the basic principles of brazing and soldering. This includes basic knowledge on brazing/soldering filler metals and fluxes, the basic principles and considerations in the design and strength of brazed and soldered joints, basic knowledge about the inspection of brazed and soldered joints, and safety considerations.
For further information, visit the course description page or contact AWS Foundation.
INDUSTRY TRAINING PROGRAMS
Fusion Inc.
4658 E. 355th Street
Willoughby, OH 44094 USA
All sessions are held at Fusion. Content includes theory of brazing and design of joints, Emphasis on using paste filler metals in a production automated machine environment. Generally open flame brazing principles are covered.
Contact
Web: www.fusion-inc.com
Kay & Associates – A Prince & Izant Company
4 Lawton Drive
Simsbury, CT 06070
Brazing Audit
Auditing brazing operations to correct and improve brazing operations. Conducted a training class, 2002 for NADCAP auditors.
Seminars
A 3-day production brazing seminar providing intensive training in all forms and brazing methods for base materials ranging from aluminum to titanium to ceramics. This seminar is offered in several different regions throughout the year, please visit kaybrazing.com/seminars/ for the most up to date information and to register.
Audits and Consulting
Onsite services with knowledgeable industry experts to provide support for problem solving, cost reduction and process improvements. For further information please visit kaybrazing.com/seminars/.
Contact
Web: www.kaybrazing.com
Lucas-Milhaupt. Inc.
5656 South Pennsylvania Avenue
Cudahy, WI 53110 USA
Brazing Audits
Audit of your entire materials joining operation by Technical Service team. A written report is furnished, offering recommendations to improve operating efficiencies and cost.
Seminars at Lucas-Milhaupt
Seminar - Two and a half days
Covers brazing & soldering basics and design of brazed joints, evaluation and solution of problems: how to increase brazing & soldering efficiency, reduce and control variable costs and eliminate rejections.
Road Show
Seminars in your plant tailored to your needs and requirements. Includes fundamentals, hand brazing demonstrations and process recommendations.
Regional Braze Schools - www.lucasmilhaupt.com/en-US/training/
Contact
Web: www.lucasmilhaupt.com
Wall Colmonoy Corp.
101 W Girard
Madison Heights, MI 48071 USA
Course
Modern Furnace Brazing - 3 Days - Held at Wall Colmonoy Aerobraze Engineering Technologies – Cincinnati, OH 45215
Spring and Fall sessions each year, since 1970
Unlike other classroom-only seminars, this course is offered at Wall Colmonoy’s Brazing Engineering Center where you’ll have the unique opportunity to view the actual brazing application process in a state-of-the-art facility. Spending time on the shop floor, you will actually apply different forms of filler metal to our supplied samples which will then be vacuum brazed. Then, you will find yourself in the lab experiencing a multitude of quality control and inspection techniques.
Topics Discussed
- Brazing Design
- Metallurgical aspects of a brazing operation
- Brazing atmosphere and furnace equipment
- Brazing material selection and applications
- Quality control
Contact
Web: www.wallcolmonoy.com
BSMC SPECIFICATIONS, BOOKS, & PAPERS
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Specifications & Books
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Brazing & Soldering Papers
A2.4:2020
STANDARD SYMBOLS FOR WELDING, BRAZING, AND NONDESTRUCTIVE EXAMINATION
This standard establishes a method for specifying certain welding, brazing, and nondestructive examination information by means of symbols, including the examination method, frequency, and extent. Detailed information and examples are provided for the construction and interpretation of these symbols.
A3.0M/A3.0:2020
STANDARD WELDING TERMS AND DEFINITIONS; INCLUDING TERMS FOR ADHESIVE BONDING, BRAZING, SOLDERING, THERMAL CUTTING, AND THERMAL SPRAYING
This standard is a glossary of the technical terms used in the welding industry. Its purpose is to establish standard terms to aid in the communication of information related to welding and allied processes. Since it is intended to be a comprehensive compilation of welding terminology, nonstandard terms used in the welding industry are also included. All terms are either standard or nonstandard.
A5.8M/A5.8:2019
SPECIFICATION FOR FILLER METALS FOR BRAZING AND BRAZE WELDING
This specification prescribes the requirements for the classification of brazing filler metals for brazing and braze welding. The chemical composition, physical form, and packaging of more than 120 brazing filler metals are specified.
A5.31M/A5.31:2022
SPECIFICATION FOR FLUXES FOR BRAZING AND BRAZE WELDING
This specification prescribes the requirements for classification of eighteen fluxes for brazing and braze welding. They are classified according to the filler metal, form, and activity temperature range.
B2.2/B2.2M:2016
SPECIFICATION FOR BRAZING PROCEDURE AND PERFORMANCE QUALIFICATION
This specification provides the requirements for qualification of brazing procedure specifications, brazers, and brazing operators for manual, mechanized, and automatic brazing.
B2.3/B2.3M:2018
SPECIFICATION FOR SOLDERING PROCEDURE AND PERFORMANCE QUALIFICATION
This specification provides the requirements for qualification of soldering procedure specifications, solderers, and soldering operators for manual, mechanized, and automatic soldering.
BRH:2007
BRAZING HANDBOOK, 5th EDITION
Updated and expanded. Provides a comprehensive, organized survey of the basics of brazing, processes, and applications. Addresses the fundamentals of brazing, brazement design, brazing filler metals and fluxes, safety and health, and many other topics.
C3.2M/C3.2:2019
STANDARD METHOD FOR EVALUATING THE STRENGTH OF BRAZED JOINTS
This standard describes the test methods used to obtain brazed strength data of the short-time testing of single-lap joints in shear, butt-tension, stress-rupture, creep-strength, four-point-bending, and ceramic-tensile-button specimens.
C3.3:2008 (R2016)
RECOMMENDED PRACTICES FOR THE DESIGN, MANUFACTURE, AND EXAMINATION OF CRITICAL BRAZED COMPONENTS
This standard lists the necessary steps to assure the suitability of brazed components for critical applications. Although such applications vary widely, they have certain common considerations with respect to materials, design, manufacture, and inspection.
C3.4M/C3.4:2016
SPECIFICATION FOR TORCH BRAZING
This specification presents the minimum fabrication, equipment, and process procedure requirements, as well as inspection requirements for the torch brazing of steels, stainless steels, copper, copper alloys, and heat- or corrosion-resistant alloys and other materials that can be adequately torch brazed.
C3.5M/C3.5:2016
SPECIFICATION FOR INDUCTION BRAZING
This specification provides the minimum fabrication, equipment, and process procedure requirements, as well as inspection requirements for the induction brazing of steels, copper, copper alloys, and heat- and corrosion-resistant alloys and other materials that can be adequately induction brazed.
C3.6M/C3.6:2016
SPECIFICATION FOR FURNACE BRAZING
This specification provides the minimum fabrication, equipment, material, process and procedure requirements, as well as inspection requirements for the furnace brazing of steels, copper, copper alloys, and heat- and corrosion-resistant alloys and other materials that can be adequately furnace brazed.
C3.7M/C3.7:2011
SPECIFICATION FOR ALUMINUM BRAZING (HISTORICAL)
Addresses the minimum fabrication, equipment, material, process procedure requirements, and inspection requirements for aluminum brazing using the atmosphere furnace, vacuum furnace, and flux processes. ANSI Approved.
C3.8M/C3.8:2020
SPECIFICATION FOR THE ULTRASONIC PULSE-ECHO EXAMINATION OF BRAZED JOINTS
This specification provides the minimum requirements for the ultrasonic pulse-echo examination of brazed joints.
C3.9M/C3.9:2020
SPECIFICATION FOR RESISTANCE BRAZING
This specification provides the minimum fabrication, equipment, material, and process procedure requirements, as well as discontinuity limits for the resistance brazing of steels, copper, copper alloys, heat- and corrosion-resistant alloys, and other materials that can be adequately resistance brazed.
C3.11M/C3.11:2024
SPECIFICATION FOR TORCH SOLDERING
This specification presents the minimum process and quality requirements for the torch soldering of ceramics, precious metals, and refractory metals, as well as the alloys of copper, iron, nickel, aluminum, magnesium, tin, lead, and zinc.
C3.12M/C3.12:2024
SPECIFICATION FOR FURNACE SOLDERING
This specification provides the minimum requirements for equipment, materials, processing procedures as well as inspection for metal and ceramic base materials that can be furnace soldered.
C3.14M/C3.14:2020
SPECIFICATION FOR FURNACE SOLDERING
This specification provides the minimum requirements for equipment, materials, processing procedures as well as inspection for metal and ceramic base materials that can be furnace soldered.
GHSP
Guideline for Hand Soldering Practices
This guideline will serve as a primer for students, instructors, process engineers, and technical managers involved with manufacturing processes that require hand soldering practices.
SHB:1999
SOLDERING HANDBOOK, SOFTBOUND, 3RD ED
Contains information related to soldering processes, and solder joint performance and reliability. Covers soldering fundamentals, technology, materials, substrate materials, fluxes, pastes, assembly processes, inspection, and environment.
Welding Journal – February 2025
- Producing Brazed Joints of Stainless Steel 316l By Wolfgang Tillmann and Julia Bültena
- New AWS Specifications for Torch and Furnace Soldering and Soldered Joint Mechanical Testing By Paul Vianco
- Technology News Prepared by Alexander E. Shapiro and Leo Shapiro
Welding Journal – October 2024
- Simple Machine-Learning Methods for Brazing and Welding By Alex Shapiro and Leo Shapiro
- Vacuum Soldering Benefits Synchrotron Light Source By Rafael Defavari, Daniel Yukio Kakizaki, Fernanda Regina Francisco, Rogério Dias Ribeiro, Matheus Amaro Feitosa, Rafael Molena Seraphim, Thiago Mendes Da Rocha, and Osmar Roberto Bagnato
- Technology News Prepared by Alexander E. Shapiro and Leo Shapiro
Welding Journal – October 2023
- Brazing & Soldering Lightweight Aluminum-Steel Structures for Automotive Applications By Alex Shapiro, Tristan J. Hamid, Madeleine S. Wilkin, and Thomas B. Riss
- A Case for Oxyacetylene Welding, Brazing, and Soldering in Welding Education By Samuel Chance
- Additive Braze Preforms Take Turbine Repair to a New Dimension By Scott Nelson and Justin Boreman
- A Comparison of Oxygen- vs. Air-Acetylene Torches By Nancy Jo Loebker
- Technology News Prepared by Alexander E. Shapiro and Leo Shapiro
Welding Journal – January 2022
- Perfecting Materials for Challenging Industrial Environments Using brazing to create wear-resistant surfaces and manufacture components with complex cooling structures By Sabrina Michelle Puidokas and Bernard Kuntzmann
- Technology News Prepared by Alexander E. Shapiro
Welding Journal – September 2021
- Finding Lost Revenue in Your Brazing Process This article explores potential opportunities to recover value in precious metals contained in used brazing alloys By Grayson Alexy
- Computational Modeling Demonstrated the Joint Clearance Effect on the Tensile Strength of Solder Joints A computational modeling study was performed to provide a quantitative assessment of joint strength as a function of the joint clearance and displacement rate By Paul T. Vianco and Michael K. Neilson
- How Automation Trends Influence Hand Soldering, Rework, and Repair Manufacturers of hand-soldering tools and equipment are driving new innovations to meet challenges and help improve productivity, quality, and cost management of hand-sodlering processes By Joshua Edberg
- Implementing Brazing Alloy Designs with Man-Machine Interaction A study on solving the long tail problem in the materials industry with machine learning By Leo A. Shapiro and Alexander E. Shapiro
- Technology News Prepared by Alexander E. Shapiro
Welding Journal – June 2020
- Brazing Titanium in AirThis study shows titanium can be brazed in air if the appropriate fluxes and alloys are used By Yehuda Baskin, William Avery, and Rebecca Zronek
- The Path to Braze Quality A comprehensive evaluation of the brazing process is necessary to improve production results By Robert Henson
- Technology News Prepared by Alexander Shapiro
Welding Journal – January 2019
- Brazing 101: Induction Heating The basics of this heating method, often used as a step in the brazing process, are explained By W.A. Morrison
- Filler Metal Control in Sinter BrazingThe ability to join two components while sintering has enabled the industry to broaden its capabilities By K.H. Bear et al
- Brazing with Photochemical-Etched Amorphous Filler Metal Preforms Amorphous brazing foils in a range of the thickness are ideal candidates for utilizing the photochemical etching process to manufacture preforms By W. Coughlan and E. Theisen
- Resistance Microwelding Best Practices in Braze Setup Resistance microwelding can be a useful and powerful tool in brazing setup operations By J. Kapur
Welding Journal – May 2018
- Techniques for Soldering to Aluminum Oxide removal, filler metal selection, and other elements for soldering to aluminum are considered By W.F. Avery and Y. Baskin
- Testing Options for Silver-Free Brazing Alloys Silver-free filler metals can decrease production costs By A. E. Shapiro
Welding Journal – May 2017
- Applying Brazing Fundamentals to the Sinter Brazing Process A better understanding of this emerging process can lead to greater success when producing complex parts By K.H. Bear et al
- What does ‘Certified’ Brazer Really Mean? The authors explain how brazers can be qualified to an industry standard By R. Henson and W.J. Sperko
Welding Journal – February 2016
- Understanding the Run-Out Behavior of a Ag-Cu-Zr Braze Alloy Modifying filler metal composition or using a barrier coating on Kover™ show promise in mitigating run-out By P.T. Vianco et al
- Techniques for Successful Aluminum Vacuum-Brazed Assemblies No need for that, high joint strength, lack of salt contamination, and capability for joining large surfaces and complex geometries are some of the advantages vacuum brazing has to offer. By R. Caracciolo et al
Welding Journal – November 2015
- Reliability Analysis of Pin-in-Hole Solder Joints Through-hole solder joints on a printed wiring assembly were evaluated for reliability By P.T. Vianco and M.K. Neilson
- Silver-Free Filler Metals Meet Strength Requirements in Brazed Joints Silver-free filler metals were analyzed on spreading area, joint strength, and miscrostructure By J.T. Marchal et al
- Aim for Small, Concave Braze Fillets This discussion explains what a braze fillet should look like and what to look for in inspecting it By D. Kay
Welding Journal – March 2015
- Evaluation of New Silver-Free Brazing Filler Metals The properties of brazements om low-carbon steel, stainless steel, and Ni-plated steel are characterized By M.J. Duffey et al.
- Brazing Process Promises Rapid Processing of Laminated Thin-Metals Panels A new generation of sandwiched metal sheets for lightweight applications is in the making By J. Gould and D. Cox
contact information
contact information
For ordering information, call 305-443-9353 (local) or 800-443-9353 (toll-free).
Internet: www.awspubs.com
Brazing and Soldering Forum: AWS Member Network