CD (capacitor discharge) stud welders utilize a capacitor storage system to produce a rapid electrical discharge, resulting in fast, high-integrity welds, even on thin-gauge materials.  In contrast to arc welds, CD welds do not require ceramic ferrules or gas. The direct-current arc creates a shorter weld time, renders oxidation and heat concentration provided by ferrules and fluxes unnecessary.
CD Stud Welding
CD stud welding is used only for welding small-diameter studs to thin sheets of metal. Because this method makes it possible to create a weld without the burn showing on the opposite side of the sheet, CD welding is mostly used in areas where it is important to avoid marring the appearance of the base metal. Because CD welds are so shallow, metallurgical problems are not an issue—meaning that dissimilar metals can be welded together without complication.
PFS’s CD weld studs range in diameter from 4-40 to 3/8, and are manufactured from AISI 1006-1020 low-carbon steel, 300 series stainless steel, copper alloy 260 and 268, and 1100, 5000, and 6061 series aluminum alloy. Any base metal with a thickness under 0.062 in. (1.6 mm) should be welded using CD studs—and even base metals as thin as 0.020 in. (0.5 mm) can be stud welded using capacitor discharge without melt-through occurring. To ensure time control and precision, our CD studs all have tip or projection on the weld end. The weld base itself can be flanged or non-flanged.
All of PFS’s CD weld studs are approved by the American Welding Society and ASTM. With our CD studs, every weld you make will be accurate, clean, and repeatable, even on thin-gauge materials. Scroll down to view our selection of CD weld studs, or click on the Tensile/Torque Chart button to the lower right to view a PDF of a chart detailing the specifications for each of our CD studs.