Warplanes: March 20, 2000

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Pulsar Ltd of Israel reports inventing a new welding process that uses no fillers, consumes no gases, and causes no fumes. The system, dubbed Cold Weld, uses an intense magnetic field to create a true molecular bond between two pieces of metal. Pulsar says that heating is minimal, metallurgical properties are not affected, and it can weld two dissimilar metals, such as steel and aluminum. If the process proves practical, it could revolutionize the construction of aircraft and of military vehicles.--Stephen V Cole