Tig soldering: the revolution
Utopia and its Dutch partners brought high-tech to frame construction 15 years ago. This made our frames lighter and more stable.
TIG (tungsten inert gas) soldering is a special type of processing that is gentle on the frame tube. The material is briefly heated with an electric arc, and solder is automatically added.
The solder spreads around the pipe, creates a large contact area and strengthens the connection.
With this complex process, the thin-walled CrMo steel is not weakened by high soldering temperatures. This makes the connection very firm and (almost) indestructible, even without sleeves.
In the past, silver solder was used when soldering thin-walled tubes. It melts at lower heat than brass solder. But the silver solder flux has come under fire because it can cause lung cancer. After a long test phase, the switch was made 15 years ago. With success: the quality of the frame construction has clearly improved since then.
This type of soldering requires a very complex pipe preparation. All tubes must be machined with a CNC milling machine or tube laser cutters with very low tolerances. The connection must fit perfectly, this is the only way to guarantee the subsequent strength.
It was very important to involve the employees well in this lengthy process in order to achieve sustainability in the complicated production process. After all, the consumer wants an optimally strong, reliable product.
This processing has significantly increased the technical effort and the working time for a frame by around 60%. The strength of the frame is greater than that of a socket connection, but it is lighter - and more elegant.