We supply Class 2 Copper, Glidcop, Molybdenum, Copper-Tungsten, and Pure Tungsten electrode materials.

Our square and round rods are typically precision ground, though a few are available as unground drawn rod.  Please specify your size and required tolerance when requesting a quote.

Many more sizes and materials are available than are listed here. 

Advanced Integrated Technologies Inc ( AIT ) supplies RWMA electrode materials used in the resistance welding and reflow soldering industries, including Glidcop and Molybdenum. Our business of manufacturing welding electrodes, reflow soldering thermodes, and hot bars has led us to stock various sizes and quantities of these exotic alloys. Glidcop is an alloy with a minimum mill order close to one thousand dollars. Many companies who wish to make their own electrodes don’t wish to buy that large a quantity of material from the mill. We sell Glidcop, Molybdenum, and many other RWMA electrode materials in sizes commonly used for micro resistance welding, and we have no minimum order quantity. Listed below are a few of the most common materials and sizes that we stock, but we have many other metals and sizes available including Berylium Copper, Copper Tungsten, Haynes 230, Nickel 200, Hastelloy, Tantalum, Inconnel 600, Inconnel 601, Inconnel 750, Monel 400, Tungsten HD17, 2% Thoriated Tungsten, and Titanium 6AL4V. Call AIT today if you need to buy Glidcop or other RWMA alloys.

Many electrode compositions are in common use in resistance welding. The choice is usually determined by the materials to be welded. AIT offers an electrode material selection chart at below. Six different electrode compositions are described below and may be ordered from AIT. The user’s selection of welding metals is not restricted, however, to those listed here.

•  RWMA Class 1, Copper-Zirconium Alloy: suitable for welding aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, coated materials, brass and bronzes.
•  RWMA Class 2, Copper-Chromium Alloy: (Glidcop is often substituted for this alloy) This welding metal may be used to weld iron-base, nickel-base, cobalt-base, and chromium-base alloys. Class 2 electrodes are the most versatile general purpose alloys. AIT still builds many class 2 electrodes, but most customers are switching to Glidcop due to its superior qualities.
•  RWMA Class 3, Copper-Cobalt-Beryllium Alloy: Having the same general applications as the RWMA Class 2 above, this metal sacrifices a small amount of conductivity for increased hardness. The characteristic hardness of Class 3 materials make them desirable for use as electrode-jigs and fixtures in high-production applications.
•  RWMA Class 11, Copper-Tungsten Alloy: This material is used only as an insert in copper shanks. Generally, this class is used on precious metals and copper-base alloys. If sticking is evident, change to a Molybdenum or Class 13 electrode material.
•  RWMA Class 13, Tungsten: Also used as an insert in a copper shank, Class 13 metals are used for copper, copper-base alloys and precious metals. The material is difficult to form into special shapes and fractures easily.
•  RWMA Class 14, Molybdenum Alloys: These are the most popular electrode metals for welding copper-base and other highly conductive alloys. They minimize the sticking often encountered with copper-alloy electrodes.

Glicop is a dispersion strengthened copper with 0.15% aluminum oxide, 68B Rockwell hardness, 92% conductivity. This material offers longer life, greater thermal stability, and higher strength than RWMA 2. Glidcop is generally interchangeable with RWMA 2 (class 2 copper) without changing schedules. Many customers are switching from Class 2 to Glidcop with good results.  We can supply your RWMA electrode materials.  Call us today for more details.

Electrode Shanks

Back Up Electrodes

Call us today at 1-888-304-4367 for assistance!

Click here for available models.

Although the Hughes Welder has not been manufactured for several years now, Advanced Integrated Technologies Inc ( AIT ) still supplies electrodes  and new replacement welders for the obsolete Hughes Welder designs. Today we distribute and recommend the Avio welder and the Sunstone Welder, both of which are excellent replacements for the obsolete Hughes Welder. Request a quote from us today on a welder, electrodes, or any other items you may need related to micro welding or soldering. Our customer support team is standing by.

Advanced Integrated Technologies Inc ( AIT ) has been building electrodes and hot bar thermodes for all styles and models of the Hughes Welder, as well as all other brands of welders and hot bar bonding machines, since 1982. Our product line includes many standard designs of parallel gap and opposed electrodes. We also manufacture many designs of hot bar and fold up thermodes for reflow soldering and heat seal bonding. AIT’s products are top quality and very economical by comparison to those of original equipment manufacturers. Much of our business involves custom design and manufacturing of electrodes and thermodes for customers requiring special applications. If you are running the Hughes Welder or any other welding or soldering equipment, call us today for more information.

The concept for using welding technology for interconnection of electronic connections was first proposed by a Hughes’ Aircraft research scientist in 1954. Hughes Aircraft went on to develop and manufacture the Hughes Welder under the Hughes Technology Products Division of the Hughes Industrial Electronics Group in Carlsbad, California.

Advanced Integrated Technologies Inc came on the micro welding scene in about 1982. Hughes was developing a microparallel gap welding tool called a duo tip. They were unable to get these micro tools successfully built anywhere in California. Paul Balentine, founder of AIT, successfully built the micro tools by grinding them on a lathe fitted with a tool post grinder. Later when he had secured the contract he built a specialized grinding station with a camera and overlay system to control the grinding process. AIT was the first to build these micro parallel gap welding electrodes for the Hughes Welder, and continues to be the industry leader today.

In the 1970's, Palomar Technologies was established within the Assembly and Test Products line of Hughes Aircraft Industrial Products Division. For a while the Hughes Welder was often called the Palomar Hughes Welder. Eventually through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the core Hughes Welder technology was absorbed into the Unitek Miyachi product line which still operates today. Advanced Integrated Technologies Inc ( AIT ) supplies resistance welding electrodes and reflow solder tips for Unitek Miyachi welders and reflow soldering machines. There are however many Hughes and Palomar Hughes Welders still in use today, which is why AIT is the largest and most well known supplier of tools for these machines.

Advanced Integrated Technologies Inc ( AIT ) has a standard product line, but is not limited to that product line alone. Over 50% of our business is designing and building custom tools for customers’ unique applications. Our combination of manufacturing experience and efficiency allow us to build affordable tools for the Hughes Welder and Unitek style welders and soldering machines.

The Sunstone welder is an American made welder of good quality and good customer support.   Sunstone manufactures capacitive discharge spot welders, AC welders, and pulse arc welders.  A good selection of Sunstone products are listed on this page, and you can request a quote for any of this by calling us or submitting a contact form. Please note that all Sunstone equipment prices are fixed by the manufacturer.  Although we are not allowed to  discount the price of the welder, we can offer other discounts on shipping and electrodes if you purchase from us.  If you are shopping for weld equipment, take advantage of our free test weld offer.  We can evaluate your product samples, perform a variety of weld tests, and recommend the best equipment for your application.

About Avio Welders

The Avio welder is a technologically advanced welder of excellent quality and good customer support.   Nippon Avionics manufactures capacitive discharge spot welders, AC welders, transistor welders (linear DC), inverter welders, and hybrid battery tab welders.  A good selection of Avio products are listed on this page, and you can request a quote for any of this by calling us or submitting a contact form.  If you are shopping for weld equipment, take advantage of our free test weld offer.  We can evaluate your product samples, perform a variety of weld tests, and recommend the best equipment for your application.

Welding Power Supplies

Avio Power Supplies will not be listed in detail on this page.  They are listed on the Capacitive Discharge Welder, AC Spot Welder, Inverter Spot Welder, Linear DC Welder, and Battery Tab Welder pages of this website

Weld Head Components Illustration

Opposed Weld Head Illustration	Parallel / Series Weld Head Illustration

 

Parallel Orientation

 

 

Opposed Orientation

 

 

Monolithic Head

 

 

Modular Head

 

 

Parallel Gap Head

 

 

Series Head

 

 

 

 NA-54A

 

 

Features	NA-54A
Pressure Range (N)	7.8-44.1
Electrode Stroke	10mm Max
Depth Dimension of Pocket	50mm
Driving Method	Manual
Applicable Electrode	EL-125 Series
Dimensions (mm)	30x195x47
Weld Cable	1500mm

 

NA-54LA

 

 

Features	NA-54LA
Pressure Range (N)	7.8-44.1
Electrode Stroke	-
Depth Dimension of Pocket	-
Driving Method	Manual
Applicable Electrode	EL-54L
Dimensions (mm)	30x195x47
Weld Cable	1500mm

 

NA-57A

 

Features	NA-57A
Pressure Range (N)	9.8-49
Electrode Stroke	-
Depth Dimension of Pocket	-
Driving Method	Manual
Applicable Electrode	Specialized for NA-57A
Dimensions (mm)	36Φ xD207mm
Weld Cable	1500mm

 

  NA-58A

 

 

Features	NA-58A
Pressure Range (N)	Manual
Electrode Stroke	1mm Max
Depth Dimension of Pocket	75mm
Driving Method	Manual
Applicable Electrode	Specialized for NA-58A
Dimensions (mm)	24x16x157
Weld Cable	1100mm

Some welding applications don't fit well in a weld head, or require more flexibility. Hand held welding attachments allow welding of complex geometries. Also hand held attachments are less expensive than weld heads. Welding attachments are easy to use, require low maintenance, and provide a lot of flexibility for small production runs or laboratory applications. Review the information below for technical data and images of the various hand pieces available.

 

 

 

PTHP LP - Pressure Actuated Tweezer
Hand Piece

Features:

• Opposed welding hand piece
• Accepts 3/16” electrodes
• 1 pair of RWMA II electrodes (EL187RWMA-ANG)
• Molybdenum electrodes available
• Pressure Range 0.5 – 6 lbf
• 8 AWG cabling standard

 

 

 

(PTHP LP) Pressure-Actuated Tweezer Hand Piece - Low Power
Spring Force	1 - 6 lbs
Electrode Size	3/16”
Dimensions	.75" x 2.5" x 7"
Weight	.56 lb / .25 kg
CD Welder	100 - 1000 (ws)
AWG for CD	8 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA
AWG for kVA	4 AWG

 

 PTHP MP - Pressure Actuated Tweezer
Hand Piece

Features:

• Opposed welding hand piece
• Accepts 3/16” electrodes
• 1 pair of RWMA II copper electrodes
• Tungsten electrodes available
• Pressure Range 1 – 10 lbf
• 4 AWG cabling standard

 

 

 

(PTHP-MP) Pressure-Actuated Tweezer Hand Piece - Medium Power
Spring Force	1 - 10 lbs
Electrode Size	3/16”
Dimensions	1" x 3" x 6"
Weight	1.3 lb / .59 kg
CD Welder	100 - 1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	4 AWG - 1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	2.5 kVA
AWG for kVA	3 AWG

 

 

PTHP HP - Pressure Actuated Tweezer
Hand Piece

Features:

• Opposed welding hand piece
• Accepts 3/16” electrodes
• 1 pair of RWMA II copper electrodes
• Tungsten electrodes available
• Pressure Range 1 – 10 lbf
• 1 AWG cabling standard

 

 

(PTHP-HP) Pressure-Actuated Tweezer Hand Piece - High Power
Spring Force	1 - 10 lbs
Electrode Size	3/16"
Dimensions	1" x 3" x 6"
Weight	1.4 lb / .64 kg
CD Welder	1000 ws
Wire AWG	1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	5.0 kVA
AWG for kVA	3 AWG

 

 

 PASP HP CP - Pressure-Activated Single
Probe Hand Piece Alligator Clip

 

 Features:

• Pressure-actuated for repeatability
• Adjustable pressure set-point
• For hard-to-reach welds
• 1/8” RWMA II Electrode
• Large alligator clip for simple setup
• 6 AWG cabling standard

 

 

 

 

PASP - Alligator Clip
Spring Force	1 -6 lbs
Electrode Size	1/8"
Dimensions	1.125" x 3.5" x 9"
Weight	3.35 lb / 1.5 kg
CD Welder	100-1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	6 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	2.5 kVA

 

 

 PASP HP MAG - Pressure-Activated
Single Probe Hand Piece Magnetic

Features:

• Pressure-actuated for repeatability
• Adjustable pressure set-point
• For hard-to-reach welds
• 1/8” RWMA II Electrode
• Large magnetic clip for simple setup (iron base material)
• 6 AWG cabling standard

 

 

PASP - Magnetic Clip
Spring Force	1 -6 lbs
Electrode Size	1/8"
Dimensions	1.125" x 3.5" x 9"
Weight	3.35 lb
CD Welder	300-1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	6 AWG - 1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	2.5 kVA

 

 PASP HP H - Pressure-Activated Single
Probe Hand Piece Honeycomb

Features:

• Pressure-actuated for repeatability
• Adjustable pressure set-point
• Honeycomb Tack Electrode (either radiused or Flat)
• Large alligator clip for simple setup
• 1 AWG cabling standard

 

 

 

 

PASP - Honeycomb
Electrode Size	1/4”
Dimensions	1.125" x 3.5" x 9"
Weight	4 lbs / 1.8 kg
CD Welder	1000 ws
Wire AWG	4 AWG - 1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	5.0 kVA

 

 

 SPHP - Single Probe Hand Piece

Features:

• 1/4” diameter copper shank
• 8 AWG cabling

 

 

 

(SPHP) Single Probe Hand Piece
Electrode Size	1/4"
Weight	0.55 lb / 0.25 kg
CD Welder	200-1000 ws
AWG for CD	8 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA
AWG for kVA	4 AWG

 

 DPHP - Dual Probe Hand Piece

Features:

• 1/4” diameter RWMA II copper shank
• 8 AWG cabling

 

 

 

 

(DPHP) Dual Probe Hand Piece
Electrode Size	1/4"
Weight	.65 lbs
CD Welder	200-1000 ws
AWG for CD	8 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA
AWG for kVA	4 AWG

 

 

 THP - Tweezer Hand Piece

 

Features:

• Opposed welding hand piece

 

 

 

(THP) Tweezer Hand Piece
Copper Bar Size	1.2" x 1/16"
Weight	.8 lbs
CD Welder	200-1000 ws
AWG for CD	8 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA
AWG for kVA	4 AWG

 

PG2

 

Pistol Grip Hand Piece with Button Trigger. Accepts
threaded electrodes.

 

Features:

• Easy to handle
• Conveniently placed trigger switch

 

 

 

PGHP - Poke Gun Hand Piece
Electrode Size	3/8”
Dimensions (W x H x L)	1” x 3” x 6”
Weight lb/kg	1.3 lb / .59 kg
CD Welder (ws)	100 - 1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	Wire AWG 4 AWG - 1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	2.5 kVA

 

 

PASP HP RS - Pressure-Activated Single
Probe Hand Piece Roll Spot
Features:
• Pressure-actuated for repeatability
• Adjustable pressure set-point
• 2” copper wheel (EL-ROLL)
• Large alligator clip for simple setup
• 1 AWG cabling standard

 

PASP - Roll Spot
Electrode Size	1/4” Shank
Dimensions (W x H x L)	1.125” x 3.5” x 9”
Weight lb/kg	1.3 lb / .59 kg
CD Welder (ws)	100 - 1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	Wire AWG 4 AWG - 1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	2.5 kVA

 
SPHP LP

Features:

• 1/4” diameter brass shank
• 8 AWG cabling
• Accepts 1/16” or 2mm diameter electrode

 

 

 

Single Probe Hand Piece - Low Power
Electrode Size	1/16”
Weight lb/kg	1.5 lb / 0.68 k
CD Welder (ws)	100 - 400 (ws)
Wire AWG	8 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA

 
SPHP MP

 

Features:

• 5/8” diameter brass shank
• 4 AWG cabling
• Accepts 1/8” diameter electrode

 

 

 

 

Single Probe Hand Piece - Medium Power
Electrode Size	1/8”
Weight lb/kg	2 lb / 0.9 kg
CD Welder (ws)	320 - 1000 (ws)
AWG for CD	4 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA

 

SPHP HP

Features:

• 7/8” diameter brass shank
• 1 AWG cabling
• Accepts 3/16” diameter electrode

 

 

 

Single Probe Hand Piece - High Power
Electrode Size	3/16”
Weight lb/kg	3.5 lb / 1.6 kg
CD Welder (ws)	320 - 1000 (ws)
AWG	1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA

 

DPHP Micro

 

Features:

• For thermalcompression bonding
• 10 AWG cabling

 

 

 

Dual Probe Hand Piece - Micro
Electrode Size	1/8” Shank
Weight lb/kg	2 lb / 1 kg
DC Welder (ws)	DCD 320/DC-5
AWG	10 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 2.5 kVA

DPHP LP

 

Features:

 

• 1/4” diameter brass shank
• 8 AWG cabling
• Accepts 1/16” diameter electrodes

 

 

 

Dual Probe Hand Piece - Low Power
Electrode Size	1/16”
Weight lb/kg	2 lbs / 0.9 kg
CD Welder (ws)	100 - 1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	8 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA

DPHP MP

 

Features:

• 5/8” diameter brass shank
• 4 AWG cabling
• Accepts 1/8” diameter electrodes

 

 

 

DPHP MP - Dual Probe Hand Piece - Medium Power
Electrode Size	1/8”
Weight lb/kg	2 lbs / 0.9 kg
CD Welder (ws)	100 - 1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	4 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA

DPHP HP

 

Features:

• 7/8” diameter brass shank
• 1 AWG cabling
• Accepts 3/16” diameter electrodes

 

 

 

DPHP LP - Dual Probe Hand Piece - High Power
Electrode Size	3/16”
Weight lb/kg	3 lb / 1.36 kg
CD Welder (ws)	100 - 1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA

 

 

HP RWMA Package

 

Hand Piece RWMA II Package includes Sunstone’s
DPHP, SPHP, & THP-A weld attachments.

 

Features:

• Opposed welding hand piece
• 1/4” diameter RWMA II copper shank
• 8 AWG cabling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tweezer Hand Piece (RWMA)
Copper Bar Size	1/2” x 1/16”
Weight lb/kg	2.5 lb / 0.36 kg
CD Welder (ws)	100 - 1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	8 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA

 

THP-P

Features:

• Air-actuated tweezer-style hand piece
• Force ranges: 5-50lbs
• Adjustable throat up to 1.75”
• 1” Stroke Distance
• Designed to integrate with Sunstone’s ACS
• Can use 1/8” opposed electrodes

 

 

 

THP P - Pneumatic Tweezer Hand Piece
Force	5 - 50 lbs
Copper Bar Size	1/2” x 1/16”
Weight lb/kg	2.5 lb / 0.36 kg
CD Welder (ws)	100 - 1000 (ws)
Wire AWG	1 AWG
AC Welder (kVA)	1.5 kVA - 5.0 kVA

PG EL125 - Adapter

 

Threaded adapter for the Poke hand pieces, accepts
a 1/8th inch electrode.

 

 

 PG EL187 - Adapter

 

Threaded adapter for the Poke hand pieces, accepts
a 3/16th inch electrode.

 

 

 

 PG EL

 

3/8” Diameter, Tapered Copper Electrode
(threaded) for PG2 and PG1

 

PG EL-Roll T

 

 2” Copper Wheel electrode, threaded fitting style.

 

PG EL-Roll C

 

 2” Copper Wheel electrode, compression fitting
style.

 

 

PASP 2

Pressure-Actuated Single Probe Hand Piece

AIT Offers the AVIO line of Ultra Precision Micro Spot Welders

Providing you with equipment and technical support
Lower prices on equipment and electrodes than other manufacturers
Shorter lead time, especially on electrodes
Free test welds and excellent customer support

 

 

 

Real  Time Welding Wave Form Display

 

 

 

PID Adjustment - Before and After

 

 

 

Welding Wave Form