Patent ID: 7909231

Claim:
A method for modifying control parameters of a friction stir welding machine being used with high melting temperature materials and being operated by a control program, said control program having a nested control loop architecture comprising the steps of: 1) determining a temperature of a friction stir welding tool being used on high melting temperature workpiece materials; 2) comparing the tool temperature to a tool temperature set point; 3) modifying a current control parameter if the tool temperature is not the same as the tool temperature set point, or returning to step 1) if the tool temperature is the same; 4) determining if a minimum or maximum boundary value of the current control parameter has been reached, and either returning to step 1) if the minimum or maximum boundary value of the current control parameter has not been reached, or proceeding to step 5) if the current control parameter has reached the minimum or the maximum boundary value; and 5) changing the current control parameter to a next control parameter and returning to step 1) and repeating all the steps but making the next control parameter the current control parameter being used to modify the tool temperature wherein each control parameter is selected from a plurality of control parameters by the nested control loop architecture.