Patent ID: 7234625

Claim:
An apparatus for connection of workpieces using a friction stir welding method, said apparatus comprising: a shaft which can be driven such that it rotates; a pin-like projection arranged at an end remote from a drive end of the shaft; a first stop, which is formed by a first shoulder, is arranged on an end of the pin-like projection, with the first shoulder having a diameter which is larger than the diameter of the pin-like projection, and a second stop, which is formed from a second shoulder and is arranged such that the workpieces to be connected can be enclosed between the stops, in that at least one of the stops can be moved translationally in order to enclose the workpieces with a predetermined force in the direction of the other stop, wherein the second shoulder or the second stop is designed such that it can be rotated, and the first and the second shoulder or the first and the second stop are concurrently rotatable in opposite rotational directions.