Eli5: What is the difference between soldering and welding?
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Contrary to what others have said, it is not necessary to melt any material to achieve a weld. Friction stir welding for example has no filler and the base material is not melted. Welding does typically (but not always) require heat though.
The characteristic feature of a weld is that the two materials have fused together at a molecular level, rather than simply sitting next to each other with an adhesive material in between. This is easiest to achieve at high temperatures because the molecules of the material can be repositioned more easily, allowing them to merge fully at the weld.
There is also brazing which is basically soldering but for structural applications, where soldering is more about achieving electrical continuity.
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