Solid-state explosive welding was developed largely in the 1960's and is still in sustained use today. It allows one to combine radically dissimilar materials without the typical problems associated with heat-affected zones and deleterious intermediate phases. The clear drawbacks of this technique include the need to store large amounts of explosives and the very large amounts of energy released upon discharge. We have recently found that similar solid state bonding can be developed using a projectile to strike two of aluminum sheets to form them into a constrained shape. Metallurgical bonding is obtained in regions where the sheets slide and/or strain significantly under large normal pressures, and strengths similar to those found in spot welds can be attained. We will show how dynamic finite element modeling can be used to understand and ultimately design for this process. The desired ultimate outcome is a technique that may compete with aluminum spot welding, which has significant drawbacks in joining aluminum.