<p>Dissimilar metals possess distinct physical and mechanical characteristics, making their mechanical bonding challenging. This study investigates the effect of welding parameters and taper geometry in friction welding (FW). It focuses on the quality of joints formed between stainless steel 304 and the nickel-based super-alloy Inconel 718. Experiments were conducted by varying key process parameters such as rotational speed (rpm), forging force (T), and friction time (s). Microstructural analysis confirmed the successful bonding of the two dissimilar metals. Comparative evaluations of Vickers microhardness, tensile strength, and bending strength were performed across the weld zone. Taguchi L27 orthogonal array was used to design the experiments. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio were then employed to study the which influences of process variables on joint quality. Fractographic analysis revealed ductile fracture characterized by dimple rupture. The results showed that rotational speed is a major factor influencing weld strength. Furthermore, the developed 3-4-3 Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model exhibited strong predictive performance. It achieved R² values of 0.929, 0.893, and 0.938 for Vickers microhardness, tensile strength, and bending strength, respectively. These results demonstrate a close agreement between the experimental data and the predicted outcomes. Since limited research exists on the friction welding of stainless steel 304 and Inconel 718 under varied welding parameters, this study also provides valuable insight into the optimal parameter range required for achieving sound joints</p>