The different welding methods
If you’re building almost anything that uses metal, from a nuclear submarine to a laptop computer, one thing you’ll need to be able to do is join metals together. In this article, we will discuss what welding is, the different methods involved, and why it is important. According to Wikipedia, Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together. In a nutshell, welding is a way of tightly bonding two metals by melting them where they meet.
Welding 101
One of the most dynamic subsets of the skilled crafts is welding. Welding is a crucial component in shipbuilding, vehicle manufacture and maintenance, aerospace applications, engineering, and infrastructure due to the variety of viable applications and the process’ essential utility. A company such as UltraScan is one of the leading service providers offering quality 3rd-party QA/QC welding inspection.
Welding is required in most if not all industries such as oil & gas, marine ship Repair, power generation, sugar, pulp & paper, petrochemical, mining, general engineering, as well as manufacturing & fabrication. Let’s now take a look at different welding methods.
Different welding methods
Metal inert gas (MIG) welding is common in construction, automotive, and marine manufacturing and repair. In this process, a thin wire is heated and forms an electric arc with the base material. The heat from the arc is used to join the two pieces together. While gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is fast and easy to learn, it requires using gas, such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, argon, or helium to protect the weld from external contaminants.
Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is an advanced technique used on thin, nonferrous materials, such as aluminum, copper, lead, and nickel. TIG welding produces lightweight, durable, high-quality welds and is commonly found in bicycle and aircraft manufacturing. The process is among the most difficult welding techniques to master, but also one of the most popular. It’s also expensive.
Shielded metal arc welding, commonly referred to as stick welding, is an affordable, manual process, and one of the most common welding techniques. Stick welding uses a heated and coated electrode, or “stick,” to fuse materials without shielding gas. While it’s versatile and easy, stick welding tends to produce less durable results than those produced by other methods.
Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) is similar to the MIG process but, because the hot wire can produce shielding agents on its own, it is more versatile and easier to master. Because it can be practiced outdoors, it is extremely popular for construction projects.
Final words
UltraScan was established over three decades ago to meet the specific requirements of customers in the welding field. We opened our doors in 1982 and have since, till date managed to maintain a consistently high quality of on-site services. We specialize in quality custom manufacturing, machining, and welding. Whether you need heavy-duty welding or custom welding services, we are only a call away.
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