There are various types of welding processes (equipment) available. Each have their pro’s and con’s. Some processes are more suited to a particular type of material to be welded, and some types of machine are more suited to a location, or thickness of material to be welded. It also comes down to the cost of buying the equipment, the cost of consumables, etc…
Topics
For the purpose of this article, I’m looking at the most widely used welding process:
One of the cheapest methods of welding. You will need:
Available in a variety of different materials and sizes. The welding electrodes are covered in flux, so no need for a shielding gas when welding. Don’t store you’re arc welding electrodes in a damp place, as the flux around them can absorb moisture.
Arc Welding – Names Used | Abbreviations |
---|---|
Arc Welding | – |
Electric Arc Welding | – |
Stick Welding | – |
Stick Electrode Welding | – |
Manual Metal Arc | MMA |
Manual Metal Arc Welding | MMAW |
Shielded Metal Arc Welding | SMAW |
Electric arc (stick) welding, tends to be used for more heavy duty welding, such as metal plate and box sections. It is a bit too brutal on thin materials. Typically used on steel and cast iron.
A more expensive process than stick (arc) welding (in terms of equipment and consumables). You will need:
The difference between MIG and MAG welding is the type of gas used. With MIG the ‘I’ is for Inert gas, and with MAG the ‘A’ is for Active gas.
Available in different size spools, size wire and materials.
Mig Welding – Names Used | Abbreviations |
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MIG | – |
Metal Inert Gas | MIG |
Gas Metal Arc Welding | GMAW |
MAG | – |
Metal Active Gas | MAG |
With MIG welding, you can weld thinner materials. Generally used on steel and aluminium. It can be used on other materials, but the gas type and the complete spool of wire has to be changed to the correct type.
Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW/MIG). A more expensive process (in terms of equipment and consumables) than stick (arc) welding. You will need:
1 a gas MIG welder may need tweaking to take flux cored wire.
Available in different size spools, size wire and materials.
Flux Cored Welding – Names Used | Abbreviations |
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Flux Cored Welding | – |
Gasless MIG | MIG (gasless) |
Flux Cored Arc Welding | FCAW |
Flux Cored Arc | FCA |
You can weld thinner materials. Generally used on steel. It can be used on other materials, but the complete spool of flux cored wire has to be changed to the correct type. Gasless Flux Cored Arc Welding is useful outdoors in windy conditions where the shielding gas can be dispersed by the wind. The equipment is also more portable as you don’t have a gas bottle.
One of the least common DIY tools for welding. I suspect this is because you need to hire two gas bottles, purchase two regulators etc. You will need:
Filler rods for gas welding can be different to TIG filler rods. For instance, gas brazing rods may contain zinc which boils off and causes a mess with TIG welding, so check you have the correct type. For TIG you need silicon bronze (with no flux).
Gas Welding – Names Used | Abbreviations |
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Gas Welding | – |
Oxy-Acetylene Welding | – |
Oxy-Gasoline Welding | – |
Butane/Propane Welding | – |
Hydrogen Welding | – |
Methylacetylene-propadiene-petroleum | MAPP |
Gas welding can weld thin material, but you can have issues with heat distortion. Generally used on thin steel and for brazing (it can also be used for cutting (burning) and heating processes). Typically used on steel and brazing alloys.
One of the more expensive methods of welding, (more than stick welding and MIG, in terms of equipment and consumables). You will need:
Filler rods for TIG welding can be different to gas filler rods. For instance, gas brazing rods may contain zinc4 which boils off and causes a mess with TIG welding, so check you have the correct type. For TIG you need silicon bronze (with no flux).
TIG Welding – Names Used | Abbreviations |
---|---|
TIG Welding | – |
Tungsten Inert Gas | TIG |
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding | GTAW |
Tig welding is versatile, as you can weld thinner materials and have more control over the welding process. It’s a bit like an electric version of a gas welder (where you use filler rods). Often tig welders double up as stick (electric arc) welders. So you get the best of both worlds. It can be used on steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium and various alloys.
What Material can be Welded With a TIG? | ||||
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Material | Types of TIG Welding Machine | |||
DC | AC | ARC (MMA) | Plasma5 (Cutting) | |
Steel | Y | Y | Y | |
Stainless Steel | Y | Y | Y | |
Aluminiun Alloys | Y | Y1 | Y | |
Chromoly | Y | Y2 | Y | |
Copper | Y3 | Y3 | 4 | |
Brass | Y3 | Y3 | 4 | |
Cast Iron | Y | Y1 | Y | |
Nickel | Y | Y | Y | |
Magnesium | Y | Y | ||
Titanium | Y | Y |
In many cases, there will be claims that you can weld X with method Y. This can often be true, but it may be a more difficult process, or the quality of the finished weld may not be as good?
The table below gives an idea on what the best process is for the type of material to be welded.
Welding – What Material can be Welded? | ||||||
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Material | Type of Welding | |||||
Stick | MIG | MAG | MIG (Gasless) | Gas | TIG | |
Steel | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Stainless Steel | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Aluminiun Alloys | Y1 | Y | Y | Y | Y2 | |
Chromoly | Y3 | Y3 | Y3 | Y3 | Y | |
Copper | Y4 | Y4 | Y4 | Y4 | Y4 | |
Brass | Y1,4 | Y4 | Y4 | Y4 | Y4 | |
Cast Iron | Y | Y1 | Y1 | Y1,6 | Y | |
Nickel | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
Magnesium | Y | Y | Y7 | Y2 | ||
Titanium | Y | Y | Y | |||
Power ⚡ Required | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y |
Welding gases provide a shield around the welding arc to prevent oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen (contained in the air around us) from affecting the quality of the weld.
Some processes use a flux instead of a shielding gas. For instance, stick welding uses a flux covered welding rod. For this reason, stick, gas, and flux cored wire welding are omitted from the table…
Welding – What Gas do I Use? | |||||||
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Sugested Gas Mixture | Material | ||||||
Carbon Steel | Stainless Steel | Aluminium (Alum’m & Copper Alloys) | |||||
Type of Welding | |||||||
MIG | TIG | MIG | TIG | MIG | TIG | ||
Argon (100%) | *** | ** | * | ** | |||
Argon/Helium (70/30%) | * | * | *** | *** | |||
Argon/Helium (98/2%) | *** | ||||||
Argon/Helium/Carbon Dioxide (68/20/12%) | *** | ||||||
Argon/Carbon Dioxide/Oxygen (90.5/7/2.5%) | *** | ||||||
Argon/Carbon Dioxide/Oxygen (82.5/15/2.5%) | *** | ||||||
Argon/Helium/Carbon Dioxide (63/35/2%) | *** | ||||||
Argon/Helium/Carbon Dioxide (63/35/2%) | *** | ||||||
Argon/Carbon Dioxide (98/2%) | *** |
With TIG welding, the table above highlights that pure argon, can be used with three different materials (with a 2 or 3 star rating). Whereas MIG welding (in most cases) needs a different gas for each material.
If you are buying welding equipment, you may need to consider what other welding tasks you want complete, (as this may influence the type of welding equipment you use)..? E.g. Some TIG welders can also work as a stick welder and as a plasma cutter.
You also need to consider if you want professional grade, or general DIY equipment, as the cost can be vastly different.
Where does the welder come from? If you are using a welding set for a business, you may not want to wait weeks for a repair, so purchasing a cheaper Chinese welder may not be your best option. Not because of reliability, but where you have to send it to get it repaired?
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