Different Types of Welding

February 5, 2020

Contents

1 Types of Welding

Types of Welding

Welding is a process of fastened of two or more pieces of metal or thermoplastic by use of pressure and heat. In this process, the heat is applied to soften the material which helps to affix with each other in a joint area and the pressure is applied at the joint area. There are many types of welding.The welding is started in the middle ages but it is not as it happens today until the 19^th century. The earlier process is known as ‘forge welding’ and it is the only process used to join two metals together. In the forge welding with the flame two metals heated on extremely high temperatures and hammer each piece until they become a single piece.

This method is changing with time and electric and gas heating is used which is very safe and fast for welders. As there are different types of welding, welders can choose from many areas. Welders can choose from a variety of welding types and become specialize in pipe welding, automobile welding and in other special types of welding.

There are many welding types and also it is categorized location wise like underwater, high rise buildings, etc. In some types of welding, the gas is used, some are electrical and some also use a laser. The welding is used on a variety of factors like the thickness of the material and which method is suitable for welding.

In this article, we provide information about different types of welding like Arc, Electroslag, Flux-Cored, Gas Metal-Arc, Gas Tungsten-Arc, Metal Inert Gas, Plasma Arc, Shielded-Metal Arc, Gas Tungsten-Arc, Metal Inert Gas, Plasma Arc, Shielded-Metal Arc, Submerged Arc, and Tungsten Inert Gas are widely used.

Arc Welding

Arc welding is a very popular type of welding as it has a low cost. This welding begins with an electric current. There is a range of processes that takes place and an electric current passes through various non-conductive materials. This welding is called Arc Welding as the electric current is created between welding device and material to be welded and it looks like an arch. The basic form of arc welding was invented in 1802. There are many subcategories of arc welding that are there.

Electroslag Welding

The electroslag welding was started in the mid 1950s. It was the first welding process used to weld large materials like thick steel plates. These plates and materials are placed in vertical position as the electro slag welding is set to weld at this angle without causing distortion to a welder. It is called Electroslag welding as there is a water-filled copper area in the device and it is designed for preventing the melted slag from pouring into other areas as liquefied.

Flux-Cored Welding

Flux-core welding was first created and used in the early 1950s. It was used as the second option of using stick welding. It is widely used where speed is a matter as it works automatically. Flux-Cored welding is used in various industries as it is very quick and can work in various situations in different materials.

Gas Metal Arc Welding

This Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) is also an automatic welding process which is started using in the 1940s. In this process, the welding gun feeds weld metal automatically through the gun. The welding gun also releases protective gases through it to protect the welding from natural particles. This process saves time and it is suitable for large scale welding. Initially, it was developed to use with aluminum metals. The Gas Metal Arc Welding is widely used in automobile manufacturing and repair industries.

Gas Tungsten-Arc Welding

It is considered as the most difficult and time-consuming welding process today. As this process requires a maximum focus and skill as there is less space between ‘arc’ of flame and material which is welded. The small strips of metal which don’t have much iron can be welded with this process. With this technique, we can get high-quality weld if it is done properly. Manufacturers of bicycles and aircraft use this method but many others are not using this. There are very small changes made to this process since it started in 1941.

MIG (Metal Inert Gas) Welding

In the Metal Inert Gas Welding, there is a gas used to shield the weld metal. This gas keep metal safe while welded from natural elements like oxygen. With these, the welder can weld at a continuous rate and it makes the process very fast. MIG welding does not require an extreme level of skill. As the gas is used in the welding it must be done indoor. It was started in 1940 but with many changes, it started in 1960.

Plasma Arc Welding

The plasma arc welding is much similar to Gas Tungsten-Arc Welding (GTAW). These two welding processes are the same just the torch is different. This welding type was first developed in 1954 and even today it is improving. The plasma welding type, require more attention than the GTAW as there is a smaller arc for precision welding. The electric current passes through from very small nozzle and it passes through protective gases and this makes it very accurate welding for small areas. The plasma welding can heat metals to very high temperature and with that, it can make deeper welds. Plasma Welding is normally used in the aircraft industry.

Shielded-Metal Arc Welding

It is also known as ‘stick welding’. The SMAW is most popular welding and is widely used in many industries. It was first created in 1938 and they undergo various upgradations. The SMAW is a manual welding process that is simple and low-cost to operate. This welding type is not performing like other welding types in the west there is molten splatter is occurred while welding. It is widely used by construction welders on steel structures and many industries with a low welding budget.

Submerged Arc Welding

This welding type is only used when a material has high iron contents like stainless steel. The machine used in this process is automatic or semi-automatic makes it a very fast welding process. In the welding process, the electric arc must be covered in ‘flux’ to protect the metal from the atmosphere in the welding process. This protects from welding spatter and make it safe for welders. It is named as it has to be ‘submerged’ into flux cover.

TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) Welding

The TIG welding is much like MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding. The main difference between these welding types is in the TIG welding there is tungsten current form and in the MIG the metal electrode is used. As in the TIG welding tungsten is used it requires an additional filler placed inside the welding device as the tungsten is not melted in the welding process. Tungsten is melted at a higher temperature than other metals. TIG welding is widely used in stainless steel industries.

Different Types of Welding