A few tips about welding equipment, MIG and TIG welders, plasma cutters. Identify the types of welding projects and materials you will weld most of the time. Are you creating metal sculptures? Do you intend to restore an old muscle car in your garage? Does the motorcycle you bought years ago require some fabrication? Maybe you need to do basic repair on farm equipment. Taking the time up front to identify the projects that will occupy the biggest percentage of your welding activity will help you determine the specific thickness of metal you will likely weld most often — and ultimately help you select the most suitable welder. Time to get a bit more specific. Let’s take a look at what welding process you can use for each metal type. Keep in mind that many of these materials are also processed using varying combinations of two or more metals to reinforce strength and functionality.

Welding equipment guides: how to become a better welder and how to choose the top welding equipment. TIG Torch angle should only be around 10 degrees or less: Ideally, torch angle should only be around 10 degrees or less. Too much torch angle will deflect the heat and melt the rod before you ever get it into the puddle. This causes the rod to ball up and blob into the puddle. That’s bad. You don’t want that. You want to slip the filler rod into the puddle so that you can get a consistent bead. There are exceptions to this…like when you are using a lay wire technique and leaning the torch back while you walk the cup. But if you are dipping the rod in the puddle, too much torch angle usually is not a good thing.

Delivery of parts to the welding station in an organized and logical fashion is also a way to reduce welding costs. For example, one company was manufacturing concrete mixing drums. In the fabrication process, the company produced 10 parts for one section, then went on to make 10 parts of another drum section, etc. As pieces came off the line, they were put onto the floor of the shop. When it was time to weld, the operator had to hunt for the pieces needed and sort through them. When the outside welding expert pointed out the amount of time being wasted in this process, the company started to batch each one on a cart. In this way, the pieces needed to weld one drum were stored together and could easily be moved to the welding area. This type of scenario is also true for companies that may outsource parts to a vendor. Though it may cost more to have parts delivered in batches, it may save more in time than having to organize and search through parts to be able to get to the welding stage. How many times each piece is handled in the shop may be an eye-opener to reducing wasted time. To measure such an intangible as this, operators are asked to put a soapstone mark on the piece each time it is touched – some companies are surprised to find out how many times a part is picked up, transported and laid down in the manufacturing process. In the case of one company, moving the welding shop closer to the heat treatment station eliminated four extra times that the part was handled. Basically, handling a part as few times as possible and creating a more efficient production line or work cell will reduce overall costs. Looking for the best MIG Welders? We recommend Welding Supplies Direct & associated company TWS Direct Ltd is an online distributor of a wide variety of welding supplies, welding equipment and welding machine. We supply plasma cutters, MIG, TIG, ARC welding machines and support consumables to the UK, Europe and North America.

Argon is not the only shielding gas used for TIG welding: Shielding gasses for TIG welding Argon is not the only shielding gas used for TIG welding…just the most common and versatile. Argon will usually get the job done. But there are times when some helium mixed with argon makes a world of difference. Especially if you are using a small inverter TIG welder that is limited to around 200 amps. 100% Argon – is the most often used and coolest gas ..the best all around gas. 75% Argon/25% Helium – even 25% helium will make a big difference when welding aluminum that is thicker than .063″. Anything under .063″ thick and helium is unnecessary. 50/50 argon/helium—awesome for thick aluminum and magnesium 75% Helium/25% Argon – Awesome for thick aluminum castings… puddles really quick and welds cleaner than 100% argon. Also good for welding bronze and pure copper on DCEN.

The welding setup, welder settings, and electrode selection will impact how fast welders can work. Industrial welders invest time in planning the size and shape of their welding areas, how parts are laid out, and how they supply their shielding gas. Testing settings or an electrode on a piece of scrap metal, especially for a beginners, will save time in the long run. Learn more about setting up an efficient shop here. Welding Downhill Increases Welding Speed: While welding downhill is a faster way to weld, it’s not as strong as welding uphill. On most projects it’s not worth sacrificing strength and durability for the sake of welding speed. However, if the metal is thin enough, then welding downhill won’t make the weld weaker and may even be the correct technique for the job. Learn about uphill and downhill welding and see these diagrams of vertical and downhill welding.

For the best control of your weld bead, keep the wire directed at the leading edge of the weld pool. When welding out of position (vertical, horizontal or overhead welding), keep the weld pool small for best weld bead control, and use the smallest wire diameter size you can. A bead that is too tall and skinny indicates a lack of heat into the weld joint or too fast of travel speed. Conversely, if the bead is flat and wide, the weld parameters are too hot or you are welding too slowly. Ideally, the weld should have a slight crown that just touches the metal around it. Keep in mind that a push technique preheats the metal, which means this is best used with thinner metals like aluminum. On the other hand, if you pull solid wire, it flattens the weld out and puts a lot of heat into the metal. Finally, always store and handle your filler metals properly. Keep product in a dry, clean place — moisture can damage wire and lead to costly weld defects, such as hydrogen-induced cracking. Also, always use gloves when handling wires to prevent moisture or dirt from your hands settling on the surface. When not in use, protect spools of wire by covering them on the wire feeder, or better yet, remove the spool and place it in a clean plastic bag, closing it securely.

All welding requires the application of heat, which melts the metal being welded. With the TIG process, the heat comes from an electric arc that streams between the electrode in a hand-held torch and the metal being welded. The arc and molten metal are shielded by an inert gas, which protects the electrode and base metal from oxidizing. Filler rod is usually added to the puddle of molten metal as the weld progresses. The essence of making a good weld is heat control, which is governed by how you modulate the arc as it streams from the torch. Let’s look at this in detail. Source: https://www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk/.