preview

Essay on The Process of Gas Metal Arc Welding

Decent Essays

Gas metal arc welding, or most commonly referred to as MIG welding is a very common and sometimes preferred method of welding. Gas metal arc is personally one of the easiest and controllable welding types there is. Gas metal arc welding was originally made for weld materials such as aluminum, copper, brass, tin and lead. It was also used on steels, but shielding gases were highly expensive in the early 1900s limiting GMAW’s use on steel. It wasn’t till the mid 1900’s for GMAW to really take off. There were many different variations of arc-length, electrode size, and power supply units. Since the MIG welder is so versatile, there are many different types of things to make this piece of equipment.
Welding Gun
The MIG welder is …show more content…

Most power supplies also have a chart inside of them to set voltage and wire feed depending on material thickness and electrode size.
Electrode and Shielding Gas Your electrode and both shielding gas can vary for different materials and highly are affected by material thickness. The electrode is there to make contact to the wielding surface and should have similar or same compositions as the metal being welded to. Your shielding gas makes a big difference when welding to, especially with aluminum and other non-ferrous metals. Shielding gases are used because most GMAW welding electrodes don’t have a flux; the gas is used to protect the weld. It is best to use pure inert gases such as helium and argon for non-ferrous metals because of its cleaner and less oxidizing properties. Carbon dioxide is most commonly used for steel or an inert and carbon dioxide gas mixture. The carbon dioxide supplies deeper penetration needed for welding steel, but can sometimes cause an oxidation. Oxygen is even a shielding gas but can cause your material to brittle and can cause porosity in your weld. Another big part of GMAW and any welding operation is safety!
Safety
Safety when welding is very important and should be considered the most important thing to take in consideration. You should always wear a very burn resistant glove; leather is commonly used by most. Next is a wear non-tattered or protective clothing just in case some

Get Access