Stick Arc welding or also commonly known as Shielded Metal Arc Welding(SMAW) or Manual Metal Arc Welding(MMA or MMAW) is a welding process that is done by using a consumable electrode that is covered with a flux that helps to lay the weld. This method is generally done to protect the arc and the hot metal from any type of chemical reactions that could take place when exposed to the atmosphere. This type of welding method is a simpler method and is fairly easier to learn when compared to other types of welding methods. Although it is said that it is simpler than the other methods of welding there are a lot of things that you should be aware of if you are looking to learn about Stick Arc Welding. Given below are a few things that can give you some hints about the things you should know about Stick Arc Welding:
Metal Inert Gas welding(MIG) or also sometimes called Gas Metal Arc Welding(GMAW) is a welding process where an electric arc is formed between a consumable MIG electrode wire and the workpiece metals that heats the workpiece metals resulting in the electric wire and the workpiece metal to melt and join. Given below are a few important things you should know about Metal Inert Gas welding:
An inert gas or mixture of gases used in MIG are argon and helium which are used as the shielding gas. They are particularly used for the welding purpose of aluminium and other non-ferrous metals like carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, magnesium, copper, nickel, silicon bronze and other alloys.
Inert gases are used for the purpose of MIG welding because the term inert means that it will not react with anything in the welding environment unlike oxygen which can cause the metal to rust. The inert gases used in the welding process are the ones that protect the weld from the outer atmosphere.
The equipment you will need to perform a MIG welding are a welding gun, shielding gas supply, a wire-drive system that will pull the wire electrode from a spool and will push it through the welding gun and also cold water that will be required for the welding gun.
Since you will be working with very hot substances during a welding there are few things you should have with you before you start the work. First thing you should always make sure that you are not welding near any flammable materials to avoid fire. Other things to have are full sleeved non flammable protective clothing, face shield, ear plugs to avoid the sparks to get into your ear canal, non flammable shoes and proper welding gloves.
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) or also called Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is an arc welding process where a non-consumable tungsten electrode is used to produce a weld. An inert gas is used in this type of welding process which is Argon that protects and cools the tungsten as well as the weld puddle. Given below are a few things you should know about TIG:
Some of the basic things needed to perform a TIG welding are:
Inert gas in simple terms are a mixture of gases that do not react to the outer environment and undergo chemical reactions. The inert gas used during a TIG welding process is either argon or helium and sometimes a mixture of both.
Performing a TIG welding is not anyone’s cup of tea. You need a lot of practice and experience to be able to properly perform the welding process. Some of the steps you can follow while learning how to TIG weld are:
Flux-Cored Arc Welding(FCAW) is a welding method which is an automatic or semi-automatic process. This welding method is mostly used in ship building and also for maintenance and fabrications. The FCAW method is used on things that have rust or is contaminated in some way. Give below are some things you need to know about Flux-Cored Arc Welding:
Flux in welding is a mixture of silicate and carbonate that helps to protect the weld from any foreign atmospheric gases. While performing the welding the weld melts and outgasses when the heat of the weld reaches the flux resulting in the atmospheric gas to be pushed back to avoid oxidation by the gas produced from the flux.
FCAW welding method is mostly used for industrial purposes or in construction sites because it has welding speed and is portable. Since FCAW welding offers higher penetration, it is very efficient while working with thicker welding joints that can mostly be found in ship building, fabrications or other types of manufacturing processes.
FCAW welding is actually a rather simple welding process to learn. You do not have to be a professional welder to be able to do FCAW welding. Once you learn how to use the welding equipment properly then learning the technique to do the welding is easy to learn. An important thing to consider while performing FCAW welding is that you need to do it in a well ventilated room as the welding process produces considerably a lot of smoke. Besides the mentioned tips you need to make sure that you take safety precautions by wearing non flammable clothing, proper face mask, welding gloves and non flammable shoes like any other welding processes as you would be working with highly flammable materials.
