Arc Welding: The 5 Processes You Need to Know
Arc welding uses electricity to make a circuit between two metals: the bottom metal and therefore the electrode, which is attached to the welding gun. When the circuit is broken by removing the electrode from the bottom metal, it creates an arc of electricity which is extremely hot - temperatures of 11,000 Fahrenheit may be achieved! This molten pool of metal is what creates the weld - but it will be suffering from gases and other contaminants within the air. A Welding Shield of argonon is employed to shield the weld while it’s current. betting on the sort of arc welding process you’re using, this gas will either be supplied externally (via the welding machine) or through an electrode (via a flux coating).
There are a few ways arc welding can be achieved, and the most common processes are:
- Metal inert gas welding (MIG)
- Tungsten inert gas welding (TIG)
- Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW)
- Welding Shield metal arc welding (SMAW)
- Plasma arc welding
