Frequently asked welding questions

Are you thinking of getting into welding? Maybe you are a welding hobbyist. Either way, you might find this article helpful in stepping deeper into the world of welding. Don’t forget MiCan Industrial Suppliers offers a range of welding consumables to ensure you can complete your project hassle-free.

What is welding?

Welding is a technique of fusing two materials such as aluminium, steel, plastic, brass, stainless steel, or polymer. Welders use various energy sources, including gas, laser, flame, electric arc, friction, electron beam, and ultrasound. When you use heat to join two pieces of metal together, the weld is stronger than the metal you’re using, so be sure you’re using the right metal for the sort of weld you’re going to employ. In addition, welding boosts the metal’s stiffness and hardness.

Types of metal

Iron is a good electricity conductor and is exceedingly malleable, yet it is rarely recycled. When it is recycled, it is melted down and re-refined. Steel is typically more powerful than iron. However, steel is more difficult to work with since it is considerably denser than iron, making it more difficult to bend. For this alloy, there are two major options: Tensile steel has different degrees of stiffness and toughness, is strong, and can be manipulated with heat. Alloy steel has limited thermal expansion and a low modulus, making it more prone to bending.

Which type of welding to use?

Welders employ a variety of energy sources as well as welding procedures such as shield metal arc welding (SMAW), metal inert gas (MIG), and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. Stick welding, also known as shield metal arc welding (SMAW), is more difficult to learn than MIG welding since it employs a stick electrode welding rod. On the other hand, stick welding equipment may be purchased at a very low cost. SMAW is used to join cast iron, steel, and stainless steel. A MIG welding equipment connects aluminium with other nonferrous metals and many other alloys and metals. MIG welding employs a wire covered with a shielding gas, which aids in the cleanliness of the weld. MIG welding is one of the more straightforward forms of welding. Bare wire MIG welding can join thin pieces of metal. The flux core MIG welding is done outside and does not require a flow meter or a gas supply. DIY enthusiasts and hobby welders who don’t want to spend money on expensive equipment choose MIG welding. TIG welding machines are used to join reactive metals such as magnesium and aluminium. TIG welding creates and burns the weld with a non-consumable tungsten electrode. TIG welding is quite flexible, but it is also one of the more challenging welding processes to learn since it requires both hands. The rod is fed with one hand, while the other holds a TIG torch, which generates the necessary heat and arc to weld metals such as aluminium, steel, nickel alloys, copper alloys, cobalt, and titanium. Plasma arc welding is a precise technology often used in aerospace applications where metal thicknesses as thin as 0.38 mm are required. Plasma arc welding is similar to TIG welding in that the electrode is recessed, and the ionising gas within the arc generates heat.

Alternatives to welding

Heat application can occasionally result in cracks, brittle phases, and alignment and fit issues. Special processes are required in these cases. Brazing and soldering are two options that need less heat and may give satisfactory joint properties. Brazing and soldering are both procedures that employ filler metal to fuse materials. The filler metal is spread to flow between tightly matched surfaces to make a junction. In addition, the filler metal must have a liquidus over 450°C for brazing and a liquidus below 450°C for soldering.

Contact MiCan Industrial Supplies for details

Thank you for choosing MiCan Industrial Supplies as your preferred supplier of high-quality tools, products, and services. We offer a comprehensive range of welding consumables, and our extensive experience and reputable partners can guarantee excellent customer and after-sales service and the best on-time delivery. If you would like to know more about our comprehensive offers on specialised and affordable high-quality tools, please get in touch with a MiCan Industrial Supplies representative for industrial and wholesale supply solutions.