Here are some tips about welding equipment and how to make the best buying picks. 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.
Stick Welding — If you learned to weld years ago, you likely learned using an arc welder. Stick welding for many years has been the most popular method for most home-shop welding needs. This process uses an electric current flowing from a gap between the metal and the welding stick, also known as an arc-welding electrode. Stick welding is an effective method for welding most alloys or joints and can be used indoors and outdoors or in drafty areas. It’s also the most economical welding method and provides the ability to create an effective bond on rusty or dirty metals. However, this method is limited to metals no thinner than 18-gauge, requires frequent rod changing, emits significant spatter and requires that welds be cleaned upon completion. Stick welding is also more difficult to learn and use, particularly the ability to strike and maintain an arc. Arc welders are available in AC, DC or AC/DC, with AC being the most economical. It’s used for welding thicker metals of 1/16 inch or greater. These machines are a good choice for farmers, hobbyists and home maintenance chores.
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. Searching for the best TIG 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.
Tungsten size should be selected mainly according to amperage AND polarity: Tungsten size should be selected mainly according to amperage AND polarity and not always dependent upon metal thickness. When TIG welding aluminum, If your tungsten begins to ball up and quiver, this means your tungsten is getting near its capacity. This can be minimized by using the A/C balance dial and setting it for more penetration and less cleaning…or if you are using a TIG inverter like a miller dynasty, the a/c balance should probably be set to 65-70% EN. For transformer machines like the syncrowave, The a/c balance set to the cleaning side means more of the dcep side of the a/c wave which means more heat is on the tungsten tip = more wiggling. The more to the penetration side, the more the arc is on the negative side and the Less heat on tungsten tip and less cleaning action but the square wave usually provides enough cleaning anyway even in max penetration mode.
Plasma cutters tips: how to become a better welder and how to pick 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.
Keep in mind that heavy-duty MIG welding often produces a lot of heat, sparks and spatter, and requires a lower degree of dexterity than some other forms of welding. Therefore, using thick, stiff leather gloves that provide a higher level of protection is smart. Similarly, choose leather footwear that covers your entire foot and leaves as little room as possible for spatter to fall along your ankle line. High-top leather shoes and work boots often provide the best protection. Finally, always be sure you have adequate ventilation per OSHA recommendations and check material safety data sheets (MSDS) for each metal being welded and filler metal being used. Use a respirator whenever required by the MSDS.
Make sure everything is ‘squeaky’ clean. TIG welding is not tolerant of any contaminants. Be sure to clean your base metal with a good degreaser, BEFORE you scrub it with a dedicated wire brush. Do not use the same brush on different kinds of metal. Wipe the filler rod down with degreaser, too. Get comfortable. Whenever possible, I like to be seated when I’m welding. Even in situations where sitting isn’t possible, any little adjustments to my stance or body position that make me more comfortable will have a noticeable effect on the weld. Source: https://www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk/.
