Troubleshooting of welds and other welding problems increases costs in welding, causes delays and affects weld quality. Even a moderate understanding of welding problems, their symptoms, causes and potential solutions can help tremendously. The more informed you are the better. To successfully troubleshoot and fix welding discontinuities, welding defects and other welding problems we need […]
Maintenance-related problems are responsible for a large portion of bad welds in every day welding. However, these causes go unnoticed and unresolved because they happen slowly over time. A proper preventive maintenance program for welding machines, CNC cutting tables and other industrial equipment is absolutely necessary. Many of the problems related to maintenance that cause […]
Bigger is not always better, at least not in welding. Making welds bigger than they need to be is not only wasteful and costly, but can cause other problems such as distortion and premature failure. Below are 3 reasons why you may need to pay close attention to your weld sizes. 1. Bigger welds cost […]
Our next article will discuss a question we are asked quite often: Can we eliminate preheating before welding? Preheating is necessary to slow the cooling rate down after welding which in turn avoids excessive hardening of the weld and heat affected zone. Eliminating preheat can lead to hydrogen induced cracking and catastrophic failure. A […]
Submerged arc welding is typically done automatically, meaning it is not done by hand, but rather set up as hard automation. The operator simply controls the welding machine and torch position to obtain the desired results. Typically,the system is run by an operator, not a welder. So when problems come up, the operator may not […]
In our previous article we mentioned that a customer was inquiring about running their 98% argon / 2% carbon dioxide (98/2) shielding gas on mild steel. This gas is used on stainless as it maintains the amount of reactive gas (in this case CO2) under 3%. Our quick answer was “yes, you can weld carbon […]
The majority of troubleshooting calls we receive regarding the GMAW (mig) process has to do with erratic wire feeding. This problem disguises itself in many forms, from bad looking welds to lack of penetration. Sometimes the effects of poor feeding are obvious and easily corrected. However, sometimes these effects are not easy to troubleshoot and […]
Our previous article discussed the importance of having a specification for weld quality. In this article we’re talking about the importance of one of its basic components: Welding Procedure Specifications (WPSs). Many fabricators don’t have WPSs. They rely in the experience of their welders to select the right parameters. As much as we want every […]
Porosity is a weld discontinuity that is not as detrimental to structural integrity as cracks, undercut, overlap and lack of fusion. However, it is unsightly and when painted it becomes an eye sore. Because it does not have sharp ends, porosity does not propagate like a crack. The reason for limits to the amount of […]
We receive several calls about welding stainless and the beautiful rainbow colors, or lack thereof, on the weld and heat affected zone. Is the tinting an indication of quality? Are these colors acceptable? Do they show that the weld had enough heat to penetrate? Why do they need to be cleaned? The questions are endless. […]
