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 […]
In our many years of working in the welding industry we have come across some phenomenal welders. We continue to be impressed by the level of skill of many of these men and women. Unfortunately, many business owners and managers allow this skilled labor to go underutilized. Welder efficiency, which also goes by other names […]
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 […]
When bidding jobs several fabricators end up calculating their costs associated with welding and then double that number to be safe. In some cases, that isn’t even enough. It is important to have a clear understating of how to translate the amount of welding to be done to actual manufacturing costs. One of the biggest […]
If you own or run a business in which welding is an integral part of the manufacturing process you know one of your recurrent expenses is your shielding gas. Very few manufacturing facilities, big or small, have excellent control of gas usage. Most end up using twice as much than necessary, and in some cases […]
Calculating weld metal requirements seems complicated but for the majority of applications it should not be. Short of having a computer program that calculates this for you, the easiest way is to use the tables found in The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding. Table 12-1 provides data to calculate weight of weld metal required per […]
Macro etch tests are commonly done as part of qualification tests for welders and welding procedures. This test is relatively easy to do and does not require complex or expensive equipment. However, very few fabricators ever perform this test. A macro etch test can serve as verification that a change on how something is welded […]
When it comes to fillet welds, bigger is not always better. A fillet weld is easy to measure, simply take out your fillet weld gauges measure it. However, there is an incorrect assumption that a bigger weld (as measured with a fillet gauge) is always stronger than a smaller weld. Before we get into this […]
A common question that is asked when manufacturers are trying to determine costs associated with welding is: How many pounds of wire can I deposit per hour? Or, how many pounds of wire can I deposit at a specific amperage or wire feed speed? There are charts to help you determine this, but it’s always […]
The use of welding procedures specifications (WPS) is the foundation of a good welding quality control management system. It has a huge impact on quality as well as productivity. Despite this, many fabricators are still running their facilities without WPSs. And many who are, have significant issues which prevent this powerful document from maintaining quality […]
