Learn to write prequalified welding procedures in conformance with AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code. Follow this step-by-step guide to writing your first prequalified welding procedure today!
Spatter is present in welding. It’s all over welding. But it doesn’t have to be. Spatter costs fabricators millions of dollars every year. Its removal constitutes rework that significantly and negatively impacts productivity. Many fabricators work under the assumption that spatter is a necessary evil, a part of welding. However, this couldn’t be further from […]
Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), or what is commonly referred to as “stick welding,” is one of the oldest welding processes. Despite being one of the first welding processes developed, it remains one of the most used welding process worldwide. If you have been working in a fabrication shop for years using advanced GMAW (mig) […]
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 […]
Today we received two different requests for help pertaining to shielding gas selection. The first caller requested a chart that tells them what materials can be welded with the different shielding gases that they had. They wanted a chart that can be provided to the welders to make sure they used the right gas on […]
Getting deeper penetration, or at least adequate penetration is very important in welding. There are a few applications in which we wish to minimize penetration, but in general we always want good penetration. There are many variables that affect penetration, some more than others. It is important to know how each individual variable affects the […]
The formation of silicon islands on welds made with the GMAW (mig) and MCAW (metalcore) processes is very common. For the most part, these silicon islands are not a problem. However, if the weld is to be painted, you better remove these islands. Otherwise, they will eventually pop off and leave an unpainted spot in […]
Can our selection of shielding gas affect the strength of a weld and other important mechanical properties? Absolutely! The difference is more pronounced when using flux-cored (FCAW) wires than when using mig (GMAW) wires, especially as the wire’s tensile strength goes up. Although we can affect strength by using different gases, what we should be […]
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 […]
Using the right shielding gas is essential not only to prevent porosity but to get proper penetration, the mechanical properties you desire including weld strength, and overall weld quality. In order to select the right shielding gas you need to consider the following: – Alloy of filler metal – Material thickness – Mode of GMAW […]
