The Importance of Contact Tip to Work Distance in GMAW

If you look at any of the structural welding codes you’ll notice that contact-tip-to-work-distance (CTTWD) is a variable which must be listed in welding procedure specifications (WPSs).  However, it is not an essential variable, meaning that changes to CTTWD of any amount do not require requalification.   This can seem puzzling to some, especially those […]

Which Welding Process Produces the Strongest Welds

SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, MCAW or SAW?

This is a question that is often asked.   The short and quick answer is: they are all the same.  However, to understand why that is let’s take a quick look at the three elements that determine the strength of a weld: Weld length Weld size Weld (filler) metal strength Since we are trying to compare […]

Effects of Voltage on Weld Quality

Voltage is one of the most important variables in a welding procedure.  It is also one that is sometimes misunderstood.  You may ask five welders what effect voltage has on a weld and you may get five different answers.  This is because voltage can do a lot of things, some good and some bad. Understanding […]

Danger of Using the Wrong Shielding Gas for GMAW

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 […]

7 Variables That Affect Weld Penetration

Complete joint penetration (CJP) welds will have the exact same effective weld size regardless of welding process.

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 […]

Effects of Shielding Gases in GMAW

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 […]

Fillet Weld Leg Sizes Are Meaningless!

Measuring fillet weld legs is meaningless, well… not really.  Fillet weld leg sizes are very important, but simply measuring the leg of a fillet weld does not tell us if we actually achieved the desired throat dimension.  The strength of a fillet weld is determined by its effective throat.  As you can see in the […]