Welding Services
Welding and fabrication has been at the heart of Arc Alloys ever since we opened for business in 1998. Since then, our welding services – encompassing everything, including basic welding services, arc welding services and precision welding services – have gone from strength to strength, making us one of the most respected providers of welding and fabrication in the Midlands.
What are the different types of welding?
In total, there are more than 30 different types of welding. These range from very simple oxy-fuel welding (which uses a flame), to hi-tech processes such as laser beam welding, which is used commonly in high volume applications like the automotive industry. Some of the most common welding processes are stick, arc, MIG and TIG.
Stick Welding
Also referred to as shielded-metal arc welding, stick welding is the most popular, inexpensive and commonly used welding process today. As it is so simple and versatile, stick welding is particularly common in maintenance and repair. Often the results are not quite as neat as some other methods and it is not uncommon to have a little molten splatter.
Stick welding is used commonly in construction, by welders working on steel structures. It is also used in other situations where there might be budget restrictions. Commonly used materials used in stick welding include carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steel, cast iron and ductile iron.
ARC Welding
Arc welding is also typically a low-cost welding. It is so-called because it relies upon the creation of an electrical current that passes between the welding device and the materials that are to be welded – this electrical current sometimes appears to be an arc of light. The welding device in question can vary from process to process, but it always allows electricity to pass through materials that would otherwise be considered non-conductive.
Commonly used materials in arc welding may be limited to ferrous metals, but speciality electrodes have made the welding of other metals, including aluminium, copper, nickel and cast iron also possible.
TIG & MIG Welding
TIG welding (Tungsten Inert Gas welding, also known as GTAW – Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) is very similar to MIG welding (Metal Inert Gas welding). The primary difference is that TIG makes use of a tungsten current form, while MIG makes use of a metal electrode.
As TIG welding uses tungsten, which does not melt easily in the welding process, you always need an additional filler positioned inside the welding device. Unlike all other metals, Tungsten can be heated to a much greater temperature without melting. TIG welding is frequently used in stainless steel-based industries.
MIG welding uses a gas to protect the weld metal. The gas used ensures that the metal being welded is not effected by natural environmental elements, such as oxygen. This means that the welder can operate continuously, speeding up the overall welding process considerably. Operating MIG welding equipment does not require particular welding expertise. However, due to the gas used in the process, MIG welding can only be executed indoors.
Both MIG and TIG welding are considered forms of precision welding
For all your welding requirements, please contact Arc Alloys today.