TIG

General Principles TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding also known as GTA (Gas Tungsten Arc) in the USA and WIG (Wolfram Inert Gas) in Germany, is a welding process used for high quality welding of a variety of materials, especially, Stainless Steel,Titanium and Aluminium. Equipment 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. DC or AC / DC Power Source TIG Torch Work Return Welding Lead Shielding gas supply line, ( normally from a cylinder ) Foot Control Unit ( common option )

GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW) PROCEDURE Grinding the tungsten electrode produces dust and flying sparks which can cause injury and start fires. Use local exhaust (forced ventilation) at the grinder or wear an approved respirator. Read MSDS for safety information. Consider using cerium or lanthanum based tungsten instead of thoriated. Thorium dust contains low-level radioactive material. Properly dispose of grinder dust in an environmentally safe way. Wear proper face, hand, and body protection. Keep flammables away. 1. Workpiece Make sure workpiece is clean before welding. 2. Work Clamp Place as close to the weld as possible. 3. Torch 4. Filler Rod (If Applicable) 5. Gas Cup 6. Tungsten Electrode Select and prepare tungsten.

Guidelines: The inside diameter of the gas cup should be at least three times the tungsten diameter to provide adequate shielding gas coverage. (For example, if tungsten is 1/16 in. diameter, gas cup should be a minimum of 3/16 in. diameter. Tungsten extension is the distance the tungsten extends out gas cup of torch.The tungsten extension should be no greater than the inside diameter of the gas cup.Arc length is the distance from the tungsten to the workpiece)

Process Description Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), also known as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is a process that produces an electric arc maintained between a nonconsumable tungsten electrode and the part to be welded. The heat-affected zone, the molten metal and the tungsten electrode are all shielded from atmospheric contamination by a blanket of inert gas fed through the GTAW torch. Inert gas (usually Argon) is inactive or deficient in active chemical properties.The shielding gas serves to blanket the weld and exclude the active properties in the surrounding air. Inert gases such as

Argon and Helium do not chemically react or combine with other gases. They pose no odor and are transparent, permitting the the welder maximum visibility of the arc. In some instances Hydrogen gas may be added to ehance travel speeds.The GTAW process can produce temperatures of up to 35,000 F (19,426 C). The torch contributes heat only to the workpiece. If filler metal is required to make the weld, it may be added manually in the same manner as it is added in the oxyacetylene welding process.GTAW is used to weld stainless steel, nickel alloys such as MonelR and InconelR, titanium, aluminum, magnesium, copper, brass, bronze and even gold. GTAW can also weld dissimilar metals to one another such as copper to brass and stainless to mild steel.

Advantages of GTAW welding: y Concentrated Arc - Permits pin point control of heat input to the workpiece resulting in a narrow heat-affected zone y No Slag - No requirement for flux with this process; therefore no slag to obscure the welders vision of the molten weld pool y No Sparks or Spatter - No transfer of metal across the arc. No molten globules of spatter to contend with and no sparks produced if material being welded is free of contaminants y Little Smoke or Fumes - Compared to other arc-welding processes like stick or flux cored welding, few fumes are produced. However, the base metals being welded may contain coatings or elements such as lead, zinc, copper,nickel and so on, that may produce hazardous fumes. Keep your head and helmet out of the fumes rising off the workpiece. Be sure that proper ventilation is supplied, especially in a confined space. y Welds more metals and metal alloys than any other process y Good for welding thin material Disadvantages of GTAW welding: y Slower travel speeds than other processes y Lower filler metal deposition rates y Hand-eye coordination is a required skill y Brighter UV rays than other processes y Equipment costs can be higher than other processes y Concentrations of shielding gas may build up and displace oxygen when welding in confined areas ventilate the area and/or use local forced ventilation at the arc to remove welding fumes and gases. If ventilation is poor, wear an approved air-supplied respirator

Method using the TIG welding 1)Choose the Electrode

i TIG is likely to have the right electrode in it already. For aluminum, the best choice is a pure tungsten rod.

2)Grind the Electrode

i Grind the tungsten rod to a point. Do this, especially if the rod is a brand-new cylinder and doesn't have a pointed or rounded tip yet. The tip will become rounded due to heat as you weld. Lincoln recommends a balled tip for AC welding, and a pointed tip for DC welding. The pointed tip will give a smaller, more directed arc. The arc will tend to dance around, when from a rounded tip.

3)Insert the Electrode Into Its Collet

Unscrew the back of the electrode holder, insert the rod, replace back. The tip of the electrode should be about 1/4" away from the protective sheath, but not much more. Skip this if you already have your electrode ready. Shown below are two different types of electrode holders

4)Choose the Settings

i The typical TIG rig will have three main electricity options - AC, DCEP, and DCEN. AC is for aluminum - choose "AC". Set the "Cleaning/Penetrating" setting to the more "Penetrating" side - around 7 on a scale from 1 to 10. Set the "Air on" to about 5 seconds, if you have the option to do so. This is the amount of time the gas stays on after the arc stops, to keep your weld from oxidizing/rusting. Set the "Max Amps" pretty high - perhaps around 250. For the curious: Cleaning/Penetrating is a modification to the positive/negative ratio of the AC that changes the depth of your weld (cleaning is more shallow). DCEP means "DC, Electrode Postive". This setting is used for balling the tungsten tip, or stick welding.

DCEN means "DC, Electrode Negative", and is for welding steel. The difference between the two DC settings is the direction the electricity flows - to the metal from the electrode, or to the electrode from the metal. This makes a big difference in the amount of heat the metal absorbs, and the width and depth of the weld. 5)Turn on the Gas

For aluminum, use pure argon. For steel, you would use an argon/carbon dioxide mixture. The gas is important to keep the weld from becoming corroded, as metal will rust (or in the case of aluminum, oxidize) ridiculously quickly at the high temperatures the metal reaches.

6)Prepare Metal and Welding Table

Some kind of large metallic area is necessary to let electricity flow through your metal. We're using a welding table, purchased for the purpose. Otherwise, a large piece of sheet metal will do perfectly well (just make sure it's flat). Beauty Tip: Use a wire brush to scrub the surfaces of the metal. It's good practice to keep a dedicated aluminum brush (separate from what you use to clean steel). If you want really nice-looking welds, you can also wipe down the welding rods with acetone. If you don't care about the way the welds look when finished, don't bother and you'll be fine. However, your welds will be a little weaker and not as pretty. Clamp your metals so they'll stay where you want them when you weld. And, if you have the stuff, spray down your welding table with anti-spatter (so if any metal leaks off, it doesn't stick where it lands, which is important if you're trying to keep your surface flat). 7)Weld

Hold the electrode about an inch away from the metal. Never touch the metal with the electrode. If you do, molten aluminum will leap onto the electrode. If this happens, stop, turn off the welder, remove the tungsten rod, and grind it down. Jam down on the foot-pedal to quickly dump a bunch of current and heat into the metal. The idea is to very quickly heat the metal and start the weld pool. You'll know it when you see it - the metal becomes fluid. Start on an edge. When the pool has formed, touch the rod in. If you heat the metal for too long, it will warp. The longer the metal is heated, the more it will warp. This is a "tack" weld, to hold the metal piece in place, so you can take off the clamps and do big long bead welds. Once you have a weld pool started, you can ease off the pedal a little, to control the amount of heat and current being applied to the metal. Welds shrink as they cool, so you can alternate sides to keep the welds even, and to keep one side of metal from getting too hot and warping. Hot metal can warp a great deal, and if you don't change sides, you might find yourself even 1/4" off of where the metal ought to be.

8)Draw a Bead After tacking, remove any clamps. Start a weld pool by jamming down the pedal fast to form a weld pool. Then lighten up on the pedal, to regulate the current. If the metal starts to burn/melt away, too much current is being dumped in, back off the foot pedal. If the metal gets a flaky, but not liquid look to it, put more power in (step on the pedal harder). To weld aluminum, move the electrode towards the rod, while feeding rod into the pool. The rod should be to the side of the electrode that the weld will form or grow towards. This is known as "leading" the electrode. To weld steel, the electrode travels first down the weld line, and the rod chases after, "following" the heat.

MIG
Equiment y DC or Direct Current power supply y Electrode or wire feed controller y Wire drive roller assembly y Shielding gas source (cylinder) & regulator y Manually held Gun & ground clamps y Wire ree MIG GTAW Principles y Gas metal arc welding is generally used due to the high efficiency of filler metal that can be deposited per hour. y GMAW is approximately 92% - 98% efficient y GMAW requires a shielding gas y The GMAW process is performed using DCEP ( Direct Current Electrode Positive) y Alternating current is never used for GMAW y DCEN is used only for a specialized process using emissive electrodes GMAW Advantages Welding can be done in all positions No slag removal required High efficiency Less work piece distortion Large gaps bridged easily , Good for poor fitup High Weld Quality GMAW Disadvantages y The process is slightly more complex as compared to TIG or stick electrode welding because a number of variables (like electrode stick out, torch angle, welding parameters, type and size of electrode, welding torch manipulation, etc.) are required to be controlled effectively to achieve good results. Welding equipment is more complex, more costly and less portable. Since air drafts may disperse the shielding gas, MIG welding may not work well in outdoor welding applications. Weld metal cooling rates are higher than with the processes that deposit slag over the weld metal.

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Mig welding process This would have to be the most used welding process in the world today. Using a welding gun, a power source, shielding gas and a constant feed of welding wire it's fast, simple and easy to do.It is the most cost effective and efficient way to weld. Here is how Wikipedia explains mig welding.Here is a diagram of how the mig welding (GMAW) process works.

The technical name for "MIG welding" is actually Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW). You need to use a welding gas to shield the welding puddle and arc. Depending on the type of gas you use, either carbon dioxide or argon, then it can also be called "MAG welding".

Mig Welding Procedures

Grab those metal scraps, make sure they have the same thickness your going to weld. Key: Use these scraps to adjust adjust the machine. Everything plays apart in the final outcome on your weld.

Set machine from 1-10, look in the manual for how many amps for number to equal 160-170 amps.80 percent of 200 amps is 160 amps next set the argon gas flow on your tank, around 25-30. y How fast the out is important so what you want to middle range - place your your aluminum welding wire comes lets set the wire feed, Set it for do. Set the speed of wire at the scale of 1-5 or 1- 100. ground lead clamp on the object welding (practice metal)

turn machine on hold the tip of the gun at a 45 degree angle to your weld. Do not actually touch the tip on the aluminum. pull trigger on spool gun, the wire will start feeding out and will start the arc welding.

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Key: Now comes the sound, listen, if it is pop, pop, pop, this means your gun is being pushed away from the weld. Your wire feed needs adjusting. Turn the wire feed a little slower, try again. - keep trying and turning the spool adjustment down till a steady hum, buzz comes out of the weld. if at any time wire welds itself to the tip, the feed is to slow, change tip and adjust feed. you may want to start out to fast, adjust down to save money on replacing tips figure on replacing tips every 4 or 5 spools of wire from normal welding use more mig welding procedures... Start welding in 2-3 inch beads then stop, take wire stainless steel brush, clean it. This is going to tell you if the amps are set to properly. Key: if weld is high and looks like a snowball - the weld is too cold - amp too low Key: if weld is flat and edge under cut -means too hot -adjust downward slightly A good weld should be raised slightly above base metal with no under cutting -it should be even with base metal.

Test welding should be done every time you change welding metal configurations (inside 90 degrees or outside 90 degrees), different positions, types of joints change the amount of heat.

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Make sure you pay attention to the amount of wire left on spool. Stop welding when you have two or three feet of wire left. If you run out of wire while welding you have burn back Improper adjustment for the cone can cause burn back. Cone is suppose to be in front of tip. - tips are made out of copper - copper is expensivemig welding procedures DIY last tips, - bad contamination makes weld weaker - don't weld if you have any sign of moisture - tighter leather gloves make it easier to pick objects up - don't over-heat an area, it will cause it to warp and bend - if you had a lot of splattering, popping while your welding regrind area or weld back out and re-weld area