How to Weld Stainless Steel?

When it comes to welding stainless steel, thickness and material finish are two important aspects as long as the welding process is concerned. The welding process may also vary according to the use of the finished output or product.

You can employ a variety of ways to weld stainless steel. But not all of them are popular ones. To be frank, there are only three methods that are widely popular among the welder for welding stainless steel. These three methods are MIG, TIG and Spot Welding. In this post, we are going to discuss those three methods briefly.

TIG Welding Method for Welding Stainless Steel

TIG or Gas Tungsten Arc Welding is used by most of the people in the process of welding stainless steel. It offers good quality welding along with the added longevity and versatility. If you use TIG welding for stainless steel, low heat input can be created which is great for any kind of thin material. When you use TIG welding, you generally need to use argon gas. But, sometimes you might require to mix other gases with argon gas such as nitrogen, helium, and hydrogen. To prevent the oxidation and make it strong against the corrosion, you can proceed to conduct a single-sided welding process.

MIG Welding Method for Welding Stainless Steel

In case you need to join two pieces of stainless steel together, the MIG welding method is the best option. Following a semi-automatic process, this method works great to let you get your work done. The joining of two pieces holds strong for years if the MIG welding method is used.

In this method, you just need two things in the process of welding: argon-rich shielding gas and a solid wire electrode. The pulsed current supply has contributed to making this kind of welding very popular across the globe. There are many tough-to-reach zones or areas which were impossible to mend before.

But, with the beginning of MIG welding, the subtle and delicate part of any stainless steel can be mended easily without much effort. For improving the welding quality and stabilizing the arc, you can also choose to use other gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, and oxygen.

Spot Welding Method for Welding Stainless Steel

Aside from being called as Spot Welding Method, this method is also called a Resistance Method. You can use this versatile and economical method is most of the small and large stainless steel welding projects with ease.

When it comes to the operation, an electrical current is used to heat the frayed metal edges and seal. You will find this method to be very productive where you have a low melting point. This method works in such a way that you can easily prevent the distortion of the metal.

Which Method Is the Best?

If you ask which process is the best, we do not have any straight answer to the question and all the three methods for welding stainless steel mentioned have comes with pros and cons.

If you want to minimize the cost, Spot welding is the best. However, if the material is thin TIG welding method works better. So, it is important to fix your priority first to choose the one you need most.

Final Words

We hope that you now know how to weld stainless steel by various processes. Follow the one that is good for you.