You must have seen people welding here and there. Most of us take our eyes off it out of the fear of that glow affecting our retina. In the process we tend to ignore the technical aspects of welding. Perhaps the very 'I-have-nothing-to-do-with-it' thought contributes to it as well.
The reality is there are a lot to know about welding and its technicalities. Different types of methods are obtained to weld different types of steel or iron bodies. Here is a brief account of different types of welding that are practiced.
This the most common form of welding, which is also referred to as arc welding. However, this term is also a sort of misnomer. This is because two other types of welding - MIG and TIG welding can rightly be referred to as arc welding.
Still, people wrongly refer to stick welding when they mention arc welding. It is the oldest form of welding that involves use of a stick electrode. There are different types of stick electrodes found in the market.
The welders are supposed to select the type of rod depending upon the nature of object and surface involved in the welding. In this process the welding rod is chuck up in an electrode holder that is more or less similar to the cable clamp of a battery jumper.
The rod is struck to start the arc, and then is inserted into the puddle, while it starts burning. This type of welding comes in handy while setting up sliding gates, among other things. While setting up these gates sliding panels need to be welded into the frame of the gate. This is a pretty simple process, while the machine needed is also quite simple. The process is quite cheap as well. This is one of the other reasons behind its popularity.
It is one of the most difficult welding techniques to master. This is mainly because the welder would need both the hands for welding in this technique. With one hand, the TIG torch is to be managed along with a tungsten electrode while with the other, rod has to be fed into the welding surface.
The tungsten electrode generates the heat besides providing the arc needed for welding. The equipment needed for TIG welding is much more expensive. It is also quite a complicated setup, as the system requires a remote amperage foot pedal as well as canister full of argon or a shielding gas mixed with argon.
MIG welding is also termed as the one of the earliest techniques of welding. This is because in this technique the welder does not have to feed in the rod constantly due its shortening, like what happens in stick welding.
In this method, a wire is inserted through a cable and connected with one of the MIG welding gun. The welder just has to pull the trigger of the gun to activate it. This is another very popular technique of welding used to set up steel brackets and other household materials in domestic as well as commercial sectors. There are specialists for each of these welding techniques.
Thus these are the most common techniques of welding that are practiced by various steel designing and manufacture companies. The best of them are home to some of the most experienced and expert technicians who would use all their expertise to meet their customers' demands.
The author is a specialist in welding and been associated with a company that offers steel design and manufacturing service including making of steel brackets and sliding gates. The author is a regular blogger and is followed by people from across the country.