Deciding On A Welder For Your Next Metalwork Job
Welding, basically, is the process of joining separate pieces of metal. While this skill has been around for a long time, these days welders, or welding machines, make it possible to produce extremely strong joints between two pieces of metal.
Welding, in some capacity, has been in existence since the bronze age, but it wasn’t really until the 1800s that the discipline really began to develop. With the dawn of the last century, and especially World War I, welding and welders entered a new age.
Arc welding, which is still common these days, was used during that era to build ships, bridges, aircraft, trucks and just about anything else which was made of metal. Since those early days of arc welding, a plethora of welders and welding technologies have emerged. Here is an overview of the most popular welding processes:
Arc – This kind of welder relies on a power supply to create an electric arc between the welder and the base metal. It creates enough temperatures to melt the metals and form a strong join. There are a few different kinds of arc welding, these include shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), gas metal arc welding, metal inert gas (MIG) welding and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, to name just a few examples. Even now, arc welding remains by far the most common form of welding in use.
Gas – Gas welding processes like oxyfuel welding, also known as oxyacetylene welding, have become somewhat dated in recent years but are still among the most versatile kinds of welding. Not only can these be employed to join metals, the equipment is also perfect for cutting metals, brazing and melting. The gas welding flame, a mix of acetylene and oxygen, can hit temperatures of up to 3,100 degrees celsius.
Resistance welding – Although not as popular as arc or gas welding, resistance welding can be useful in certain situations, though it can be pricey. Heat is made by passing a strong current through two metal objects. The resistance caused by the contact of the two bits of metal makes them melt at the weld area and makes a join.
Energy beam welding – Involving either laser beam welding or electron beam welding, this process is often used in high-production environments. That said, it is still worth a mention. High energy beams are utilized to make high-quality, precision welds very quickly. The process is extremely efficient and can be easily automated, but these welders are very costly.
For a lot of day-to-day and smaller industrial welding tasks, the arc welder will be the most common choice. They are inexpensive, convenient and can be used for all kinds of welding tasks. Moreover, there is no need for gas or oxygen tanks. A basic arc welder can be bought for around the $350 mark, but of course you can pay much more than that for higher end products.
