MIG Welding

MIG welding is an arc welding method that utilizes a continual solid wire conductor that is heated up and then fed into the weld puddle using a welding gun. Two base materials get melted together creating a join. The welding gun feeds an inert gas along the electrode helping safeguard the weld puddle from airborne pollutants.

MIG welding was initially patented in the US in 1949 for welding aluminum. The arc and weld puddle formed utilizing an exposed wire conductor was safeguarded by helium gas, easily accessible during that time. From around 1952, the method became popular in the United Kingdom for welding aluminum utilizing argon as the protective gas, and for carbon steels utilizing CO2. Argon-CO2 blends and CO2 are referred to as metal active gas (MAG) procedures. MIG is an enticing option to MMA, providing high deposition rates and increased productivity.

MIG Welding Process Characteristics

MIG/MAG welding is an adaptable method fitting for both thinner sheets and thicker section elements. An arc is hit amid the end of a wire conductor and the workpiece, melting them both to create a weld puddle. The wire takes the role as both heat source (through the arc at the wires tip) and filling metal for the welding joint. The wire gets fed via a copper contact tube in which carries out a welding voltage into the wire. The weld puddle is safeguarded from the encompassing atmosphere by a protective gas fed via a nozzle around the wire.

Protective gas choice is subject to the material getting welded and the application. The wire is fed via a spool by a motor, and the welder moves the welding gun along the lines joint. Wires could be solid (straightforward drawn wires) or cored (compounds created from a metal sheath with metal fillings or powdered fluxes). These wires are usually competitively priced in comparison with those for other processes. The process provides increased productivity, as the wire is continually fed.

Manual MIG Welding

Manual MIG/MAG welding is sometimes known as a semi-auto method, as the wire feed speed and arc segment are managed via the power supply, however, the travel velocity and position of the wire are under manual management. The method can also be motorized when all the process limits are not directly managed by a welder, but might still necessitate manual adjustment throughout welding. When no manual intrusion is required throughout welding, the process can be known as automatic.

The method typically operates with the wire positively charged and attached to a power supply delivering a continual voltage. Choice of wire diameter (typically between point-six and one-point-six mm) and wire feed velocity determines the welding voltage, as the net burn rate of the wire is going to form a balance with the feed velocity.