The electrodes are one of the most important factors in the resistance welding process

but often the most abused. It is important to consider the electrode material, shape,
size, tip profile and cooling.

Electrode materials are covered by ISO 5182. These are mainly copper alloys with a
small percentage of alloying element to improve hardness, while maintaining good
conductivity.

The most common materials are Class 2 (e.g. copper/chromium or

copper/chromium/zirconium) and may be used for low carbon and high strength steels
in general. Higher conductivity alloys, such as copper/zirconium and dispersion
strengthened copper, show some benefits when welding coated steels as they provide
less surface heating because of their low contact resistance.

When welding harder sheet materials, such as stainless steels, much higher electrode
forces are required but lower welding current. These materials are better welded with
the harder Class 3 electrodes such as copper/nickel/silicon. This is replacing the
superior copper/cobalt/beryllium alloy because of the potential beryllium hazard (mainly
as a dust from machining or dressing operations).

Refractory electrode materials, such as tungsten/copper, tungsten, or molybdenum are

used for applications such as projection welding inserts, where the electrode contact
area is at least three times the weld size. These materials have higher hardness but
lower conductivity than the Class 2 electrodes. They are unsuitable for spot welding as
they suffer localised heating at the tip contact, which can lead to cracking of the
electrode. The exception is for joining high conductivity metals such as copper wire or
foil, where heat is generated mainly within the refractory electrode tip and conducted
into the materials to be joined.