TIG Welding

TIG Welding Definition

TIG welding is another name for gas tungsten arc welding. The
aircraft industry created it to weld magnesium in the 1930s and
1940s. Ideally the process works like this: the welder makes an
arc between the base metal and the non-consumable tungsten
electrode, a type of electrode that does not melt. At the point
where the arc hits the base metal a molten weld pool forms. A
thin wire of filler metal is slowly handfed into the weld pool,
where it melts. All the while, an inert shielding gas protects the
tungsten electrode and weld pool from oxygen contamination.
No fluxes are used. The finished product is a sound, slag-free
weld that shares the same corrosion resistance properties as
the parent metal. 2

What Is TIG Welding Used For?

TIG welding can be used for more metals than any other type of
process. For this reason, a variety of industries rely on TIG
welding. It is used in the construction of spacecraft and
airplanes in the aerospace industry. Auto manufacturers use
TIG welding on fenders for its anti-corrosive properties. TIG
welding is also widely employed in auto body repair shops.
Artists appreciate the excellent quality of TIG welds using them
in sculpture welding.

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 1

TIG Welding Advantages and Disadvantages
One of the greatest advantages of TIG welding is the amount of
control it allows. A welder can control heat and amperage with
precision using a foot or thumb remote control switch. The TIG
welder is thin, which adds to the control a welder with
excellent dexterity can have over the process. As a result, TIG
welding is good for projects where detailed designs or curves
are required on the base metal.

Since the TIG welding torch uses low amperage, the process
works well on thin pieces or metal. The combination of the low
amperage and remote control switch allows welders to quickly
switch from working on thin pieces of metal to thick ones,
making TIG welding a versatile process. Since no fluxes are used
and it’s possible to produce a low-profile weld bead, the weld is
clean and free of slag.
Only a small area of space separates the arc of the flame from
the base metal, so TIG welding requires a high level of focus
and hand-eye coordination. Performing TIG welding requires
skills and patience because the process can be time
consuming. Despite this, welders can overcome challenges with
training and practice.

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 2

 MIG Welding
Welding, by definition, is the process of joining two metals
together by heating the metal surfaces up to their melting
points. However, the process of welding isn’t as simple as it
sounds. Welding is a highly technical process, with numerous
types and techniques that only skilled personnel are able to
understand and practice.

There are many types of welding, namely, Arc, Friction, Electron

Beam, Laser, and Resistance welding. Among these types,
Metal Inert Gas (MIG), a type of Arc welding, is the most
common.

What Is MIG Welding?

Metal Inert Gas (MIG) is also known as gas metal arc
welding (GMAW). This type of welding is basically an arc
welding process that joins two metals. This is done by heating
the metals with the help of an arc. This arc is formed between
the surface to be welled and a continuously fed filler electrode.
This type of welding uses a shielding gas to protect the molten
pool of weld metal from reacting with elements present in the
atmosphere. MIG welding requires a DCEP (Direct Current
Positive Electrode), also known as Reverse Polarity.

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 3

How Does MIG Welding Work?
Before we can move onto the actual welding process, you first
need to familiarize yourself with some important terminologies
that will help you better understand the process of MIG
welding. Your first step of the road to MIG welding is
understanding the basics.

Features of a Weld

Parent Metal

The parent metal is the metal that is to be joined by welding.

Filler Metal

This is the metal that is added during the process to join the
metals together.

Weld Metal

The weld metal includes all the metal that is melted and
retained during the formation of the weld.

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 4

Heat Affected Zone

The Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) is that part of the parent metal
that gets affected metallurgically but doesn’t melt as a result of
the heat of the welding process.

Fusion Line

The fusion line is the boundary between the HAZ and the weld
metal. This is basically a non-standard term that is used for the
weld junction.

Weld Zone

The weld zone comprises of the HAZ and the weld metal.

MIG Welding Unit/Gun

To be able to understand how Gas Metal Arc welding or MIG

welding works, you need to understand what a MIG welding
gun is. A MIG welding gun has numerous components,
including a control switch, a power cable, contact tip, gas
nozzle, gas hose, electrode conduit and power, and a shielding
gas flow.

The contact tip is usually made of copper and is chemically

treated at times. This reduces the spatter produced during the
welding process. The contact tip is connected to a power
WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 5
source via a power cable that is responsible for transmitting the
electrical energy to the electrode. The contact tip should be of
the right size as it will determine the area of contact between
the electrode and the base metal.

The electrode wire is guided and protected by the electrode

conduit and liner. This helps prevent buckling and also ensures
an uninterrupted wire feed.

The gas nozzle is responsible for directing the shielding gas

evenly on to the welding zone. If the flow of gas is inconsistent,
the welding area will not be protected the way it should be. A
larger gas nozzle offers a greater shielding effect, which is
useful when high-current operations are underway, developing
a larger pool of molten weld. Sometimes, you may also find a
water hose connected to the gun that is used to cool down the
welding unit after high-heat operations.

The wire feed unit is what supplies electricity to the workpiece

and drives it through the conduit and liner and on the contact
tip.

The Actual Process of MIG Welding

MIG welding is often called wire welding because a wire
electrode is used in the process. A wire electrode consists of a
thin wire that is continuously fed to the welding machine from
a wire reel. The wire feed may be cored or solid. A cored wire

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 6

consists of composites that are formed from a metal sheath
with a metal filling or powdered flux, whereas solid wires are
simple wires.

When the trigger of the welding machine is pulled, an arc forms

between the end of this wire electrode and the workpiece (the
metal that is being worked on). The arc that is formed melts
both the workpiece and the wire and forms a weld pool. The
wire serves a dual purpose in the process of MIG welding. It
serves as a heat source and filler metal for the joint – hence the
name wire welding.

The wire is continuously fed through a contact tube made of

copper (the contact tip), which conducts current into the wire.
To protect the filler material or the workpiece from reacting
with environmental elements, MIG welding uses a shielding
gas. The shielding gas is supplied through a nozzle that
surrounds the wire. The selection of the shielding gas depends
on the material that is being welded and what it is being
welded for.

MIG welding is referred to as a semi-automatic welding process

owing to the fact that the rate at which the wire is fed and the
length of the arc are controlled by a power source, but the
speed of travel and the position of the wire are controlled
manually.

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 7

Voltage and Polarity
In MIG welding, the wire is positively charged and is connected
to a source that delivers a constant voltage. The voltage that is
used in MIG welding is direct current (DC) that flows from the
negative terminal to the positive terminal, much like a car’s
battery.

The polarity is also standard. As mentioned above, a D/C

electrode positive is used, which means that the handle of the
MIG welder is connected to the positive side of the circuit. The
direction of the flow of current is from the parent metal into
the handle of the MIG welder.

The power source that is used in MIG welding is known as the

constant voltage power supply. The welding voltage is adjusted
and controlled.

What Metals Can Be MIG-Welded?

One of the major reasons why MIG welding is so common is
that it can be used to weld any metal (almost). Although the
weld quality from MIG welding is not superior to other types of
welding, MIG welding is one of the fastest and the most cost-
efficient welding processes. Moreover, MIG welds are great, if
not perfect.

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 8

 The metals that are most commonly welded by this type of
welding include stainless steel, carbon steel, and aluminum,
with carbon steel being the easiest metal to MIG weld.

Applications of MIG Welding

MIG welding is the most commonly used type of welding. Its
applications are diverse and quite widespread. Some of the
most important applications of MIG welding are listed below:

• The most common application of MIG welding is in the

automotive industry. No matter what the size of the vehicle is,
MIG welding is employed for automotive repairs. The reason
why MIG welding is the top choice for automotive repairs is
that it provides sturdy and robust welds up to a mark of 0.5mm
• It is used in sheet metal welding
• MIG welding is used in pipe welds. Not only does it form
efficient and long-lasting welds but it also saves on time and
cost

Advantages of MIG Welding

The use of MIG welding is widespread for all the right reasons –
high-quality welds for non-ferrous and ferrous alloys at a fairly
low price. It is associated with numerous benefits:

• It has the ability to join many types of materials

• It can join materials of different thicknesses
WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 9
• The equipment components are simple, and thus, readily
available in the market at very affordable prices
• The electrode efficiencies of MIG welding are higher (92-98%)
as compared to other types of welding
• MIG welding is associated with higher operator factor and
welder efficiencies
• It can be easily adapted for hard automation, high-speed
robotic, and semi-automatic applications
• MIG welding comes with the capability of all-position welding
• The appearance of weld bead formed from MIG welding is
excellent
• The hydrogen weld deposit in MIG welding is lower
• It requires a lower heat input as compared to other types of
welding
• The slag and weld spatter is kept at a minimum in MIG welding,
which makes the cleaning of the weld easy and quick
• Less amount of welding fumes are produced in MIG welding
which makes it safer for welders
• The cost of weld metal/ length deposited is lower making MIG
welding a cost-effective welding process
• The skill level needed for MIG welding is lower than what’s
needed for other types of welding, making it suitable for
beginners
• The welding wire in MIG welding runs continuously with lesser
downtime for electrodes replacement
• MIG welding is excellent for tack and spot welds

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 10

 Limitations of MIG Welding
Although Gas Metal Arc (GMAW) or MIG welding is the most
commonly employed type of welding, it does come with certain
limitations.

• The short-circuiting mode of metal transfer is a low-heat input

mode that restricts the use of this method to thinner materials
• The spray transfer mode is a high-heat input mode that limits
the use of this type of welding to thicker materials
• The spray mode of meta transfer is suitable for horizontal and
flat welding positions only because of it being a high-heat input
mode
• Argon is usually used as the shielding gas in spray mode and
pulsed mode of meta transfer which is significantly more
expensive than pure, 100% carbon dioxide
• The welder has to stay close to the MIG machine
• The use of MIG welding is limited to indoor welding jobs as
wind is a major impacting factor outdoors
• A bottle of gas is always needed with MIG welding
• Since contact tips get spatter on their surfaces often, they get
seized up
• For excellent welds, it is necessary that all parts of a MIG
welder are working perfectly. However, it is quite a challenge to
figure out what exactly is wrong with the machine

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 11

 MAG Welding
MAG welding, just like TIG welding, belongs to the arc welding
processes. MAG welding (with active gases) uses a gas mixture
of argon, carbon dioxide and oxygen.

Protective gases can be both inert or active. Inert gases shield

the weld pool from the negative influence of oxygen. However,
active shielding gases themselves contain a certain amount of
oxygen, which acts as an oxygenating additive during welding.
Oxygen stabilises the arc and causes the flowing transfer of
material to the welding area. The proportions of the individual
gases can be adapted to the requirements of the material that
is to be welded. This reduces side effects such as burn-in and
spattering. MAG welding is mainly used for unalloyed steel
grades.

Inert gases offer the advantage that welding can be carried out
at higher temperatures without oxidising the material. MAG
welding cannot be used outside of closed rooms. The shielding
gas could be blown away by wind and weather so that the
welding process would take place without protection against
oxidation. This weld would then be of inferior quality,
susceptible to rust and far less stable.

Very often this type of welding is used in the manufacture of

motor vehicles, tanks and pipelines or in mechanical
engineering. Even in shipbuilding, MAG welding has become an
essential process. Due to the fast welding speed, only slight
WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 12
deformations are expected, even in difficult or awkward
positions. Therefore, this arc welding process is mainly used in
the thin sheet metal range from 0.6 mm for repairs or
maintenance. There is a high strength of the weld seam.
Therefore, reworking is almost not necessary.

A motor automatically unwinds a welding wire from a spool and

automatically feeds it to the welding point. This wire is fed
through the contact sleeve directly to the welding area. In
contrast to tungsten inert gas welding (TIG), the welding wire
melts away. At the same time shielding gas is fed through a
nozzle, which protects the weld pool from the influence of
oxygen and thus ensures an oxidation-free connection of the
metal parts. The finished weld seam is also known as a welding
bead.

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 13

Advantages
The weld seam is protected against oxidation. No slag is
formed. The working speed is very high. This results in less heat
influence of the surrounding material. This method can be used
in all welding positions. Because of these special advantages, it
is the most used welding method today.

Disadvantages
Wind susceptibility - gas-shielded metal arc welding cannot
take place outdoors. MAG welding requires a lot of experience
and is not easy to control. The weld seam must also be cleaned
of rust beforehand. In addition to appropriate protective
clothing, special attention must be paid to proper eye
protection, due to the fact that the welding flame develops a
remarkably bright arc.

WhiteLines Technologies |www.wlai.in Page | 14