The three most commonly used stainless steel processing and welding processes

Among various stainless steel processing welding processes, the most commonly used welding processes in order of frequency of use are manual welding, gas metal arc welding and tungsten inert gas arc welding. These three methods will be described in detail below.

Let’s first look at manual welding, which is a very common and easy-to-operate welding process. The length of the arc depends on manual adjustment, which is determined by the size of the gap between the welding rod and the workpiece. And when used as an arc carrier, the welding rod is also the filling material of the weld. This process is very simple and can be used to weld almost any material. It has high adaptability when used outdoors, even when used underwater. Most welding machines are capable of TIG welding.

In most cases, direct current is used for welding, and the electrode is both an arc carrier and a weld filling material. The electrode is composed of alloy or non-alloy metal core wire and electrode coating. This coating protects the weld from air damage and stabilizes the arc. It also causes the formation of a slag layer, which protects and shapes the weld. Welding rods can be either titanium or alkaline, depending on the thickness and composition of the coating. Titanium welding rods are easy to weld, and the welds are flat and beautiful. And the welding slag is easy to remove. If the welding rod is stored for a long time, it needs to be rebaked. This is because moisture from the air can quickly accumulate on the electrode.

Let’s look at gas metal arc welding, which is an automatic gas shielded arc welding process. In this method, an arc is burned between the current carrier wire and the workpiece under a protective gas shield. The wire fed by the machine acts as a welding rod and melts under its own arc.

Due to the versatility and specificity of the MIG/MAG welding method, it is still the most widely used welding process in the world. It is used on steel, non-alloy steel, low alloy steel and high alloy based materials. This makes it an ideal welding process for production and repair. When welding steel, MAG can meet the requirements of thin gauge stainless steel plates only 0.6mm thick. The protective gas used here is a reactive gas such as carbon dioxide or a mixed gas. The only limitation is that when welding outdoors, the workpiece must be protected from moisture to maintain the effect of the gas.

The third type is tungsten inert gas shielded welding. The arc is generated between the refractory tungsten welding wire and the workpiece. The shielding gas used here is pure argon, and the welding wire fed is not charged. Welding wire can be delivered manually or mechanically. Whether DC or AC is used depends on the material being welded. When using direct current, set the tungsten welding wire to the negative pole. Due to its deep welding penetration ability, it is very suitable for different types of stainless steel.

The main advantage of this process is the wide range of welding materials, including workpieces with a thickness of 0.6mm and above. The materials include alloy steel, aluminum, magnesium, copper and its alloys, gray cast iron, ordinary dry, various bronzes, and nickel. , silver, titanium and lead. The main application area is the welding of thin and medium thickness stainless steel plate workpieces, and is used as a root pass on thicker sections.