Grahame Collins
23rd Dec 2005, 09:22 PM
Well fellas, here is the first installment of the series I promised about GMA -mig to you
Why choose the GMAW Process for a home welder
Advantages and disadvantages - Cost versus versatility – what it will & will not do
Advantages
No need to change electrodes
No need to chip flux
As a result of the above a lot of weld metal is deposited rapidly
Good gap filling ability
Can weld Ferrous metals and others
Disadvantages
Expensive purchase price and
Consumable costs high – Wire Gas , gas cylinder rental, contact tips ,diffusers, and liners
A high maintenance effort is required – a good troubleshooting knowledge for problems within the process is required
There are many variables within the GMA welding process
The process does not tolerate anything but a 100% clean welding surface free of any contaminants such as rust, oil, paint, grease or wax
The visual appearance of the completed bead can look ok but CAN be prone to failure if incorrect settings are used.
If a change in metal to be welded is desired, a change of many parts is required
(Aluminium for example requires a contact tip change, a liner change, a change of driver wheels, driver wheel liner guides as well as the wire itself.)
The process does not tolerate any breeze over say 4 KM/Hr.
The radiation emission is about treble that of stick welding-unprotected body parts affected rapidly
Summary
Gmaw is a process that has better control of the arc pool as the input voltage is also able to be adjusted. Many uses prefer because it offers a greater versatility over a range of metal thicknesses and positions. Without knowledge of the tuning and maintenance procedures new operators can suffer problems due to the number of variable adjustments of the equipment.
Thats one down
Merry Xmas fellas
Grahame
Why choose the GMAW Process for a home welder
Advantages and disadvantages - Cost versus versatility – what it will & will not do
Advantages
No need to change electrodes
No need to chip flux
As a result of the above a lot of weld metal is deposited rapidly
Good gap filling ability
Can weld Ferrous metals and others
Disadvantages
Expensive purchase price and
Consumable costs high – Wire Gas , gas cylinder rental, contact tips ,diffusers, and liners
A high maintenance effort is required – a good troubleshooting knowledge for problems within the process is required
There are many variables within the GMA welding process
The process does not tolerate anything but a 100% clean welding surface free of any contaminants such as rust, oil, paint, grease or wax
The visual appearance of the completed bead can look ok but CAN be prone to failure if incorrect settings are used.
If a change in metal to be welded is desired, a change of many parts is required
(Aluminium for example requires a contact tip change, a liner change, a change of driver wheels, driver wheel liner guides as well as the wire itself.)
The process does not tolerate any breeze over say 4 KM/Hr.
The radiation emission is about treble that of stick welding-unprotected body parts affected rapidly
Summary
Gmaw is a process that has better control of the arc pool as the input voltage is also able to be adjusted. Many uses prefer because it offers a greater versatility over a range of metal thicknesses and positions. Without knowledge of the tuning and maintenance procedures new operators can suffer problems due to the number of variable adjustments of the equipment.
Thats one down
Merry Xmas fellas
Grahame