Welding has been in use ever since the discovery of iron. The processes of welding have undergone a sea change. Today, there are various types of soldering machines available in the market for both industrial and home use. Of these, the most popular ones are gas based.
I hereby explain four main types of welding used in industries and homes:
MIG Welding
MIG welding is a subtype of gas metal arc welding. In this type of fusing, electric arc forms between the source electrode and the workpiece metal, which generates heat. This melts down the metal causing them to fuse together. An inert gas flowing through the welding gun shield it from contaminants. The semi-inert gas used mostly is carbon dioxide. This process involves use of both direct current and alternative current.
MIG welders can fuse aluminum and steel. It is one of the most common types of industrial soldering and is suitable for home use.
TIG Welding
TIG welding is a subtype of gas tungsten arc brazing. This type of soldering uses tungsten as the conducting electrode in the soldering gun to produce the weld. An arc gets created by the highly ionized inert gas and metal vapors across which energy gets conducted. The inert gas used also shields the weld from being contaminated by air-borne pollutants.
This is a slow, but more focused form of soldering. It yields a stronger and higher quality weld. Processes that requires a superior finish without much cleaning up, such as sanding and grinding uses TIG welders. TIG welders can weld the most number of metals such as steel, aluminum, copper alloys, and magnesium.
Arc Welding
This is the most basic type of bonding. It uses constant source of direct or alternative current to produce high energy to weld the metal at its joining point. Arc or stick welding applies to heavy metals, such as 4mm thickness and above. It is widely used in manufacturing and construction industries, and is suitable for repair works. Fabricating steel structures make use of stick welding.
Gas Welding
Gas welding uses a mixture of fuel gases and oxygen, generally for cutting metals. This bonding type produces a high-temperature flame that can melt steel. Gas welding or Oxy-Acetylene welding is more popular for maintenance work, metal-cutting and brazing soft metals as bronze and copper.
These are different types of welding used in both industries and homes. Their preference depends on their application, versatility and output.