What is Welding Porosity? Weld porosity is a welding defect caused by the absorption of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen gases trapped in the molten weld puddle and release during solidification, which causes pockets or pores on the surface or within the bead. Porosity can occur on the surface

Stick welding is performed by striking an electric arc between a metal electrode and the workpiece. An electric current passes through the electrode and melts it into the workpiece and forms a weld pool. The electrode is covered in a layer of flux which melts and protects the weld pool from bei

Machining is a manufacturing term encompassing a broad range of technologies and techniques. It can be roughly defined as the process of removing material from a workpiece using power-driven machine tools to shape it into an intended design. Most metal components and parts require some form

What is a Drilling? Drilling is a cutting process that uses a drill bit to cut a hole with a circular cross-section in solid materials. The drill is usually a rotating cutting tool, often multi-point. The bit is pressed against the workpiece and rotated at speeds of hundreds to thousands of

What is Turning? Turning is a machining process in which a cutting tool, typically a non-rotary tool bit, describes a helix toolpath by moving more or less linearly while the workpiece rotates. Usually the term “turning” is reserved for the generation of external surfaces by this cutting

What is Milling? Milling is the process of machining using rotating cutters to remove material by advancing a cutter into a workpiece. Milling covers a wide variety of different operations and machines, from small individual parts to large, heavy-duty group milling operations. It is one of t

What Is a Weld Bead? A weld bead is created by applying filler material to a joint between two pieces of metal. A deposit of filler metal from a single welding pass, also known as a welding bead. Bead is deposited on and in the work surface when the wire or electrode is melted and fused i

MIG welding uses a hand-held gun that contains a spool-fed wire electrode, along with a gas nozzle that delivers a stream of gas to the weld site. This gas prevents the contact of oxygen, nitrogen, and other environmental gases with the weld bead – which helps ensure consistent, strong results.

If you’re interested in welding and have wondered, “What is SMAW?” we’re here to help explain. SMAW stands for “shielded metal arc welding.” SMAW is a type of welding used in a variety of applications, including maintenance and repair, construction, industrial fabrication, and more. SMAW is

What are welding electrodes? Welding electrodes are lengths of wire that are connected with your welding machine to create an electric arc. Current passes through this wire to produce an arc, which generates a lot of heat to melt and fuse metal for welding. An electrode is a coated metal

A welding ventilation overview For processes such as welding, brazing, soldering, and torch cutting, the primary purpose of ventilation is to remove air contaminants from the worker’s breathing zone. Different ventilation strategies may be needed in each case to remove air contaminants from

Those who’ve never taken welding classes or fused metal in the field might assume a welder simply sits at a workstation and fuses the metal components in front of them, moving freely around the table and repositioning the workpiece as needed. But in everyday work environments, joining metal

What is Oxy-fuel cutting? Oxy-fuel welding and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol) and oxygen to weld or cut metals. French engineers Edmond Fouche and Charles Picard became the first to develop oxygen-acetylene welding in 1903.

Oxyacetylene and oxyhydrogen welding process are most commonly used for gas welding aluminum and aluminum alloys. Hydrogen can be combusted with oxygen using the same tips as acetylene. However, the temperature is lower and larger tip sizes are required. When acetylene and oxygen are mixed i

In the world of welding, your welder’s helmet is your shadow and probably your most important tool. The helmet becomes an extension of the welder, as it is on at all times during work. Due to the fact that the helmet never comes off while you’re working, it is of the utmost importance that

Lead is a waterproof metal that melts easily and is less prone to corrosion, making it an ideal choice for many welding projects. Although lead is often used for automobile parts and pipes, it is highly toxic when handled improperly. Take precautions by ventilating the area and wearing safet

How to Weld Copper Copper welding is not hard. The heat required for this type of welding is approximately twice that required for steel of similar thickness. Copper has a high thermal conductivity. To offset this heat loss, a tip one or two sizes larger than that required for steel is recom

Aluminum brazing has become prevalent in the manufacturing industry, repair shops, automotive industry, or even at the homes of our DIY guys and hobbyists. Most manufacturers and repair companies are using all-aluminum or mostly aluminum components for the repair of holes, cracks, rivets, le

What is Spray Welding? Spray welding refers to several welding processes in the form of thermal spraying. It is an industrial activity in which a powder or wire is atomized at high speed with compressed gas and sprayed onto a metal surface. Spray welding involves the use of industrial pla

Today, thermal spray coatings are utilized in a number of different industries. These coatings consist of wire and molten powder which are exposed to plasma or oxy-fuel combustion. The fire from the spray device will power the mixture that has been heated, and once it has been sprayed onto meta