Tungsten Inert Gas or TIG Welding is especially suited to some jobs. This short article discusses elements of this situation.
Not all metals can be processed without effort by welding procedures; there are some with very high conductivity properties that accumulate and generate heat almost instantly, which is the case with aluminum and magnesium. These metals came to be used only as late as the 1940s by means of special welding procedures known as MIG welding that has now been largely replaced by the process known as tungsten inert gas or TIG welding. Presently, TIG welding is used for almost all aluminum workpieces that require exemplary execution. The electric arc is formed between a tungsten electrode and the metal surface, the result being a very clean weld without any signs of oxidation whatsoever.
TIG welding is an automatic or semi-automatic process that allows the creation of continuous long and durable welds that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. The best gas shield required by TIG welding is helium, argon or their mixture since, in association, these two chemicals increase the welding speed and the power of the process for deep workpiece usage. However, argon is welders’ favorite gas where TIG welding is concerned; the explanation for this preference lies in the density of the gas – heavier than air – and its high quality coverage.
Why is the presence of the inert gas so important for TIG welding? The flow of argon passes through the welding device simultaneously with the electrode, and during the process it acts as a shield against various contaminants present in the atmosphere that may affect one way or the result of the procedure. To put it in simple words, the argon keeps the air away from the weld area. Though tig welding can presently be used to create all sorts of very fine welds, steel and aluminum are still the metals the most widely associated with the tungsten inert gas procedure.
The pieces of equipment also need to be adjusted to the requirements of TIG welding; for instance there are several types of joints especially created for the purpose. We could mention t-joints, corner joints, lap and butt joints here, some of them need a filler rod, some others don’t. The independent form is the butt joint where the pieces of metal are connected along the seams. The use of each of the above in tig welding processes involves different types of seams and placings of the metal pieces. Good knowledge of process specificity is an absolute must here.