What Is Welding & How Does It Work?

Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, typically metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is achieved through high heat, pressure, or both, and as the materials cool, they form a strong joint known as a weldment. While commonly associated with metals, welding techniques can also be applied to plastics and, in specialized cases, wood.

How It Works

In most welding processes, a heat source such as a torch or gun melts the base materials, creating a molten pool that allows for the addition of filler material to form a joint. Some methods utilize pressure alone or a combination of heat and pressure, depending on the materials involved and the desired strength of the joint.

Benefits of Welding

What are the benefits of welding? The procedure offers a ton of advantages, including versatility and flexibility. Check out everything welding has to offer below.

• Best for material fusion
• Utmost strength and durability
• Cost-effective & speedy fabrication
• Polished appearance

Types Of Welding

Understanding the different types of welding can sometimes be overwhelming. Although each type of weld has its own procedure, many may fall under the same umbrella process.

Tig Welding

TIG welding employs a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. An inert gas, typically argon, shields the weld area from contamination. This method is known for its precision and is ideal for thin materials and applications requiring high-quality welds.

Mig Welding

This is also known as metal inert gas. This particular welding technique is used for thick, large materials. It often contains a consumable wire that acts like an electrode and filler material.

Compared to TIG welding, it is much quicker and often results in shorter lead times and lower production costs. A lot of the time, it produces welds that require little to no cleaning and finishing. Although these can be used for more extensive material, these welds are less precise, firm, or clean, like something a TIG weld would do.

Arc Welding

This uses an electric arc to create heat to melt and join metals. A type of power supply makes an electric arc between an electrode that is consumable or non-consumable and the base material using either direct or alternating currents. This type of welding is more of a fusion-based process and can create heat intensities up to around 6500°F.

Pipe Welding

As you may have guessed, this type of welding joins two pipes together. A lot of the time, the specific techniques used include MIG & TIG welding. Pipe welding relates more to metal pipes.

Often, you can find this process used in the construction industry, obviously metal fabrication shops like Dimar Manufacturing, power stations, the water industry, and more.

Spot Welding

This is sometimes referred to as resistance spot welding, and is used primarily for welding two or more metal sheets together by applying a particular amount of pressure and heat from an electric current to a specific weld area. A lot of the time, low-carbon steels are used as a material with this.

Stick Welding

Also known as shielded metal arc welding, is a popular term in the industry because the electrode that welds the metal comes in the form of a stick. Stick welding uses a consumable electrode coated in flux to lay the weld. It’s a straightforward and cost-effective method suitable for outdoor applications and thicker materials.

Tube Welding

This is a significant and integral part of steel processing and has been around forever! Like pipe welding, this is where two components are welded together for the part’s life. It’s often a process to create complex type structures.

Popular Welds

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular welds in the industry.

Metal

A lot of the time, heat and pressure are used over a base material. A shielding gas protects the molten metal from getting any contamination or oxidation.

Plastic Welding

After surface preparation, heat and pressure are applied, and the materials are cooled at the end.

Wood

The material has to be exposed to pressure before using the same heat that the linear friction movement creates.

Welding Test Types

It’s important always to check the quality of a weld. Each testing procedure ensures the quality is top-notch and suitable for the weld.

NDE

NDE, also known as non-destructive evaluation, is used to look at the sophistication of welds and base metal. It’s a simple examination and is popular because it’s a cost-effective solution. NDE can determine material specifics compared to NDT, which we will discuss next.

NDT

NDT, also known as non-destructive testing, inspects components or different assemblies for discontinuities or abnormalities in characteristics without destroying the serviceability of the part or system.

Let’s Get To Welding

At Dimar Manufacturing, our team of certified experts is waiting for your next welding project. For more information on what we have to offer, check out our services page or get a custom quote today.