Welding, welding services and a whole load more.
Welding is a process of joining materials, where joints form after the localised melting of welded parts and their consequent fusion, allowing the atoms of one part to be incorporated into the other part and vice versa.
If you’re looking for a welding service provider or mobile welder, we can help you out. Call us or complete the form on the right of this page, and we will respond with an offer.
Welding services are usually linked to specific types of materials, and different companies offer services in particular ranges that generally correlate with their customer base. We are not different in that perspective. What makes our welding company different is that we have a customer base in a broad range of industries. Each one of those industries has specific requirements for welding services and welding processes.
If you are not searching for welding services but want to learn about welding, how it works, and what methods are available, you are in the right place. Keep reading.
Different types, processes and materials that classify welding.
- Electric Arc welding – a process that uses the power of an electric arc to weld parts and materials together. Electric arc has a very high temperature, around 11 000 degrees C, which is almost three times higher than the temperature on the surface of the Sun. Electric arc allows rapid, localised melting of the metal and relatively low Heat Affected Zone formation. Most metals can be welded with electric arc equipment.Tig welding
- TiG welding
- Mig welding
- Stick welding
- Submerged arc welding
- Plasma welding
- Thermal welding is a process that uses heat derived from sources other than electric arc to weld parts or materials.
- Laser welding
- Gas welding
- Induction welding
- Forge welding
- Friction welding
- Electron beam welding
- Explosion welding
- Stud welding
- Spot welding
- Chemical welding – a process that uses chemicals to melt materials rather than heat.
What are the materials used for welding?
A wide range of materials can be welded. All those materials will have common physical properties that enable the welding process.
- The materials have to be in a solid state.
- The materials should be able to melt from the heat or other factors like chemicals.
- The materials must be mixable, so they should be able to mix in their molten state.
- The materials need to solidify quickly at room temperature.
Let’s look into the welding of different materials:
Aluminium welding.
Welding aluminium is a power-hungry process. Several things make welding aluminium different from every other type of welding. During the welding, aluminium parts do not melt in the same way as steel or stainless steel parts do. Aluminium welding makes welding puddles very different in terms of properties and appearance. It is hard to achieve deep penetration in aluminium welding because the thermal conductivity of aluminium is so high that the material drains heat away from the welding area. That makes it challenging to attain a narrow localised heated spot that can be melted in a controlled fashion. In addition, if the electric arc is used to weld aluminium, this usually happens with a TiG or MiG welding process. It is also possible to weld aluminium with a stick welder; however, due to the advantages of MiG and TiG welding, the stick welding process has become more redundant nowadays. This leads to situations where most welding companies do not have skilled aluminium welder who can weld with gas.
The TiG welding process utilises AC to weld aluminium AC, which, when it flows through the material, tends to break up the film of aluminium oxide, which constantly forms the minute that aluminium is exposed to atmospheric oxygen. Aluminium is a highly reactive metal. Even if you cut or scratch it, the metal in the depth of this gouge or a scratch instantly oxidises form upon contact with air. It happens within milliseconds, so aluminium is always encapsulated in the thin film of oxide layer. Naturally, with time, the oxide film grows and becomes thicker. The thicker the oxide layer is, the harder it is to weld aluminium. Aluminium oxide has a fascinating property; mainly, its melting temperature is way higher than the melting temperature of pure aluminium.
To put it in perspective, imagine a cooking pot full of ice cubicles; your task would be to melt a pot without melting the ice inside. That is a challenge that we face during aluminium welding. During AC TiG welding, the flow of electricity and electrons moving from negative to positive terminals through welding cables cause the oxide film to break as electrons fly out of the material and land on the tungsten electrode. When polarity changes and electrons flow in opposite directions, the energy is “deposited” into clean aluminium with no oxide film as it was destroyed in the previous cycle, so it melts. This process repeats itself 50-250 times every second while being encapsulated by inert shielding gas like Argon, which is there to push atmospheric oxygen away from molten metal and cool down all components.
When aluminium is welded using the MiG process, it is conducted with DC, which flows in a way that breaks up the oxide layer. Naturally, because of its high energy state, it also melts welding wire, which turns into a spray of aluminium droplets that fuse all molten parts.
Gas welding of aluminium also faces the issue of oxide film, which can only be broken by mechanically removing it during the welding with the aid of the flux. The operator manipulates filler wire to scrape the surface of heated aluminium parts under a gas torch’s flame, ensuring a low-oxygen environment. Aluminium gas welding is the most challenging to master as the welding process creates a vast heat-affected zone and heats the parts to the verge of collapse. Aluminium welders have the most unique skill set compared to any other professional in the trade.
Stainless steel welding.
Stainless steel welding, just like regular steel welding, is standard throughout various industries. Both steel and stainless steel welders use the same type of equipment; it is safe to say that most metals can be welded with TiG, MiG or Stick as long as you can find relevant consumable filler rods or wire. The welding process looks very similar on both, which is unsurprising as stainless steel is just steel that is alloyed by some chrome, nickel, and other metals like titanium. There is some difference in the thermal conductivity of steel versus stainless steel, which is reflected in the welding process. Stainless steel is much less conductive in temperature transmission than regular steel. For this reason, welding on stainless steel requires slightly less power energy because the heat cannot escape from the welds and into the body of the material.
Consequently, the welds stay hot, molten, and fluid for longer. As we know from chemistry lessons, heat speeds up all chemical reactions. Where welding is happening, there is plenty of heat; thus, if we are talking about welding metals. Suppose there is plenty of heat, meaning chemical reactions happen quickly. When we have molten metal atmospheric oxygen, which, as we know, is about 16 % of that in the air, the oxygen starts to react with metals that are in our stainless steel alloy, like chromium, and create oxides. Stainless steel welding is one of the most beautiful types. The reason is that depending on the type of oxide and the thickness of the oxide layer, the human eye perceives it as a different colour. The spectrum of colours that one can see on welded stainless steel parts ranges from metallic silver when to dark navy blue, almost black, and every other colour in between, like straw yellow, pink, very light purple, and blues, just a beautiful palette. Unfortunately, those gorgeous colours are indicators of the problem. Not all the oxides that create the colours have the same corrosion resistance properties. Any oxides that are not silvery metallic colour or the gateway for corrosion will destroy stainless steel parts in the long run. Stainless steel, like other metals, protects itself by forming a very thin oxide layer, which we perceive as the colour of stainless steel silver metallic colour. If this oxide layer is not formed, stainless steel is unprotected and vulnerable to elements and chemicals. During stainless steel welding, oxidisation becomes so severe that it changes the metal’s grain structure. Naturally, such changes lead to total loss of the properties associated with stainless steel, like corrosion to resistance and resistance to organic contamination. In the food processing industry, stainless steel is widely used because of the clean, impenetrable surface finish that stainless steel provides. Without this finish, it is impossible to prevent the deposition of organic materials into cracks and crevices and the subsequent growth of pathological bacteria, which can be hazardous to humans. Stainless steel welders combat this issue with their own experience, which is a key to solving this problem, as without experience, no tool can be used. They may perform welding a lot faster so that the material will not heat up so much unnaturally lower temperature material equals lower levels of oxide forming. They can also choose to use heavier gauge materials, which will be able to absorb more heat before the temperature rises past critical levels. They may use some form of heat to absorb heat from the metal, which will lower the overall temperature of the parts so they don’t heat up to critical levels. They may also choose to isolate part from atmospheric oxygen. That can happen in two ways: by displacing the atmosphere with inert gas or using various chemicals like fluxes to protect overheated metals from contacting the oxygen in the air.
Duplex and Supper duplex welding.
Duplex and super duplex steels are types of stainless steel, so all of the aspects of welding described above are valid. The chemical composition of the elements is almost the same; their amounts make duplex and super duplex steel different from 300 series alloys.
Inconel welding.
Inconel is a type of temperature-resistant alloy; due to its physical properties, its use is widely spread in applications that involve high temperatures. You can find Inconel parts in the exhausts, jet turbines and anything that gets hot. Due to the nature of those applications, often, Inconel parts are very light as they are made out of thin materials. The heat resistance of Inconel allows heat-resistant parts to be made out of extremely thin materials, more so than any other alloy in this price category. This reduces overall weight, a significant factor in aviation, space exploration, racing, and other industries. It would be wrong to assume that only thin, light parts can be made from Inconel. This solid alloy is often used in oil and gas explorations or hydraulic equipment. It is a nickel-based alloy, and the principles of welding of Inconel are very similar to those described in stainless steel. One of the challenges that Inconel welders face is temperature control during the welding process. Often, experienced welders see welds cracking as they can’t manage the heat during inconel welding.
Copper welding.
Welding of Copper, just like welding other metals, presents specific challenges. As you probably have figured out by now, one of the main factors influencing the welding of Copper is the thermal conductivity of this metal and any alloy that contains Copper. Copper has the highest thermal conductivity of all metals outside what can be considered precious metals. (It is hard to believe that Copper is not a precious metal, especially if you have to pay for it.) Naturally, it is less precious than gold, platinum or silver but still relatively expensive. Copper welding is done with DC electricity, most likely in the Tig Mode. This gives exceptionally high-quality welds and allows excellent control over the welding process. It is also possible to weld Copper with gas, but it is tough to do so as heat drains away from the welds immediately. When copper parts need to be welded, the engineers may look into brazing or soldering options rather than welding, as copper responds well to any of those.
Cunifer welding.
Cunifer is a copper alloy that responds to welding better than pure Copper, as the thermal conductivity of cunifer is reduced by alloying Copper with less thermo-conductive materials. If you want to understand what cunifer is made of, it will help if I write its name like this – Cu _Ni_Fe.
- Cuprum – the Latin name for Copper, which in the periodic table of elements is marked as “Cu.”
- Nickel – which in the periodic table of the elements is marked as “Ni.”
- Ferum – the Latin name for Iron, which in the periodic table of the elements is marked as “Fe.”
CuNiFer is a cool alloy as the addition of nickel makes it very corrosion resistant, especially to seawater; copper aids thermal conductivity, and Iron helps with the strength and weldability of the alloy. Commonly, it is found in the pipework handling seawater and heat exchangers. One of the challenges Cunifer welders face is temperature regulation before, during and post-welding.
Titanium welding.
Titanium is a unique metallic element. Like other metals, it is used widely to alloy other metals and can be alloyed by different metals. Titanium and its alloy have exceptional corrosion resistance and strength. Various methods can be used to do titanium welding, and one of the challenges in titanium welding is its ability to form oxides. Titanium welding requires the most strenuous effort to prevent oxide formation, leading to the development of specialised gas shielding equipment used by titanium welders every time they weld titanium. Occasionally, depending on the parts, all titanium welding takes place in special chambers where the atmosphere of the chamber is replaced by argon gas.
Led welding.
Led welding is very common in companies that deal with slated roofing. It is usually done by gas welding, hovewer, Tig welding can do it too. We do not do LED welding regularly, but it is an exciting metal. Only a few people realise that Led is a final product in the chain of Uranium decay. If you are still looking for Led welder, we can help.
Welding plastics and polymers.
Welding plastic pipes and various plastic parts is usually done with heat or chemicals, as in PVC plumbing pipes. Plastic welders typically follow the charts produced by manufacturers of plastic welding machines or Instructions and procedures published by plastic pipe manufacturers.
What types of welding processes are used by welding companies?
TiG welding.
The Tig welding process is an electric arc-powered welding process. The abbreviation TiG stands for tungsten inert gas. This tells us that the TiG welding process uses tungsten as a non-consumable electrode and uses some inert gas or a mixture of gases to shield the welding puddle. It is a prevalent welding process as it can be used to weld all weldable materials on an industrial scale. The TiG welding process allows TiG welders to perform very high-quality welds as the welding arc is protected by gas instead of flux. The types of welding that may use flux risk flux entrapping within the welds. TiG welders using many types of consumable rods that, during the welding, are matched to the relevant material. If you are welding 316 stainless steel, use 316-grade steel welding rods.
Advantages of TiG welding.
The Tig welding process offers several advantages over the other types of welding.
- TiG welding can weld most industrial metals
- TiG welding can comfortably weld the most diverse range of thicknesses of the metal
- TiG welding is the easiest method to achieve the highest quality welds, even at the extremes of the weldable range.
- TiG welding produces some of the cleanest finished welds, making it suitable for work that requires hygienic cleanliness.
- TiG welding can be done in any position if an operator has the necessary skills.
Disadvantages of TiG welding.
- TiG welding is more complex to learn
- TiG Welding requires the purchase and storage of compressed gas.
- TiG welding requires the purchase and storage of a variety of TiG torch consumables.
- TiG welding demands the cleanest metal for welding as it is susceptible to any contaminations before and during the welding.
- TiG welding favours work in the shielded workshop as it is susceptible to wind, which can blow away shielding gas.
Learn TiG welding.
If you want to learn about TiG welding, please follow this link to our TiG welding course.
MiG welding.
MiG welding is a type of electric arc welding process. MiG stands for Metal Inert Gas, indicating that MiG welders use a metal consumable electrode that allows the passing electric current to melt metal and consumable wire during the welding. Just like with TiG, MiG welders weld under the protection of shielding gas.
Advantages of MiG welding.
MiG welding process offers several advantages and disadvantages over the other types of welding.
- MiG welding can weld most industrial metals
- MiG welding can comfortably weld a wide range of thicknesses. About 1mm-25+mm.
- MiG welding offers the easiest method to get acceptable learning results.
- MiG welding offers the fastest welding speed and allows the longest continuous nonstop welding.
- MiG welding allows welding in any position as long as the welder has the necessary skills.
Disadvantages of MiG welding.
- MiG welding is the easiest to get it wrong. (Not all good-looking welds are good)
- MiG Welding requires the purchase and storage of compressed gas.
- MiG welding requires the purchase and storage of a variety of MiG torch consumables.
- MiG welding demands reasonably clean metal for welding as it is sensitive to any contaminations before and during the welding.
- MiG welding is best suited for regular use and preferable for large production.
- MiG welding, just like TiG, is sensitive to welding outside because of wind. It is worth mentioning that this applies to gas shielded and dual shielded wires, as self-shielding wires are less vulnerable to wind.
Learn MiG welding.
If you want to learn about MiG welding, please follow this link to our MiG welding course.
Stick welding.
Stick welding is an electric arc welding process that utilises consumable welding electrodes coated with flux. Stick welding is the most widespread type of welding process in the world. Stick welding offers a variety of advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages of the stick welding process.
The stick welding process brings several advantages into the equation.
- Stick welding can weld most of the metals used in the industries.
- Stick welding is resilient and can be performed outside in reasonable weather.
- Stick welding can produce good welds even on contaminated, not very clean parts.
- Stick welding uses small-size consumable rods, so it is suited to minor quick repairs.
The disadvantages of stick welding.
Just like any other welding process that has its advantages. Stick welding also has some disadvantages to it too.
- Stick welding produces a lot of toxic fumes during the welding.
- Stick welding is not suited to thin materials.
- Stick welding requires drying of welding consumables.
How to learn Stick welding.
If you want to learn stick welding and become a stick welder, attend our Stick welding course.
Submerged arc welding or electroslag welding.
Submerged arc welding is a type of welding process that utilises an electric arc, and as the name suggests, this arc is submerged in something; in our case, it is in a welding flux. Heavy equipment manufacturers use this welding process, which is performed in automation. More often than not, submerged arc welding or electro slag welding is performed in a down-hand or vertical up position, travelling up. Similar to the MiG process, sub-arc welding uses solid wire as a consumable electrode, and it also uses a separate supply of flux powder, which looks more like granules, to protect welding puddle. This severely limits positional welding because the flux powder is poured over the area of the weld, and a wire is pushed through the flux. The arc happens below the flux, hence the arc sub-welding.
Plasma welding.
Plasma welding is a welding process that uses plasma gas, the 4th state of matter, to create a weld. It is a robust process generated from an electric arc’s power. We have a chance to observe plasmas every time we see the lightning. Plasma welding is a very energy-concentrated phenomenon that allows metals to be welded without any preparations. It is more suited for welding but joints. Plasma welding can perform full penetration welding on up to 8mm thick materials without chamfering or rooting. This significantly reduces the cost of the weld.
Laser welding.
Laser welding generates energy from the light source and transfers it into the metal for localised melting and welding. Recently, it has become possible to use fibre optics instead of mirrors, as it used to be done in older technologies. Laser welding is more suited for delicate pieces and fragile materials because it allows a high degree of control over the temperature range and creates a narow heat-affected zone. It can be used in manual applications and automated laser welding machines. Laser welding has its challenges. Like some metals, when they are melted, they become very reflective, acting as a mirror, reducing the effectiveness of the welding process as they reflect away the laser’s light.
Gas welding.
The gas welding process uses energy from burning various gases to create heat, which is used for welding. Experienced welders can control the gas welding process and, most importantly, the temperature of this process by using different sizes of nozzles within gas burners and choosing different glasses. For example, when mixed and burned in the high oxygen-reach environment of a gas-burning nozzle, acetylene reaches exceptionally high temperatures of around 2000 degrees Celsius. If the welder chooses to use propane instead of acetylene, the temperature of such flame will be much lower. If butane is used instead of propane, the temperature will reduce even further. The gas welding process heats up and melts the material, and at the same time, it also melts the filler rod, which is deposited into the molten material of those parts that are getting welded. The flame protects the molten metal from atmospheric oxygen, which consumes oxygen around the molten metal. As welding progresses forward, the hot zone of the frame moves away, leaving a cold flame behind, and in this flame, the metal cools down and solidifies while still protected from oxygen.
Ultrasonic welding.
Ultrasonic welding uses ultrasound to create a vibration within a tool that imparts and concentrate that vibration to the localised point, which in turn raises localised heat and aids fusion. Ultrasonic welding is a form of automation process, and like many other processes, it is used for niche work.
Induction welding.
Induction welding is a welding process that uses electric induction as a heat source. Inductance is a phenomenon associated with the resistance of materials to the flow of electricity within them during inductiong welding. During induction welding, electricity passes through induction heaters to create magnetic fields within the parts around which the heating coils are located, and that, in turn, causes electricity to flow within the parts. As we know, when currents flow in different directions, it cause atoms to heat up, which cause a part to heat up. The benefit of induction welding is that the heat propagation through the material is very controlled and even. When parts are butted together and heated with induction welders they melt. If parts are pushed together when hot, they will be fused simultaneously.
Forge welding.
Forge welding is one of the oldest welding processes known to man. From the early days of metalwork, when ancient day blacksmiths were working metal. Whenever they heat the metal to almost melting point and then put those two pieces of metal together and hammer them together, the auction of hammering would cause the fusion of those pieces. Forge welding is still used privately and on an industrial scale in manual applications by blacksmiths and hobbyists. Similarly, forging welding by hammering white-hot parts together. It is still effective for specific applications. Especially those that involve hot metal stamping.
Friction welding.
Friction welding is a welding process that uses friction to create heat, allowing parts to melt so they can be pushed together until they cool down into one solid piece. Fiction welding, similar to induction welding, is more suitable for welding pins or heads onto something that can be rotated around their axis. When parts forced to rotate and touched together the friction will melt them as heat will penetrate the material. This type of welding can be seen on drive shafts or any other shafts, and it is used to achieve minimal distortion within a rod or some bar that is butted together and cooled evenly. (Similar to induction welding)
Electron beam welding.
Electron beam welding is a specialised welding process that uses directional beams of electrodes to project energy onto and into the part. The principle of work of an electron beam welder reminds us of the functionality of a giant particle Collider, which uses magnetic fields to accelerate particles and direct them on a specific path. Similarly, electron beam welding uses magnetic fields to control and direct electrones, forming a beam of energy that creates a very localised, extremely narrow and deep heat-affected zone around the weld.
Explosion welding.
Explosion welding is a unique process that can be utilised to clad one metal sheet with another type of metal. It is often found in use to weld steel to aluminium. The primary method of the explosion is for the operators to load up the steel or any other heavy material on the bottom. They attach little spacers about 10 to 12 mm in height over which the other plate, the clading material laid over, in our case it would be aluminium. Over the top of the sandwich, the operators put explosives which can be donated remotely. Once detonated, it will force aluminium to collapse and weld to steel.
Stud welding
Stud welding use electric arc to create a heat through controled short circuiting without arc. The sud acts as electrode as it gets attached to the work piece. Often you see stud being welded for various reasons, from the need to support insulation panels to increasing the surface area of aheat exchangers.
Spot welding
Spot welding works on the identical principle as Stud welding with the difference that there is no studs or consumable electrodes. The welds happens to the metal that is clamped between thwo contactors.