There is a new welding process, recently developed in Europe, that is said to not only improve welds but also lower the skill required to make them.  It uses a “manual and automated GTAW wire feed control combined with a hot-wire power source” that improves the wire feed, weld pool, and weld deposition and decreases gas consumption.

Enhancing the GTAW process

By Ed Craig, Contributing Writer
September 15, 2009

Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW or TIG), a popular process for high-quality manual welding, has its limitations and requires highly skilled operators. A process used in Europe addresses those limitations, enhances productivity and weld quality, and reduces the skill level required to GTAW.

For at least six decades, traditional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW or TIG) has been considered the process of choice for attaining high-quality welds in any metal application. However, this process has certain drawbacks, such as the weld energy limitation influenced by the weld pool dynamics and typically slow manual wire feed rates. Manual GTAW requires highly skilled operators who possess the dexterity necessary to feed the wire. Manual GTAW techniques vary, and the weld-wire-to-arc and weld puddle placement are inconsistent.

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Did you know that The Fabricator® magazine publishes some of their articles in both Spanish and English?  As you probably know, metal fabrication is a global industry, so now The Fabricator magazine can reach across borders.  And frankly, reading these articles has helped me with my Spanish skills–  so I can communicate with our Spanish speaking customers.  (They just didn’t cover welding words in Spanish 101, or 102, or even 485 for that matter!)

Here are two of my favorite new bilingual articles.  To search for more, go here  to The Fabricator®’s website.

Do your welds pass muster?

Evaluating gas and equipment to deliver quality and performance

By Richard Green
November 25, 2008

For a job shop or manufacturer, maintaining weld quality begins with consistent shielding gas in the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process. Consistently delivering the correct blend ensures proper arc characteristics and weld quality. Mixing technology, supply gas density, and gas usage patterns can affect the on-site gas blending system’s ability to deliver a consistent blend.

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When does a punch/laser make sense?

3 Questions a fabricator needs to ask

By Michael Bishop, Assistant Editor
August 26, 2008

Hawkeye Industries Inc., Tupelo, Miss., was getting more and more orders for parts that required both punching and laser cutting. To meet the growing demand, the company purchased a combination punch/laser machine. Some shops are more suited than others to this technolgy–combination machines can increase profits for some companies, and costs for others. Shop owners should keep five key things in mind when evaluating and purchasing a combination punch/laser machine.

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Am I the only one who imagines metal sheep when they hear the phrase “metal spinning”?  You know, like spinning the wool of metal sheep into yarn and whatnot?  No?  Okay, then…

We’d better just let the nice people over at THE FABRICATOR® tell you all about it then…

Metal Spinning 101

Metal spinning can be a cost-effective alternative for drawing metal

February 24, 2009

Metal spinning gives shops a broad palette of options that can be customized for the job at hand.

Without metal spinning, motorcycle parts and car wheels wouldn’t be so easy to make. Neither would gas bottles, cooking pots and pans, or myriad components in the defense and aerospace industries.

The process fundamentals are simple. A round blank, flat or preformed, is fixtured in a spinning lathe. As the blank spins, a roller tool forms it, usually pressing the blank against a mandrel, compressing the grain structure, and producing a smooth surface that often doesn’t require secondary finishing.

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