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Mig Welding

Metal inert gas welding is also known as MIG welding. This welding process makes use of a consumable electrode and a shielding gas. Both these are fed through a welding gun into the weld area. The power source that is used will supply a constant voltage from a direct current source. Direct current is the traditional choice of power for this welding process. However these days even alternate current is being used for such a process. This type of welding is very popular in the automobile industry. This method is extensively used for automobile repairs and fixes like the body shop repairs or transmission repairs.

The basic equipment for MIG welding would require you to have a wire feed unit, a welding gun, an electrode wire and a supply for shielding gas. The most common type of welding gun that is used is the hand held gun that is air cooled. For heavy operations that require a greater cooling, a hand held gun cooled by water is used. The water cooled gun is normally used with equipment that is automated.

The voltage power supply that is used is from direct current. The arc length is directly proportional to the voltage that is being supplied. Also the heat input and the current can be varied according to the voltage. The wire feed rate can also be adjusted to control the arc. Sometimes the power source and the wire feed rate is coupled to give the welder additional control over the heat input into the weld. However, this will require a lot of skill to perform this successfully.

The selection of electrode is based on the metals that are being welded. Also the joint design and the process that is being used influence then selection of the electrode. The electrode selection is very important to the quality of the weld. It is a key factor to the strength and other mechanical properties of the weld. After the welding process is complete, the welded metal should have the same properties as that of the base metal. There should not be any discontinuities in the welded material along with other such defects. This is why selection of the electrode is very important to the whole welding process.

Atmospheric gasses are quick to contaminate the weld area, especially nitrogen and oxygen that would cause fusion defects. Therefore a shielding gas is used to make sure that the weld area is protected from these atmospheric gasses. The choice of the shielding gas would depend upon the materials being used and the process variation that is being used. Most of the times inert gasses like helium or argon is used that would protect the area of weld from atmospheric gasses and at the same time not react with the metals that are being welded.

You can find all the equipment that you need for MIG welding on our website. We have everything that you need on our site. Look around our site and you will find what you which need would aid your welding needs.

This is a fundamental guide on how to weld using a metal inert gas (MIG) welder. MIG welding is the amazing process of using electricity to melt and join pieces of metal together.

MIG welding is the easiest type of welding to learn and also referred to as the "hot glue gun" of the welding world.

This Instructable is not intentional to be the best guide on MIG welding, for that you might want to seek out a more inclusive guide from a professional. Think of this Instructable as a guide to get you started MIG welding. Welding is a skill that needs to be.

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