Welding Methods Are Evolving
As the 19th Century was waning, welding was practiced mostly by blacksmiths who used heat and a hammer in a process called forge welding. A variety of welding methods including arc welding and oxyfuel welding were developed relatively soon thereafter. The 1900s and its two World Wars drove the demand for reliable metal joining methods and the mid-20th Century saw advances in welding to match surging technology and that trend continues today.
Welding joins metals through a process called coalescence, achieved through heat and pressure. Heat sources like a gas flame, a laser, and electric arc, even an electron beam, can be used.
Early methods
Arc welding uses a welding power supply to make an arc between an electrode and base material to melt the metals. The weld site is normally protected by a shielding gas, or slag. Arc welding was initially developed in the late part of the 19th century, and became a staple in shipbuilding during World War II. Whether manual, semi-automatic or completely automated, it is still a viable welding process today in fabricating steel buildings and making cars.
Oxy-fuel or oxyacetylene welding uses fuel gases combined with oxygen to weld. The process was the brainchild of Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard, French engineers who developed the process in 1903. Using pure oxygen, instead of air boosts the temperature of the flame and allows the melting of steel or other binding material. Welding metal in the oxy-fuel process happens when two workpieces are heated and produce a common pool of molten metal. A filler metal is usually added to the pool to strengthen the bond.
More advanced techniques
As technology and metallurgy have evolved, so has diversity of the welding process. Stick welding or Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) features an electrode with a flux, a protectant for the puddle, around it. The electrode’s holder guides the electrode as it melts during welding. Shielded Metal Arc Welding, also known as manual metal arc welding or stick welding, is one of the most common types of metal joining. Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding uses a compact hand-held gun that holds a tungsten rod. A foot pedal adjusts heat and the welder feeds a filler metal with his free hand. An adjustable speed wire-fed gun that sprays Argon or an Argon carbon dioxide mix over the weld site is used in Metallic Inert Gas (MIG) welding. With quick, high quality welds, MIG and TIG, developed in the 1940s, are used extensively today in the manufacture of automobiles and other industries.
At Serco, Inc. welding is only one aspect of our capabilities. For more information, click here to send us an email or call us at (806) 273-7614. To learn more about the services we offer, click here to go to Services page.
Welding joins metals through a process called coalescence, achieved through heat and pressure. Heat sources like a gas flame, a laser, and electric arc, even an electron beam, can be used.
Early methods
Arc welding uses a welding power supply to make an arc between an electrode and base material to melt the metals. The weld site is normally protected by a shielding gas, or slag. Arc welding was initially developed in the late part of the 19th century, and became a staple in shipbuilding during World War II. Whether manual, semi-automatic or completely automated, it is still a viable welding process today in fabricating steel buildings and making cars.
Oxy-fuel or oxyacetylene welding uses fuel gases combined with oxygen to weld. The process was the brainchild of Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard, French engineers who developed the process in 1903. Using pure oxygen, instead of air boosts the temperature of the flame and allows the melting of steel or other binding material. Welding metal in the oxy-fuel process happens when two workpieces are heated and produce a common pool of molten metal. A filler metal is usually added to the pool to strengthen the bond.
More advanced techniques
As technology and metallurgy have evolved, so has diversity of the welding process. Stick welding or Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) features an electrode with a flux, a protectant for the puddle, around it. The electrode’s holder guides the electrode as it melts during welding. Shielded Metal Arc Welding, also known as manual metal arc welding or stick welding, is one of the most common types of metal joining. Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding uses a compact hand-held gun that holds a tungsten rod. A foot pedal adjusts heat and the welder feeds a filler metal with his free hand. An adjustable speed wire-fed gun that sprays Argon or an Argon carbon dioxide mix over the weld site is used in Metallic Inert Gas (MIG) welding. With quick, high quality welds, MIG and TIG, developed in the 1940s, are used extensively today in the manufacture of automobiles and other industries.
At Serco, Inc. welding is only one aspect of our capabilities. For more information, click here to send us an email or call us at (806) 273-7614. To learn more about the services we offer, click here to go to Services page.