Overview

MIG= Metal Inert Gas Welding

An arc is struck between an electrode and

the sheet metal to be welded. The
electrode used in the machine shop is
Copper wire and is in the form of
continuous filler metal. The weld is
shielded by an inert gas, CO , to prevent
2

oxidation.

Uses
• Carbon steels, low alloy steels, stainless steels,
most aluminum alloys, and zinc based copper
alloys can be welded with the MIG Welder.
• Can weld very thin sections and metals that can
not be easily welded with other types of welding.
 Welding Area
WELDING AREA
Helmet
s
Electri
calOutl
et
Ventilati
on

Gloves Table
 Safety Concerns
• Always wear non-flammable, non-synthetic clothing
when welding. (i.e. cotton).
• Ensure area is properly ventilated.
• Always wear welding gloves, a welding helmet, and a
shop coat.
• Ensure the piece you are welding is safe to weld (i.e. a
container containing flammable liquid).
• Caution: Some materials (i.e. galvanized materials) can
become toxic when welded, so try to scratch off the
toxic material and ventilate the area as much as
possible.
• Caution: Welding produces high temperatures even
after welding is completed.
 Setting up the Machine
• Choose the correct wire gage based on the type
of material and thickness of weld. You can
determine the proper wire gage by calling
companies (i.e. Oxarc) or looking up information Aluminu
in tables. Keep in mind, tables change often due
to new material discoveries. m
• Set the wire speed and thickness dials to
appropriate settings. (Lift up the hood to find
the wire speed and thickness settings in a table.)
• Turn on the MIG welder.
• Open valve on CO 2 tank to form an inert gas
shield.
• Ground the welder to the table using the clamp.
• Turn the ventilation fan on using the switch on
the wall.
 GMAW Definition

• GMAW stands for Gas Metal Arc

Welding
• A solid metal wire is fed through a
welding gun and becomes the
filler material
• Shielding gas is used to protect
t h e m o l te n p u d d l e f ro m t h e
atmosphere which results in a
weld without slag

GMAW is the most widely used arc welding process in the

United States

6
 GMAW Circuit

• Three things happen

when the GMAW gun
trigger is pulled:
– The wire electrode
begins to feed
– The circuit becomes
electrically ‘hot’
– Completes the circuit

7
 GMAW Components

• Let’s look a little closer at the GMAW process

Travel direction
Generally, drag on thin sheet
metal and push on thicker
materials

4 Shielding Gas

Solidified Weld Metal Electrode

5 2 Arc
1

3
Weld Puddle

8
 1 - Electrode

• A GMAW electrode is:

– A metal wire
– Measured by its diameter

GMAW electrodes are commonly

packaged on spools, reels and
coils ranging from 1lb to 1000lbs

9
 2 - Arc

• An electric arc occurs in

the gas filled space
between the electrode
wire and the work piece

Electric arcs can generate

temperatures up to 10,000°F

10
 3 - Weld Puddle

• As the wire electrode and

work piece heat up and
melt, they form a pool of
molten material called a
weld puddle
• This is what the welder
watches and manipulates
while welding

11
 4 - Shielding Gas

• GMAW welding requires

a shielding gas to
protect the weld puddle
• Shielding gas is usually
CO2, argon, or a mixture
of both

The gauges on the regulator show

gas flow rate and bottle pressure
12
 5 - Solidified Weld Metal

• The welder “lays a bead”

of molten metal that
quickly solidifies into a
weld
• The resulting weld is
slag free
An aluminum weld done
with the GMAW process

13
 GMAW Components
Application Activity

• Let’s review the GMAW process • 1 __________

• 2 __________
Travel direction

Generally, drag on thin sheet

metal and push on thicker
• 3 __________
materials

4 • 4 __________

• 5 __________

5 2 1

14
 Laying a Bead

• Maintain a Contact Tip to Work Distance (CTWD) of 3/8” to

1/2”
• Use a uniform travel speed
• Most Importantly – Watch the Puddle!
The appearance of the puddle and
ridge where molten metal solidifies
indicates correct travel speed. The
ridge should be approximately 3/8”
(10 mm) behind the wire electrode.
Most beginners tend to weld too fast
resulting in a ropey bead which
means SLOW down!

15
 Fill the Crater

• Fill the crater by pausing or

using a slight back step
• Release gun trigger and pull
gun away from the work
after the arc goes out
• Large craters can cause weld
cracking

16
 Gas Metal Arc Welding
q Sometimes referred to by its subtypes metal inert gas
(MIG) welding or metal active gas (MAG) welding.

Basic Features
• An external gas is used to shield the arc and the molten pool from
atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen.

• The heat of fusion is obtained from the arc between a continuous

filler metal electrode and the weld pool in the base metal.

• May be operated in semiautomatic or automatic modes and in all position

with appropriate shielding gas, electrode and welding parameters.

GMAW
 shielding gas

nozzle

contact tube
consumable
electrode
arc

Schematic view of gas metal arc welding process

• The filler metal is a bare electrode wire, fed through

a wire feeder and a welding "gun".

• The gun delivers both the shielding gas and the

electrode wire.
GMAW
Process Characteristics

• GMAW equipment provides for self-regulation of the

electrical characteristics of the arc.

• Operator needs to control only travel speed, direction and

positioning of the welding torch.

• The arc length and the wire feed which in turn controls
the current are automatically maintained.

GMAW
Arc-length Control
• Constant-potential power source in conjunction with a
constant-speed electrode feed unit is used to achieve
the desired self-regulation.
Ø Any change in the torch position will effect a change
in the welding current that exactly matches the
change in the electrode stick-out and thus the arc
length remains constant.

GMAW
Operating Variables
The weld bead geometry, depth of penetration and overall
weld quality depends on the following operating variables:
• Welding current
• Polarity
• Length of stick-out
• Electrode orientation
• Electrode diameter
• Shielding gas composition
• Gas flow rate
• Wire feed speed
• Arc voltage
• Welding speed.
GMAW
Welding Current

With all other variables held constant, an increase in

welding current will result in the following :

• An increase in the depth and width of the weld

penetration,

• An increase in the deposition rate

• An increase in the size of weld bead.

GMAW
Polarity
Majority applications use direct current electrode positive (DCEP).

Ø Stable arc,
Ø Smooth metal transfer,
Ø Good weld bead,
Ø Less spatter and
Ø Assists in removal of oxides from plate

GMAW
Alternating Current

n Seldom used in gas metal arc welding

n Arc unstable because of current reversal
n Combination of both DCEN and DCEP polarity, rate of
metal transfer and depth of penetration falls between
those polarities
n Found some use for welding of aluminum
Electrode Extension

n Length of filler wire that extends ahead of contact tube

n Area where preheating of filler wire occurs
n Also called the stickout
n Controls dimensions of weld bead since length of
extension affect burnoff rate
n Influence on penetration
¨ As extension length increased, preheating of wire
increases which in turn decreases amount of
penetration into work
n Stickout distance may vary from 1/8 to 1&1/4"
Nomenclature of Area Between Nozzle and
Workpiece
Electrode Orientation

• The electrode orientation with respect to the weld joint

affects the weld bead shape as well as weld penetration.

• Electrode pointing against the direction of travel,

Ø Backhand welding with drag angle.

• Electrode pointing in the direction of travel,

Ø Forehand welding with a lead angle.

GMAW
• Welding with drag angle produces
Ø deeper penetration
Ø more convex and narrower bead
Ø more stable arc,
Ø less spatter on the work-piece.

For all positions, electrode orientation is generally backhand

with a drag angle in the range of 50 to 15° for achieving
good control and shielding of the molten weld pool.

GMAW
 Direction of Welding

(A) Fore Hand (B) Torch (c) Backhand

Technique Perpedicular Technique

Effect of electrode position and welding technique

GMAW
 Electrode Diameter
n Influences size of weld bead, depth of penetration, and
speed of welding
n General rule
¨ For same current, arc becomes more penetrating as
electrode diameter decreases and deposition rate
increases
n To get maximum deposition rate at given current density,
use smallest wire.
n Wire 0.045" and larger provide lower deposition rate and
deposit wider beads than small wires

• A large diameter electrode requires higher minimum

current as compared to an electrode of smaller diameter
for the same metal transfer characteristics.
Shielding Gas Composition

Shielding gas and its flow rate have a substantial effect on

the following

• Arc characteristics
• Mode of metal transfer
• Penetration and weld bead profile
• Speed of welding
• Cleaning action
• Weld metal mechanical properties.

GMAW
The gases which are normally used for the various
materials are,

Steels Non-ferrous metals

CO2 Argon
argon + 2 to 5% O2 Helium
argon + 5 to 25% CO2

GMAW
Carbon Dioxide
• It is the only active gas, used for shielding of metal arc
welding of carbon and low alloy steels.

• Higher welding speeds & greater joint penetration

• Metal transfer mode is either short circuiting or globular.

Ø With globular transfer, the arc produces a high level

of spatter.
Ø To reduce spatter in CO2 welding, the welding
parameters are to be such that it produces a very
short arc with the tip of the electrode.

GMAW
Argon-Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide
• Shielding gas mixtures of argon with up to 20% CO2
and 3 to 5% O2 are versatile.

• They provide adequate shielding and desirable arc

characteristics for welding.

GMAW
Argon-Helium-Carbon Dioxide
• Suitable for short circuiting and pulse mode arc welding
of carbon, low alloy and stainless steels.

• Argon rich mixtures used for pulse arc welding.

• Helium rich mixtures used for short circuiting arc welding.

GMAW
 Specific Metal Recommendations
n Aluminum alloys: argon
n Magnesium and aluminum alloys: 75 percent helium, 25 percent
argon
n Stainless steels: argon plus oxygen
n Magnesium: argon
n Deoxidized copper: 75 percent helium, 25 percent argon preferred
n Low alloy steel: argon, plus 2 percent oxygen

n Mild steel: 15 percent argon, 25 percent carbon dioxide (dip

transfer); 100 percent CO2 may also be used with deoxidized wire
n Nickel, Monel®, and Inconel®: argon
n Titanium: argon
n Silicon bronze: argon
n Aluminum bronze: argon
Wire-Feed Speed
n Fixed relationship between rate of filler wire burn off and
welding current
n Electrode wire-feed speed determines welding current
n Excessive speed, welding machine cannot put out enough
current to melt wire fast enough
¨ Stubbing or roping of wire occurs
¨ Causes convex weld beads and poor appearance
n Decrease in speed results in less electrode being melted
n Generally – high setting of filler wire speed rate results in
short arc,
n slow speed in long arc
Effect of Wire-Feed Speeds
Arc Length

• When the length is too short, it may cause short circuit

resulting in reduced base metal melting, and increased
chances of weld defects.

• Excessive arc length causes a wider and shallow deposit

makes the arc to wander, increases spatter, and may
cause porosity from air aspirated into the shielding gas.

GMAW
Arc Length
n Constant voltage welding machine used for gas
metal arc welding provides for self-adjustment of
arc length
¨ Arc length shortened, arc voltage reduced
¨ Arc length lengthened, arc voltage increased

n Corrected by automatic increase or decrease of

burnoff rate of filler wire
Arc Voltage
n Higher or lower causes arc to become unstable

¨ Higher: produces wider, flatter bead and increases

possibility of porosity and increases spatter and increases
undercut in fillet welds

¨ Lower: causes bead to be high and narrow

n High arc voltages result in globular transfer

¨ Spatter prone and reduces deposition efficiency
Relationship of Arc Length to Weld Bead Width

Electrode
Electrode

Arc Length
Arc Length

Low Voltage High Voltage

Welding Speed
• If the speed is increased more, this will cause
undercutting along the edges because of insufficient
deposition of filler metal

• When the welding speed is reduced, the filler metal

deposition per unit length increases with increase in
rate of heat input.

• On further slowing down, results in a wider weld bead

and high heat input. Leads to higher levels of HAZ,
weld induced deformation and residual stresses.

GMAW
Advantages of GMAW
• Continuous feeding of electrode thus reducing the number
of starts and stops.
• Can weld almost all commercial metals and alloys.
• All position welding can be done with GMAW.
• Significantly higher deposition rates compared to SMAW.
• Higher welding speed and higher metal deposition rates
compared to SMAW.
• No necessity of slag removal.

GMAW
Limitations
• Welding equipment is less portable, more complex and
expensive than that of SMAW.

• It is difficult to reach congested or hard-to-reach places

with a GMAW torch than a SMAW electrode holder.

• For proper shielding of the molten metal, the GMAW torch

should be close to the joint (1 to 20 mm).

GMAW
 Welding Gun Types

üThe most common welding gun is a hand held air-cooled

gun, used for general welding.

üThe second most common type of welding torch is water-

cooled, and uses higher current levels for heavier sections and
larger wire diameters.

üThe third typical holder type is an automatic gun that is

water-cooled; this gun is used typically with automated
equipment.

GMAW
End
Joint Preparation

n Joint design should provide for most

economical use of filler metal
n Arc in gas metal arc welding more penetrating and narrower
than arc in shielded metal arc welding therefore, smaller
root openings may be used for groove welds
¨ Change in joint design increase speed of welding
n 100% penetration may be secured in ¼" plate in square butt
joint welded from both sides
Joint Preparation
n No root face recommended for 60º single-
or double-V butt joints
¨ Root opening should range from 0 to 3/32"
¨ Double-V joints may have wider root openings
than single-V
n Plates thicker than 1 inch should have
U-groove preparation
V-Groove, Butt Joint Comparison
Good Voltage Voltage
Weld Too Fast Too
to High to Low Slow
Less
Stick
Out