TIG Welding for Metal Fabrication
Welding is often one of the most important steps in metal fabrication projects and can be critical for producing the kind of product you need, or can cause weaknesses and problems when welds aren’t done correctly.
Choosing the right kind of weld for a project is one of the best ways to make sure the project turns out well.
Understanding at least a little of how TIG welding works, and how TIG welding is used in metal fabrication, is important for deciding when TIG welding is best for your needs.
What Is TIG Welding for Metal Fabrication?
The TIG in TIG welding stands for “tungsten inert gas”, and occasionally is also called Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, or GTAW. They’re the same welding method, but different people and industries will use one acronym or the other.
Regardless of what it’s called, TIG welding uses a tungsten electrode to produce a high level of heat, along with a gas that creates a shield to protect the weld from the atmosphere. That way you don’t have any unintentional reactions between the filler metal, welding surface, and the atmosphere.
This method almost always requires the welder to use a filler metal to complete the weld but also allows for almost any metal to be used in the filler.
Because this method of welding creates a fusion process between the filler metal and the surface, you can create a wide variety of specific properties and bond strengths to meet the specifications of your project.
What Is TIG Welding Used For
TIG welding is fantastic for detail, precision, and high levels of control. That means that TIG welding is a good option for small diameter piping and tubing, particularly small-diameter and thin-walled tubing.
TIG welding is also uniquely versatile, with a wider range of materials to choose from than any other welding method. TIG welding can be used with almost any metal, including rare specialty alloys and more exotic materials.
Because of the high level of precision in TIG welding, it’s also the welding method of choice for critical joints and load-bearing joints that need to meet specific qualifications to work.
That’s why TIG welding is often used in a variety of high-precision high-stress industries, including:
- Medical equipment welding
- Aerospace/Avionics
- Energy Production Industries
- Custom Projects
- Defense/Military use
TIG welding, depending on the skill of the welder and the filler metals used, can be easily strong enough to use in aerospace projects, including spacecraft seams, but it’s also just as useful for sealing storage tanks.
While other methods of welding can be used to create bonds, TIG welding joins metals through fusion, which can create more powerful bonds or create bonds with specific properties that can be customized for every project’s specific needs.
Advantages Of TIG Welding in Metal Fabrication
There are a few critical advantages that TIG welding offers that you might not get for other methods of metal fabrication. Here are some of the most important advantages:
Improved Control
The welder has a lot more control and flexibility when TIG welding, in part because the tungsten electrode is more durable than a consumable electrode the ones used in MIG welding. That means that the welder can control the amperage with a foot pedal, creating variable amperage and giving the welder control to adjust to what the filler metal and seam are going, rather than adjusting to what is happening as it happens.
This means that the welder can control how much filler metal is used, and at what heat.
Versatility
Because TIG welding allows the welder a wider choice of filler metals and heat, you can create a wide variety of weld properties in the finished product.
Additionally, TIG welding offers more positional control, you can weld in almost any direction, which means that there are fewer positional or construction limitations on welding.
Reduced Cleanup
The precision of TIG welding also means that the welds are ready basically as soon as the weld itself is completed. The additional cleanup steps necessary with other welding techniques aren’t necessary when it comes to TIG.
Need TIG Welding in Hillsboro, Oregon for Metal Fabrication?
If you’re looking for precision and skill in your next metal fabrication project, contact Meta Fab in Hillsboro, Oregon for a quote on your project.