From sturdy work trucks to functional manufacturing machines, metal equipment is a part of daily life today, and welding is a crucial component of both building and maintaining that equipment! Any process of joining two parts together with heat, pressure, or both is technically welding, but there are a lot of subsets and different types of welding that are not only important for you to know as someone who works with trucks and machinery, but important for your local machine shop to provide. On-site welding ensures that the team at your servicing location has the capacity to give your equipment everything it needs! Here are some of the types of welding that we offer at Levan Machine and Truck Equipment in Fleetwood, PA.
MIG Welding
MIG welding is short for metal inert gas welding. It’s also sometimes called gas metal arc welding or wire welding. This type of welding uses a thin wire as an electrode, fed through a flexible tube to the nozzle of the gun from a spool. The wire heats up as it passes through the gun to the welding point, where it fuses the two pieces of metal together. A shielding gas is also used in this process to protect the welding work from contamination, usually carbon dioxide, oxygen, argon, or helium.Â
MIG welding is used a lot in automotive work and construction, and is good for metals such as stainless steel, copper, nickel, carbon steel, and aluminum. It’s a common type of welding that you’ll see as it’s considered very easy for beginners to pick up. It’s also fast, requires minimal cleaning, and gives the welder better control over thin materials..Â
TIG Welding
Tungsten inert gas welding is sometimes shortened to TIG welding. Sometimes it’s also simply called gas welding. This process uses a non-consumable electrode made of tungsten to create the weld seam. Because of tungsten’s high melting point, the electrode doesn’t melt like a consumable electrode would. This technique is performed with protective inert gas as well, usually a mix of argon and helium.
TIG welding is a lot more specialized and difficult to master than MIG welding. It’s best for materials that don’t contain any iron, like aluminum, copper, lead, or nickel, and it’s often seen in the production of bicycles and airplanes.
SMAW Welding
Shielded metal arc welding, more commonly known as stick welding, is one of the most common types of welding you’ll see in use today. It’s versatile and simple, using an electric current to melt a consumable electrode, like with MIG welding, and a flux that coats the electrode to melt and protect the welding work the same way a shielding gas does in TIG or MIG welding.Â
Stick welding is portable and easy to do anywhere, even outdoors, where a strong breeze might blow away the shielding gas needed for a different method. It’s also easier to get the hang of than TIG welding, though it does still require some skill and experience. It’s durable, good for metals like irons and steels, and is often used in heavy duty applications like machinery construction, pipelines, ship building, and more.
Spray Welding
Spray welding is exactly what it sounds like– rather than the electrode being in direct contact with the material being welded, the molten material is sprayed from a distance. It can obviously be more dangerous than other welding methods because of this fact, but it’s also extremely versatile.
Spray welding can be used over an area to form a coating or build up a surface, helping to prevent corrosion, counteract wear and tear, and repair worn or damaged components to extend their lifespan. There are some different methods of spray welding, and they all require specialized training and equipment for safety purposes, but this type of welding can be incredibly useful and valuable to anyone who gets a lot of use out of their machinery, vehicles, and equipment.
Whether you’re repairing existing equipment or fabricating parts and components from scratch, you need a reliable welder to help you, and at Levan Machine and Truck Equipment, that’s just what we provide! If you’re interested in learning more about our welding and machining services, you can check out our website for more information.