Today I will be discussing the definition, applications, diagram, equipment, working, advantages, and disadvantages of metal inert gas (MIG) welding. Previously, some article was published on arc welding. checkout below;
- What is electric arc welding, its applications, advantages, and disadvantages?
- Different types of electric arc welding
- Safety precautions in an arc welding operation
Contents
What is metal inert gas (MIG) welding?
MIG welding is an arc welding process, which is shielded by external gas welding (argon, helium, co2, argon + oxygen, or other gas mixture.) It uses consumable electrode wire, which has a chemical composition similar to the parent material. This process is semi-automatic due to the automatic feeding of the filling wire electrode. The operator only controls the torch positioning and the welding speed.
MIG welding is also known as gas metal arc welding (GMAW), which uses a continuously fed solid wire electrode. It melts the base materials together, which solidifies and produces bonds using the welding gun. The welding gun also feeds an inert shielding gas alongside a wire electrode. This helps to protect the process from airborne contaminants.
Read more: Common types of metals and their properties
MIG welding first originated in the USA in 1949 for welding aluminum. It became popular around 1952 in the UK for welding aluminum using argon as the shielding gas, and carbon steels using co2.co2 and argon-co2 mixtures. It is also known as a metal-active gas process (MAG).
MIG welding equipment
MIG welding equipment includes:
- Consumable electrode
- Inert gas supply
- Welding bead
- AC or DC power supply. And
- Electrode feeding mechanism
The addition of shielding gas from the arc to the weld pool has importance, which includes:
- Stabilization of the arc roots on the material surface
- Forms the arc plasma
- Ensures smooth transfer of molten metal droplets from the wire to the weld pool.
Read more: Understanding welding inspection
Diagram of MIG welding:
Watch the video below to learn the working of MIG welding:
Applications
The followings are applications of MIG welding:
The gases are normally used on steel; co2 argon + 2 to 5% oxygen and argon +5 to 2% co2 and nonferrous metals like aluminum, copper or nickel alloys, argon, argon/helium.
Read more: Understanding electro slag welding (ESW)
Advantages and disadvantages of MIG welding
Advantages:
below are the advantages of metal inert gas (MIG) welding in their various applications.
- It is easy and simple
- A filler material is not needed
- The gas is protected automatically
- A continuous electrode is easy to feed
- It does not produce slag
Disadvantages
Despite the great benefits of MIG welding, the following are the disadvantages of the process.
- The welder is exposed to hazardous gases
- Weld becomes porous if the welding gun is not properly handled
- Improper welding may lead to the floating of solid impurities over the liquid welding
- It is expensive and the equipment is not portable
- It cannot be done outdoors because of the effect of wind, dispersing the shielding gas
Read more: Different Types of Nonferrous Metals and their Uses
That is all for this article, Where the definition, applications, diagram, equipment, working, advantages, and disadvantages of metal inert gas (MIG) welding are being discussed. I hope you get a lot from the reading, if so, kindly share with other students. Thanks for reading, see you next time!
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