See

discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/257337180

Advanced gas metal arc welding processes

ARTICLE in INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY JULY 2012
Impact Factor: 1.78 DOI: 10.1007/s00170-012-4513-5

CITATIONS

DOWNLOADS

VIEWS

184

565

3 AUTHORS, INCLUDING:
Paul Kah
Lappeenranta University of Technology
50 PUBLICATIONS 38 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE

Available from: Paul Kah

Retrieved on: 07 August 2015

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

DOI 10.1007/s00170-012-4513-5

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Advanced gas metal arc welding processes

P. Kah & R. Suoranta & J. Martikainen

Received: 2 May 2012 / Accepted: 11 September 2012 / Published online: 30 September 2012
# Springer-Verlag London Limited 2012

Abstract There is an increased requirement in the automotive, food and medical equipment industries to weld heatsensitive materials, such as thin sheets, coated thin plates,
stainless steel, aluminium and mixed joints. Nevertheless,
relevant innovations in arc welding are not widely known
and seldom used to their maximum potential. In the area of
gas metal arc welding welding processes, digitalisation has
allowed integration of software into the power source, wire
feeder and gas regulation. This paper reviews developments
in the arc welding process, particularly the effect of the setup of the welding process parameters on waveform deposition. It is found that good weldability, good mechanical joint
properties and acceptable process efficiency can be obtained
for thin sheets through advanced power source regulation,
especially over short circuiting, controlled polarity and electrode wire motion. The findings presented in this paper are
valuable for waveform and deposition prediction. The need
is furthermore noted for an algorithm that integrates gas
flow parameters and wire motion control, as well as a
variable sensor on the tip of the electrode, permitting flexibility of control of the current and the voltage waveform.
Keywords Arc welding processes . GMAW . Low heat
input . Productivity . Transfer mode . Waveform . Current .
Voltage

1 Introduction
Arc welding is a group of welding processes in which the
arc generated by electric power is used to melt the wire and
weld pool to allow the joining of parts. However, the
P. Kah (*) : R. Suoranta : J. Martikainen
Lappeenranta University of Technology,
P. O. Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland
e-mail: paul.kah@lut.fi

process can face difficulties in welding some materials.

The need to widen the range of weldable materials and to
increase productivity has contributed to new arc welding
processes modifications. Although the modifications techniques were introduced at the end of the nineteenth century,
widespread implementation of the arc welding process was
not possible because of the poor capability of power sources
to control and provide the required dynamic and static
characteristics. The need to develop the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process became associated with technological
development of the power source.
In vehicle construction work, joints between steel and
aluminium are also increasingly being used. In the iron/
aluminium phase diagram, iron or steel and aluminium offer
virtually no solubility with one another. In each mixed ratio,
Fe/Al phases occur with brittle characteristics. Experience
therefore shows that a proportion of Al/Fe phases in the
molten material of over 10 % must be avoided in all cases.
When using zinc as the filler material, a joint can be created
between these two materials, where the aluminium is partially melted, whereas the steel, to avoid brittleness in the
molten material, may only be moistened. This means that a
welded joint is created on one side and a brazed joint on the
other [1].
The pulse gas metal arc welding (GMAW-P) method can
be used for any type of ferrous as well as non-ferrous
material, even for sheet metal welding and positional welding, which is very much challenging with other welding
processes. It can reduce corrosive tendency, hot cracking,
spattering and distortion due to the pulsed nature of current.
However, this process depends greatly on the right selection
of pulse parameters, as the latter affect the weld microstructure and porosity content of the weld due to their influence
on weld thermal cycle and arc characteristics [2].
Modern welding power sources have benefited from
developments in electronics and the introduction of thyristors, transistors and other components. The transistor, for

656

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

Fig. 1 Arc types and their working ranges, solid wire (d01.2 mm)
shielding gas: argon-rich mixtures [5]

example, can be used as a variable resistor or as an electronic switch and modern power sources can include an
electronically analogue controlled chopper or an inverter.
This technology has widened the range of adjustments in the
power source, made welding suitable for robot applications,
and enabled the digitalisation of feedback from millisecond
to nanosecond and intelligent control of the welding process. The inverter is a key improvement in the modern power
source because it quickly responds to digital feedback control
and it has dramatically changed the features of arc control [3,
4]. This study focuses on the principles behind the new
processes, highlighting the key improvement in terms of
droplet transfer mode control, current and voltage control,
wire feeder control and gas shielding control. A comparison
of each process is made with the traditional GMAW process
and between the different approaches.
Figure 1 shows the metal transfer mode function of the
welding voltage (V) and current (A) outputs, which determine

Table 1 IIW classification of

metal transfer [6]

the type of the arc process because their values directly influence the droplet transfer mode and the stability of the process.
The main difficulty with conventional power sources was
control of these variables during the process. Electronic and
digital controls enhance the accuracy of the arc. In the 1990s,
developments in computer technology made possible the
design unlimited amount of waveforms aimed to improve
the timing of arcing and metal deposition [3, 4].
The metal transfer mode is controlled by power output
regulation. The International Institute of Welding proposed
in 1976 a classification of droplet transfer and welding processes (Table 1) published later by [5, 6]. Technological
innovation brought variation to the welding process and [7]
proposed a reassessment of welding with three main categories: natural metal transfer, controlled transfer and extended
operating techniques (Tables 2 and 3) [8].
In earlier wire feeds, the motion was constant and the
wire speed was adjusted to the process. New developments
have synchronised both the power source and the wire
feeder to reach an optimised molten material transfer mode.
The process is called, mechanically assisted droplet deposition, which is applied in controlled short circuit by
retracting the wire from the short circuiting [9, 10]. In
addition, the contact tip-to-work distance (CTWD) is integrated into the control of the arc welding process so that the
arc length is not disturbed by the irregularity of the surface
welded and handling monitoring during the manual process
[11]. Another important factor in the welding process is
control of the shielding gas. Regulation of the flow has
become part of the algorithm to optimise the flux according
to requirements sensed on the tip and weld pool [12].
The aforementioned innovations have given more options
to the welder; rather than following pre-set welding parameters established during design of the power sources, determination of the welding parameters now depends on the
electronic control or the computer. This improvement has
given rise to new opportunities in welding heat-sensitive
materials, such as aluminium and stainless steel, and enabled

Transfer modes
Free flight transfer

Welding process
Globular
Spray

Bridging transfer
Slag protected transfer

Drop
Repelled
Projected
Stream
Rotating

Explosive
Short-circuiting
Bridging without interruption
Flux wall guided
Other modes

Low current GMA

CO2 shielded GMA
Intermediate current GMA
Medium current GMA
High current GMA
SMA (coated electrode)
Short arc GMA
Welding with filler wire addition
SAW
SMA, cored wire, electroslag

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

657

Table 2 Classification of controlled transfer mode [8]

Metal transfer modes
Controlled spray
Controlled short circuiting

Welding process
Pulsed transfer
Current controlled dip transfer
Controlled wire feed short circuit mode

joining of dissimilar materials and thin sheets or plate material. The precision and flexibility of machine control has made it
possible to apply a variety of methods and has also permitted
optimisation of the choice of electrode diameters, shielding
gas and material quality, with a significant impact on both the
economics of welding and service reliability [8].
The need to increase productivity has resulted in the
development of high-power range transfer modes. One
example of such a transfer mode is the rotating arc, which
is mainly performed in the T.I.M.E or RapidMelt [13, 14]
process. Distortion, a consequence of the high energy load,
is, however, one of the limits of the process.

2 Advanced power source regulation

This section identifies the main advances that have occurred
in power source regulation of the short circuiting process.
The designs of new arc welding processes aim to overcome
the limitations of traditional short arc waveform by enabling
new shapes of the arc curve. The power sources benefit from
enhancement in digital control and upgraded software,
which enables monitoring of every aspect of the arc. The
short circuiting is predictable and can be set at a specific
time. Moreover, the molten material transfer can be handled
so that spatter is minimised.
2.1 WiseRoot process
The WiseRoot process is a metal inert gas (MIG)/metal
active gas (MAG) modified short arc circuit welding process
Table 3 Classification for
extended operating modes
techniques [8]

GMAW using variable frequency pulse and drop spray transfer

GMAW using current controlled power source
GMAW with wire feed oscillation

developed by KEMPPI Company and is based on control of

the power source. An initial version of the process was first
introduced in 2005 and was called FASTRoot. Recently, the
welding devices and software were coupled and the process
renamed WiseRoot. The power source control enables regulation of the short circuit and allows accurate timing of the
transmission of the filler drop from the filler into the weld
pool. The prefix wise indicates a new approach which
integrates improvement in efficiencies and a brand new
welding process supported by software. The concept comprises the elements WiseRoot, WiseThin, WisePenetration
and WiseFusion. In this paper, attention is, however, given
primarily to the two first concepts which make up the new
short arc mode [1517].
In the WiseRoot process, the power source is monitored
by the wave of the current, which can be analysed in two
main parts; the short circuit and the arc period (see Fig. 2).
In the short circuit period, the filler wire is transmitted to the
weld pool that materialises on the current curve by a short
peak at the time when it contacts the weld pool. The current
is maintained at this required level to permit the step to be
completed. The current then increases suddenly, to make
drop detachment possible from the filler material. The droplet is formed by maintenance of the current at that level
during a certain period of time, followed by a moderated
decrease of the current till the detachment occurs. As soon
as the transmission to the weld pool has occurred, a second
phase of the current increase begins and initiates the arc
period [15, 16].
The arc period is initiated by an increase of the current to
the desired level, forming the weld pool and guaranteeing

Metal transfer modes

Application

Short circuiting GMAW Extended stick out GMAW

Low frequency pulsed
Pulsed transfer GMAW Multi-wire
Low frequency pulsed
Variable polarity
Spray transfer GMAW
Rotating spray
Electrode negative
Spray transfer SAW
Electrode negative
Extended stick out
AC/variable polarity

High deposition short circuit transfer GMAW

Pulsed mean current for gap filling
Multi-wire GMAW
Modulated pulsed transfer welding of aluminium
Welding of thin sections and single sided root runs
High current extended stick out
Flux cored wire or special gas mixture

658

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

Fig. 2 Current waveform of

WiseRootconventional
short arc and sequence of
the arc [15]

the penetration of the weld root. The current is then reduced

to an appropriate level to ensure timely formation of the
droplet during the next short arc [15, 16]. Table 4 presents
an example of a root pass when welding an X65 pipe. The
process allows satisfactory joints to be achieved with reduced
heat input [18].
WiseThin is a MIG/MAG welding process which can be
considered as an extension of WiseRoot. The principle is
the same, i.e. usage of a modified short arc. However,
WiseThin differs from WiseRoot in that it is optimised for
welding of sheet metal [16]. The process is capable of
achieving similar welds with 525 % less heat input than a
conventional short arc and maintains the same heat input as
a laser welding process [16].

to the five states of the droplet and the arc. Figure 3 shows
the waveform and images from a high-speed camera of the
tip of the drop detachment from the filler wire to the weld
pool and the re-ignition of the arc. The process can be
detailed as follows [20]:
&

&

2.2 Surface tension transfer process

Surface Tension Transfer (STT) [19], invented by Lincoln
Electric, is a GMAW process based on control of the short
circuit transfer process. The process performs without
changes to the voltage settings. Instead, the heat is adjusted
by current control independent of the wire feed speed.
Therefore, the change in electrode length has no consequences on the heat value [20]. STT devices are equipped with
electronic technology which enables optimisation of the
waveform and arc characteristics for a specific application.
In addition, the setting programme integrates relevant factor,
such as the joint type, material and thickness, rate of travel,
electrode size and type, as well as the specific arc shielding
gas. The process is claimed to combine the best aspects of
the short arc and TIG processes in a single process [21].
The current control follows a particular waveform, the
curve can be considered in four main stages that correspond

&

&

Background current: The background current is in a

range from 50 to 100 amps to keep the arc, as shown
in A, in an arc burning period and to heat the base metal.
When the filler wire is in contact with the weld pool in
B, the current is suddenly decreased to form the droplet.
Pinch current: The pinch current is applied to permit the
detachment of the molten filler while monitoring the
shrinking section in C. In D, when the detachment is
likely to occur, the power source control reacts by
reducing the current to about 4550 A to allow a smooth
break of molten metal from the tip of the electrode.
Peak current: The peak current is applied, in E, just after
the drop has separated, to allow generation of the plasma
that pushes the weld pool down, to avoid unexpected
shorting, and to heat the puddle and the joint.
Tail-out: The tail-out following E is an exponential
decrease by the current control to regulate and initiate
the next detachment and re-ignition from the background current.

Table 5 shows examples of results from experiments

performed on high-strength low-alloy SA 516 of 5 mm
thickness and on a 15Mo3 steam boiler component. The
studies [20, 21] showed the usability of STT on sensitive
heat material with CO2 as shielding gas, in the first case, but
also with an argon and CO2 mixture. In addition, the results
showed directly proportional changes in the fume emission
of STT with wire feed speed. Analyses of the weld bead

Table 4 Example welding parameters with the WiseRoot process

References

Material

Groove

Wire

Shielding gas

Wire speed
(m/min)

[18]

X65
D0780 mm
t045.5 mm
(Pipe)
Structural steel tube
D0110 mm
t04 mm

V 50
Width (4.5 mm) and
height (0.5 mm)

1.0 LMN Ni1

Ar+18 % CO2

3.53.9

I gap 4 mm

1.0 mm G3Si1

3.0 or 2.8

Welding speed
(m/min)

Position

75130

Vertical position
up to down

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

659

Fig. 3 Current waveform

control of STT and
corresponding drop and short
arc images [22]

revealed better penetration and superior microhardness.

STT showed the lowest fume formation rate and excellent
weld bed geometry at higher wire feed speeds [22]. The
process was successfully applied in steam boiler production, with acceptable joint output quality and higher efficiency in the root pass compared to a conventional GMAW
process [23].

&

2.3 Regulated metal deposition (RMD) process

&

Miller Electric Mfg. Co introduced, in 2004, a new welding

technology process called RMD or regulated metal deposition. The technology is based on an advanced software
application for modified short circuit transfer GMAW
(MIG welding) that monitors the electrode current in each
step of the short circuiting. The wave profile depends on the
material being welded, although the typical waveform shape
remains, as shown in Fig. 4. The RMD approach is illustrated in different steps as follows [24]:
&
&
&

Wet: Let the ball on the end of the wire wet-out to the
puddle.
Pinch: Increase the current to a level high enough to
initiate a pinch effect.
Clear: Maintain and slightly increase the pinch current to
clear the short circuit while simultaneously watching for
pinch detection.

&
&

Blink: Upon pinch detection, rapidly decrease the current. Pinch detection occurs before the short clears. The
inverter shuts off and current decays to a low level
before the short circuit breaks.
Ball: Increase current to form a ball for the next short
circuit.
Background: Drop the current to a low enough level to
allow a short circuit to occur.
Pre-short: If the background current exists for a relatively long time, the pre-short period drops current to an
even lower level to make sure arc force does not push
the puddle back (e.g. prevents excess agitation).

According to the manufacturer, the RMD software

programme, working with an inverter-based welding system
and closed-loop feedback, closely monitors and controls the
electrode current at speeds up to 50 s (50 millionths of a
second). Moreover, the software accurately adjusts the required speed and gas combination for a specific wire diameter. Thus, based on the heat history of the tips, it predicts
future arc conditions and controls the droplet transfer accordingly [24, 25]. Table 6 presents an example of RMD
use, showing the ability to weld line pipe alloy steel P5B
and P91 grade with a significant drop in heat input. The
decrease in heat input also benefits line pipe carbon steel
X52 grade [26]. Experiments with the process on a nickel
alloy have also resulted in a successful root pass [27].

15

17
20
23
26
29
265

100 (40)
125 (50)
150 (60)
175 (70)
200 (80)
65
250

Fig. 4 a RMD current waveform and b current wave Form [24]

150
Ar+18 % CO2
15Mo3 (steam boiler) Butt joint

The Cold Arc concept is a controlled short circuiting metal

transfer mode patented by EWM Hightec Welding GmbH and
presented in 2004. The new MIG/MAG welding process takes
advantage of a new type of highly dynamic inverter switching,
combined with very fast digital current control. The digital
signal processor is used to control the instantaneous extraction
of the power just before re-ignition in a period of less than 1 s;
the peak power in the arc is dramatically reduced when the
short arc is re-ignited [28]. Figure 5 compares the waveform of
the conventional and the Cold Arc process. The first two steps
are similar to conventional short circuiting; during the arc
burning phase, the electrode approaches the work piece with
the current and voltage maintained at the required steady level.
The arc phase stops when the electrode touches the work piece.
Then the voltage drops suddenly to almost zero, while the
current increases sharply to allow the pinch effect. The current
is decreased dramatically to permit a smooth break of the bridge
of the molten metal, preventing spatter. Immediately after the
arc ignites, the outputs is reduced (Fig. 5a) in a dynamic and
controlled way. After the arc has been stabilised, the current is
raised slightly for a defined short period of time, known as melt
pulse, to create a regular separation. In addition, the melt pulse
creates a melting cone on the edge of the electrode, therefore
guaranteeing smooth continuity of the process [28].
The Cold Arc process has been applied in butt jointing of
thin sheet plate aluminium grades such as 6XXX, 2XXX
and 5XXX, presented in Table 7. Although the manufacturer
claims other material grade, the experiment on aluminium
showed improvement within standard range concerning
mechanical and micro-structure of the joint. Cold Arc, in
limited condition of iron/aluminium diagram phase exhibits
ability of mixed joint [29].
2.5 ColdMIG process

[23]

Bead on plate

1.2
CO2
AWS A5.29, Class E 110 T5-K4

5.00
6.24
7.51
8.76
10.00
3

2.4 Cold Arc process

[22]
HSLAA SA516
FCAW with STT mode 5 mm

Shielding gas
Wire (mm)
Groove
Material
References

Table 5 Example welding parameters with the STT process

10

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

Wire speed Welding speed Peak current Background Volt Gas flow rate
(m/min)
(m/min)
current (%)
(L/min)

660

The ColdMIG process is patented by MERKLE. The process is

a modified short arc process enabled by the use of software to
monitor the waveform. The application is one of the options in

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

661

Table 6 Example welding parameters with the RMD process

References

Material

Groove

Wire

Shielding gas

[77]
[27]

P5B grade of P91

C-2000 thickness 6.35 mm
flat position AWS G 1
Gap:1.271.5 mm

Bead on plate
Root pass

ER90S-B9
Diameter 1.14 mm

Ar 90 %+10 % CO2
10 % helium0.4 %
CO2 balance argon

Single V groove, 70
included angle
15.4 V
135 A

Travel speed: 0.5 m/min

Root land:5.08 mm

a multi-process power source. The process is characterised by

optimization of the voltage and current waveform. Figure 6
shows, in the same frame, a conventional short circuit and the
ColdMIG curve. During the short circuit cycle, considerable
increase in the current reduces the voltage to about zero to allow
the droplet detachment. The short circuit period is dramatically
reduced compared to a conventional short arc, which gives a
new shape to the waveform in this section, for voltage as well as
current waveform. The time of the current in this period is
reduced and occurs faster. The consequence is that the short
circuiting cycle is considerably reduced, which leads to a drop
in heat input generated by the short arc [30, 31]. Furthermore, to
permit a smooth break of the molten bridge and a stable start of
the arc, the current is dramatically decreased during the transition between the molten metal detachment and the re-ignition
of the arc [31].
2.6 Intelligent Arc control process
Intelligent Arc Control (IAC) is a modified short arc process;
the result of 3 years research by Migatronic and released in
2010. The process benefits from the latest improvements in
inverters and digital control. IAC registers every welding cycle
and adjusts the arc 50,000 times per second. The software
models and optimises dynamical parameters of the short arc,
Fig. 5 Principle of a Cold Arc
voltage and current waveforms
and b Cold Arc power at
re-ignition [30]

WFS: 5.7 m/min

resulting in a highly stable and focused short arc, colder welding, lower heat input, less distortion and lower power consumption. In addition, the process includes intelligent control of the
flow shielding gas rate [32, 33].
The typical current and voltage waveforms of IAC, shown
in Fig. 7, are significantly different from those of a conventional short circuit. During the arcing cycle, the voltage is
maintained at a considerable level while the current is sharply
decreased and after the re-ignition steadily reduced to a low
level. In this stage, in a conventional short circuit, both the
current and voltage are maintained at a right level. During the
short circuiting cycle, the voltage is dramatically reduced and
the current is increased to allow the pinch effect. After reaching the peak, the current and voltage are suddenly reduced for
a cold transfer of the molten metal and stable transition for the
re-ignition of the arc. Table 8 presents an example of setting of
mild steel suggested by the manufacturer. The manufacturer
claims the arc control for mild steel, stainless steel and other
grades in the software package [32, 33].
2.7 Super-imposition process
The Super-imposition (SP-MAG) process is a modified
short arc circuit patented by Panasonic. SP-MAG aims to
overcome some of the limitations of conventional short

662
Table 7 Example welding
parameters with the Cold Arc
process

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

References

Material

Groove

Wire (mm)

Welding speed

Current

Volt

[29]

6XXX
2XXX

Butt joint 0.52-mm

AlSi5
1.2 mm

4080c m/min

68 A

11.6 V

5XXX

circuiting and constant voltage (CV) processes, such as

spatter, low speed and low heat input. The TAWERS robot
series claims to successfully gather in one process the benefits from pulse and CV approaches [3436]. Figure 8a and b,
presenting the waveform of the current and voltage, show
improvements in control of the short arcing. During the
short arc cycle, the shape of the current and voltage are
similar to conventional processes. There are two main differences in the arc burning. Firstly, so-called superimposition (SP) which time is shortened. The SP control
prevents the short arc after re-ignition; the tip is made round
to allow a smooth start of the arc. Secondly, so-called hyperstabilisation (HS), which is characterised after the pea, by a
dramatic reduction of the current wave curve and a sudden
increase, then followed by a steady drop along the arcing
period. In addition, the HS control suppresses the vibration
of the molten pool, shortly after re-ignition, to prevent shortarc. Again, this period is shorter than in a conventional short
circuit [3436].
An experiment was carried out in the automobile industry
[37] to investigate robotic MAG process welding parameters
(Table 9). The aim was to optimise the process parameters in
similar welding of steel and dissimilar welding with high
strength and dual phase steels. The thickness of the workpieces differed from 1.2 to 3.0 mm. In addition, different
combinations with various thicknesses were welded. The
conventional short arc current waveform was used for comparison with the SP-MAG waveform. The result showed
that robotic MAG welding of similar and dissimilar material
joints can give welds with satisfactory mechanical and
structural properties, even with variable gap (02 mm).

AlMg4.5MnZr
AlMg5
1.2 mm

2.8 Controlled bridge transfer process

The controlled bridge transfer process (CBT) is a modified short circuiting process which aims to reduce the heat
input and spatter when the molten metal touches the
puddle and when the droplet separates from the electrode.
Figure 9 shows the current waveform of the process. The
process senses the contact of the electrode with the melting pool and reduces the current dramatically to avoid
spatter. The second switching occurs at the necking
period; the process senses the decrease of the crosssection by the pinch effect and drops the current rapidly
to allow only the surface tension to perform the molten
transfer in the puddle. The method overcomes disturbances as arising from wire extension, welding speed, welding position, and the size, shape and viscosity of the
molten droplet, which occur in timed squeezing of the
drop. The process has been proved to be able to weld
stainless steel with a stable arc in an argon-rich environment [38]. In addition, electro-negativity (EN)-CBT has
been applied successfully and allows low heat input welding. CBT was suggested by a group of researchers [38]
and is now implemented under the name metal transfer
stabilisation by Panasonic Corporation, with the aim of
improving the CO2 welding process in MAG [38].
Table 10 presents details of experiments performed with
AISI304L on a lap joint, the section of which varied from
0.6 to 2.0 mm. The results showed low distortion and significant improvement in mechanical properties and microstructure. In addition, low-spatter and low-fume emission
were noted compared to the conventional process [39].

Current

Voltage

Fig. 6 Comparison of conventional short arc and ColdMIG current

and voltage waveform [31]

Fig. 7 Voltage and current waveform of the droplet transfer sequence

of Intelligent Arc ControlSigma Galaxy [32]

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

663

Table 8 Example welding parameters with the Intelligent Arc Control process
References

Material

Groove

Wire

Shielding gas

Welding speed

Current

Volt

[33]

Mild steel

Gap 510 mm, 1.6 mm thickness

1.2 mm solid

Ar80%/CO2 20 %

38 A

16.8 V

3 Mechanically assisted droplet transfer

New developments have enabled welding equipment such
as the power source, wire feeder, and the shielding gas flow
regulator to perform in synergy and obtain an optimised
result as regards the welding dynamic characteristic. In the
GMAW process, the wire feeder used to contribute to providing the current and ensuring continuous speed of the
wire. Now use of the filler wire has advanced to a situation
where it is fully integrated in the welding process. The
overall motion of the wire is forward but it can be reversed
at a specific time to assist in the breaking of the molten
metal during detachment into the molten pool. For this
purpose, an inverter welding current source is used and the
control algorithm is conjugated with the electrode wire
motion [9, 10, 40].
3.1 Cold metal transfer process
The cold metal transfer (CMT) welding process was
patented by FORNIUS in 2004 and is based on a dip metal
transfer mode. The system is equipped with a high-speed
digital control, inverters and a processor that control all the
process, for instance, the length of the arc, the current and
the voltage. Whereas the material transfer in dip transfer
welding is controlled electrically, the CMT process controls
material transfer via both the initiation and duration of the
short circuit and mechanically assisted methods. The main
innovation is the reverse of the wire by a specialised alternative current (AC) servomotor incorporated into the gun
that can oscillate the wire at frequencies up to 70 Hz at the
moment of the short circuit occurrence to assist with droplet
detachment. The metal can then be transferred to the molten
pool with the retraction force and the electromagnetic force
of the welding pool [41]. Figure 10a and b show the current
Fig. 8 a Current and voltage of
MAG and SPMAG method
and b corresponding droplet
transfer sequence [34]

and voltage waveform of the CMT process and the principle

of the droplet and electrode motion sequence. The droplet
detachment occurs at almost zero current input. The two
main steps are arc phasing and short arc, described as follows
[39, 4143]:
Arcing phase: The arcing phase is distinguished by a
constant arc voltage corresponding to an initial high
pulse of current which ignites the welding arc and heats
both the workpiece and the wire electrode. The current
is then reduced to ensure that droplet detachment is not
initiated but that a molten globule remains attached to
the end of the electrode and a weld pool is created.
Short circuit phase: In the short circuit phase, the
electrode is fed into the weld pool, initiating an electrical short circuit, marked by a reduction in arc voltage.
In conventional dip transfer, arcing results in a rapid
rise in current which melts the end of the electrode and
breaks the contact with the work surface [38, 44]. The
point of short circuit is sensed and the welding current
is reduced to a minimum, extinguishing the welding arc
and limiting the thermal energy transferred to the work
piece. After a defined duration, the electrode is retracted
pinching the molten droplet into the weld pool and
breaking the short circuit. The arc is then reignited and
the cycle repeats.
FORNIUS has continued to develop the CMT concept
and an enhanced CMT version, called CMT Advanced, was
presented in 2009. The process integrated the retraction of
the electrode, measurement and control of the arc length,
and control of the polarity of the welding current. The
change of polarity occurs during the short circuit phase
and prevents possible negative effects as the circuit arc
burns, for instance, instabilities related to the arc break of
the process. The deposition rate can be adjusted by

664

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

Table 9 Effect of robot MAG

process welding parameters [37]

Upper sheet
Joint date (lap joint)
Weld data

Low sheet

Material
Thickness (mm)
Current (A)
Voltage (V)

alternating the positive and negative process cycle. CMT

Advanced is said to decrease heat input, minimise distortion, emit few fumes and be easy to perform. The process is
offered in two variants; the first is characterised by a flow
with two positive and negative cycles of CMT, and the
second is a combination of a negative phase and CMT of the
positive impulse phase [41, 45].
A variant of CMT is pulsed CMT Advanced, the principle
of which is shown in Figs. 11 and 12, where the process
flows with negative CMT phase and positive pulse phase.
Compared with the conventional AC process, CMT
Advanced separates the pulse arc from the negative current
phase. The process is characterised by a pulse cycle with
continuous feeding wire and a negatively pulsed CMT cycle
with a reversing electrode and an impulse arc phase with
continuous wire feeding (Fig. 12). The metal transfer effects
of the pulsed cycle (positive electrode) after the negative
phase of the current found in the conventional AC process
do not apply because the molten metal formed during the
negative CMT cycle is smoothly transferred in the following
short circuit. Furthermore, the molten metal is transferred in
the pulsed cycle without a short circuit. Therefore, the
initialisation is of importance in controlling the transition
between two different cycles [41, 45, 46].

Material
Thickness (mm)
Stick out (mm)
Speed (m/min)

S355 steel
1.2
9
0.5

Table 11 presents example data for some cases of welding

of different material grades using CMT. The result showed
good weldability o from 0.3 mm thickness and successful
tests were also made with dissimilar materials such as aluminium and steel. The results demonstrate the flexibility of
the process and acceptable results were obtained for steel,
stainless steel and aluminium. Dissimilar metal joining of
aluminium to zinc-coated steel sheet without cracking by the
CMT process in a lap joint is possible. The compound layer
at the interface between steel and weld metal main consists
of Fe2Al5 and FeAl3 phase [40, 42, 4749].
3.2 MicroMIG process
The MicroMIG process is developed by the SKS Welding
System Company and was launched at the Essen welding
and cutting 2009 expo. The process is characterised by a
supported mechanical molten metal transfer located between
the pulsed waveform. The manufacturer claims a high deposition rate without increasing the frequency, which results
in less spatter and lower heat input. Figure 13 shows a
typical waveform of the MicroMIG process [50]:
&

&
&

&

Fig. 9 Current waveform of metal transfer stabilisation welding process [34, 42]

S355 steel
1.3
70
17.4

Pulse sequence: A pulse sequence (3) (specific number

of pulse) is used to create the weld pool and set indirectly the wire feed speed (deposition rate). The last
pulse creates a drop of molten wire at the wire end.
Droplet transfer: (2) The wire is fed with low current
until contact with workpiece.
Mechanically assisted droplet transfer: When the electrode is in contact with the weld pool (5) the direction of
the wire feeder changes and the wire is retracted for a
pre-determined time (4).
After re-ignition: The direction of the wire feeder is
again reversed (forward) and a new pulse sequence starts
after a short waiting time (1).

The MicroMIG process was realised with standard

components. These components are already in industrial
use worldwide. The torch system works with only one
main wire feeding unit, therefore, synchronisation problems, as in pushpull systems, are completely eliminated. In addition, no wire buffer is required. The related
consumables (liner, driver rolls, centre guides) are available for aluminium wires with a diameter ranging from

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

665

Table 10 Example welding parameters with the metal transfer stabilisation process
References

Material

Groove

Wire

Shielding gas

Wire speed
(cm/min)

Welding speed
(cm/min)

Current

Volt

Gas flow
rate

[39]

AISI304L 2.0 mm
AISI304L 1.0 mm
AISI304L 0.6 mm

Lap joint
Lap joint

ER308; 1.0 mm
ER308; 1.0 mm
ER308; 1.0 mm

98 % Ar+2 % O2
98 % Ar+2 % O2
98 % Ar+2 % O2

450
410
530

70
100
300

100 A
100 A
115 A

15.0 V
14.0 V
14.0 V

15 l/min
/
/

0.8 to 1.6 mm. The process is designed for robot

applications [50].
Table 12 presents example parameters for an experiment
with X5CrNi18-10. The MicroMIG process was able to
achieve acceptable mechanical properties and visual appearance, with few defects [51].

4 Variable polarity GMAW or AC-MIG transfer process

Variable polarity (VP)-GMAW or AC GMAW is a recent
pulse welding process [52, 53]. The electrode positive background period current switches to maintain the arc at a low
current. The electrode positive peak period is used to transfer the droplets by using a high-current pulse that squeezes
the droplet off the electrode tip. The drops transfer across
the arc into the weld pool. The VP-GMAW waveform can

Fig. 10 a Cold metal transfer tension and current wave curve and b
CMT droplet and electrode motion sequence [40]

be designed to provide a range of heat inputs for a given

wire feed speed, thus allowing optimization of the travel
speed for different weld deposit size applications [52, 54].
Steel and aluminium alloy are the most widely used metals
in various industries. When joining steel to an aluminium
alloy, it is not easy to obtain good welding quality because
their physical characteristics greatly differ. In particular, the
intermetallic compound layer that appears between the dissimilar welding parts makes them brittle, thereby resulting in
significantly low strength and deformation. In order to minimise the brittleness of the intermetallic compound layer, its
thickness must be 10 m or less [55, 56].
In a study conducted by JP Hyoung et al., steel (SPRC 440)
was weld brazed to aluminium alloy (6 K21) using AC-pulsed
MIG welding, which alternates between DC electrodepositive and DC electrode-negative based on the EN ratio.
The resulting weld characteristics were evaluated [57].
The study drew the conclusions from experiments on the
joining of SPRC 440 steel and 6 K21 aluminium alloy by
AC pulse MIG welding that based on the SEM and EDS
analyses, a thin intermetallic compound layer was obtained
due to lower heat input to the base metal as the EN ratio
increased. In addition, the analysis of the tensile strength test
in relation to changes in the EN ratio, it was observed that as
the EN ratio increased, the tensile strength value improved
with good gap bridging ability [57].

Fig. 11 Variation of welding current (IS), welding voltage (US), and

wire feed speed (Wfs) in CMT for dependence pulse CMT Advanced in
the EP and EN phases [41]

666

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

Fig. 13 Current waveform of the MicroMIG SKS Welding System

[48, 50]

Fig. 12 Process course, two positive (EP) and negative (EN) CMT
Advanced cycles [39, 41]

The polarity switches from electrode positive (EP) to EN

just after the pulse peak current and a cathode spot is formed
on the surface of the retained molten metal near the slender
wire tip. Under the effects of the random motions and reaction
forces of the cathode spot, the retained molten metal is pulverised to form tiny spatters flying out of the arc area [58].
4.1 AC-MIG (OTC-Daihen) process
The AC MIG welding process from OTC-Daihen Japanese
Company, presented in 2008, uses the digital AC/MIG Pulse
Inverter DW300 to perform welding operations with low
heat input. The new version is a completely digitally controlled process based on the previous AC-MIG200, which
was limited in its application. The innovation extends the

performance from robotic to manual application by improving the stability of the arc at low values of welding current.
The previous version was limited to aluminium, mild steel
but new welding equipment has included structural steel
[53, 59]. The increase of the welding current and the load
(P0300 A at 80 %) gives additional advantages [54, 60].
The EN polarity ratio has a significant effect on wire
melting speed in AC-pulsed MIG welding. It has been found
that at 150 A of mean welding current, the melting speed of
a wire with 40 % EN ratio is 60 % higher than that with a
0 % EN ratio (DCEP) in DC-pulsed welding. In addition to
the high deposition rate, it was observed that low amperage
results in a decrease in heat input as the EN ratio grows. DW
300 comprises software with an algorithm capable of varying the EN ratio up to 80 % [61].
Figure 14 is an illustration of a typical AC MIG/MAG
waveform. The first waveform (a) is characterised with a
conventional EN ratio limited to 30 %, adequate for aluminium welding. In the second AC waveform (b), the EN
component is divided in two areas: the base current and

Table 11 Example welding parameters with the CMT process

References Material

[42]

[47]
Mix CMT
[40]

[48]

[49]

Groove

Zinc-coated
Dissimilar lap
steel (0.6 mm)
joint
Al 1060
(1 mm)
AA 6111
Bead on a
plate 3 mm
NiCr
Butt joint
Stainless
0.32 mm
steel
AlMg3
Butt joint
1.0 mm
Hot-dip
Lap joint;
galvanised
1 mm
steel and Al
1060
DC 0.4
Lap joint;
0.8 mm

Wire

Shielding gas

Wire
speed

Welding
speed

Peak
Volt (V)
Current

Gas flow
rate

Al-Si 1.2 mm

Argon

15 l/min

12 mm 4043

Pure argon

1.0 m/min

4316 1.0 mm

97.5 % Ar+2.5 %
CO2

2.0 m/min

15 l/min

AlSi5; 1.2 mm Pure argon

Al-Si 1.2 mm

Argon

3.9 m/min 762 mm/min 66 A

5.4 m/min 913 mm/min

11.8

Autrod 1251;
1 mm

Ar 80 % +
CO2 20 %

8189 A

1530 mm/s /
CTWD010
18 mm

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

667

Table 12 Example welding parameters with MicroMIG

References

Material

Groove

Wire

Shielding gas

Welding speed
(cm/min)

Gas flow rate

(l/min)

[51]

1,4301 (X5CrNi18-10)
1,4301 (X5CrNi18-10)

Lap joint; 0.8 mm

T joint; 1.5 mm

1,4370; 1.0 mm
1,4370; 1.0 mm

98 % Ar, 2 % CO2
98 % Ar, 2 % CO2

100
95

14
14

the pulse current. The base current is applied to sustain the

arc at the time of the changing of voltage polarity and the
pulse part is to control the penetration [58].
The results of two experiments are presented in Table 13.
The materials are Japan low alloy steel (SPCC) and aluminium alloy (A5052). Welds joints were performed on a bead
on plate of 3.2 and 3 mm to evaluate the penetration relative
to the EN ratio. The results showed lower penetration as the
ratio increases and less risk of burn through [57, 58].

the tip of the electrode during the negative phase that directs
heat into the wire and cools the weld pool [62].
The CP process consists of two different concepts. The
first, presented in Fig. 15, combines the current and voltage
waveform and can be described as follows [62, 63]:
&
&

4.2 Cold process

The German company, Cloos, in 2002, successfully developed the first variable polarity MIG/MAG welding GLC
353 QUINTO cold process (CP) [58, 62]. The DC positive
polarity of the electrode in pulse MIG/MAG provides a
stable arc and better penetration; however, it is likely to
generate undercut, burn-through on sheet metal and other
defects. On the other hand, negative DC MIG/MAG welding generates an unstable arc, difficult droplet transfer, and
shallow penetration. The AC GMAW that Cloos developed
integrates the advantages of both previous applications [62].
GLC 353 QUINTO CP uses a unique current waveform.
By adjusting the parameters of the negative base value of the
heat input, the welding process is carefully controlled to
ensure the best welding results. In the actual welding,
increasing the base value of negative time can significantly
improve the deposition rate of the wire, improve welding
speed, and reduce the heat input [62].
CP consists of a special current waveform designed to fill
the gap and ensure good coverage and excellent welding
results. The positive polarity ensures the cleaning stage and
the heat input of the base metal by control of the pulse phase
to release the droplet to the base metal. The arc surrounds
Fig. 14 Modified current
waveforms in DW 300 with EN
ratio up to 30 % (a) and
above 30 % (b) [58]

&

&

Arc burning period (1): The current and voltage are in

the required negative pulse for a certain period time. The
wire is moving toward the workpiece
Short circuiting period (2) and (3): The current and
voltage are suddenly increased to a level required to
start the droplet transfer
Pinching period (4): The wire short with the work piece
and the current is increases sharply to allow the pinch
effect and necking for the droplet transfer into the weld
pool. The voltage is reduced to about zero, just as in
short circuiting transfer mode
Droplet transfer period (5): There is a sudden decrease
in the current and voltage to permit smooth separation of
the molten metal to the weld pool and re-ignition of the
arc

It can be observed that the CP process combines the

advantages of the AC pulse and dip transfer modes. The
burning arc occurs in EN polarity, which results in an
increase in the melting rate. In addition, the short arc period
considerably reduces heat input in the workpiece compared
to the conventional short arc process.
The second concept is a variable polarity GMAW process. Figure 16 presents a typical current and voltage waveform of the process. The concept is an innovation in the
domain of AC MIG/MAG pulse welding. The curve benefits from the latest research into possible improvements in
the shape of the variable polarity waveform and can be
described as follows:

668

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

Table 13 Example welding parameters with the AC-MIG process

References Material Groove

[58]

&
&
&
&

SPCC
A5052

Wire (in)

Shielding gas

Wire speed Current (A) Volt

(cm/min)

Bead on plate; 3.2 mm ER70s-G; 1.2 mm 80 % Ar+20 %CO2 700

Bead on plate; 3 mm
ER5356; 1.2 mm 100 % Ar
600

Transition from EP to EN (1): the EP is kept at low

current level to ensure smooth transition to the EN
polarity and avoid tiny spatter
Arc burning period at EN (2) and (3): the arc shape
increase the melting of the electrode, the penetration
and maintain EN period to keep a constant arc length
Pinching period (4): Peak positive pulse for pinch effect
and start necking for droplet transfer
Droplet transfer period (5): the current is reduced at
required level to prepare the alternative change to EN

Table 14 presents examples of welding parameters with

the CP process. In a manual test on DC01 steel (2 mm thick
low alloy steel), the welding process was found to be faster
than the same weld with the semi-automatic conventional
process. A 0.7-mm thick stainless steel was welded with CP
and completion of the weld was faster than the same weld
done with a conventional semi-automatic process and about
as fast as the same semi-automatic pulse welding process.
The welding tests for 4-mm thick S700MC and 4-mm thick
AISI304L were not successful showing that CP is not suitable for this thickness [63, 64].

5 Pulse spray/short circuit metal transfer

An alternative transfer technique, GMAW-P, was invented
in the mid-1960s. This mode of metal transfer overcomes
the drawbacks of the globular mode while achieving the

Fig. 15 Metal transfer process and current and voltage waveforms of

non-pulsed cold welding [79]

165210
6598

Gas flow rate

(l/min)

24.526.5 V 20
15.617.6 V 20

benefits of spray transfer. GMAW-P is characterised by

pulsing of the current between the low-level background
current and the high-level peak current in such a way that
the mean current is always below the threshold level of
spray transfer. The purpose of the background current is to
maintain the arc, whereas the peak currents are long enough
to ensure detachment of the molten droplet [65].
The transition current zone between the globular and the
spray mode is of great importance in the GMAW-P process.
It limits the highest current for globular transfer and the
lowest for spray transfer and thus determines the working
conditions of the process [66, 67]. The GMAW-P process
advances the concept of combined or hybrid metal transfer
mode. In normal transfer mode the dissimilar modes, e.g.
free flight transfer and bridging transfer modes occur randomly, however in combined or hybrid metal transfer the
relevant mode is attained intentionally and in a controlled
manner using features of advanced power sources [68]. The
emphasised is in combination of pulse spray and short arc
metal transfer mode.
The classic methods of arc welding (TIG, MIG), used to
join aluminium alloy parts of small thickness, do not provide the required quality of weld joints, mainly because of
the difficulties in maintaining a stable process with low
welding current, and cause welding unconformities, such
as decreased mechanical properties in the joint and a relatively large heat-affected zone (HAZ), melting, partial

Fig. 16 Pulse droplet transition and current and voltage waveforms of

the cold-welding process [79]

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

669

Table 14 Example welding parameters with the cold process

References

Material

Groove

Wire

[64]

DC01
AISI 304 L
Low alloy steel
Al
CuSi3

2 mm
0.7 mm
Lap joint 1.5 and 4.17 mm
Lap joint (gap 1.5 mm)
Lap joint; 1.0 mm

AlSi5; 1.6 mm
1.2 mm

[63]

melting, hot cracks in high-strength aluminium alloys with a

high content of alloying elements, oxide inclusions and
porosity, as well as weld shape inconsistencies (especially
for the MIG method) [69].
An investigation comparing the effects of the GMAW
and the GMAW-P welding processes on microstructure,
hardness, tensile and impact strength of AISI 1030 steel
joints fabricated by ASP316L austenitic stainless steel filler
metal showed that the GMAW-P joints of AISI 1030 steel
couples exhibit less grain growth when compared to
GMAW joints in the HAZ. The highest impact strength
value was measured in the sample performed with the
GMAW-P technique. The grain growth because of the high
heat input occurring in the GMAW technique causes a
decrease in the impact strength values of the joint. The
low heat input in the GMAW-P and the fine grains occurring
in the weld metal due to the rapid solidification and shaped
as small and slender structured, increased the hardness value
[70].
The GMAW of thin aluminium was complicated by the
fact that short circuiting arc transfer (short arc) is not recommended for the GMAW of aluminium alloys. Spray
transfer is always recommended for welding aluminium. In
the past, it was impossible to weld thin aluminium of
1.6 mm thickness because even with the smallest diameter
aluminium wire available for the GMAW, 0.8 mm, the
welding current had to be above 85 A to get spray transfer.
This was just too much current to weld thin materials, and so
the GMAW of thin aluminium simply was not performed in
production. Pulsed GMAW was developed and made it
Fig. 17 ESAB Aristo
SuperPulse waveforms: a pulse/
pulse, b spray/pulse, c pulse/
short arc [73]

Wire speed
(m/min)

Welding speed
(cm/min)

Current (A)

2.25
9.0
4.5

15
80

132135

Volt

16.016.5 V

possible to control the welding process much more precisely

and to change the welding current very quickly. However, it
is very different today [71].
5.1 Pulse/pulse arc process
The company ESAB developed an enhancement of GMAWP in 2003. The technology is an improvement permitting
more accurate control of the waveform and thus enabled the
companys engineers to design a multi-process power
source called ARISTO Superpulse. The concept, known
as pulse/pulse (double pulse) and pulse/spray, was already
available from other manufacturers but the innovation by
ESAB is a pulse/short arc, which aims is to completely
control the heat input and arc for sheet thin metal. The
pulse/pulse arc mode is used for welding medium thickness
and thin materials. Aristo Superpulse is fundamentally a
software solution included in the operator pendant [72].
Figure 17a illustrates the pulse/pulse process technology.
A motivation behind the approach was to provide a GMAW
solution for aluminium welding that made the process less
difficult than standard pulse and therefore required less
operational skill. Unlike standard pulse welding, pulse/pulse
uses a sequence of varying pulse wave shapes to create a
bead shape and appearance similar to the GTAW process. It
utilises low amperage in the primary phase for heat reduction and higher amperage in the second phase for enhanced
penetration [7375].
Figure 17b presents the spray arc/pulse arc process,
which was initially developed for positional welding of

670
Table 15 Example welding
parameters with the pulse/dip
or spray process [78]

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

Material type

Stainless steel

Travel speed

Material thickness
Joint type
Welding position
Wire type
Wire diameter
Gas Type
Primary phase
Secondary phase
Pr. phase synrgic
Sec phase Synrgic

0.8 mm
V. Butt
PA
16.32 (316 LSi)
1.0 mm
97.5 Ar; 2.5CO2
Pulse
Dip/spray
On
On

Primary wire feed speed (WFS)

Secondary wire feed speed (WFS)

2.0 m/min
1.2 m/min

Primary voltage

21.8 V

Secondary voltage

14.8 (+0.8) V

Primary time

0.30 s

Secondary time

0.10 s

thick materials. The welding speed and even penetration are

provided during the spray arc phase, whereas heat input is
reduced during pulse phase. This arc welding process mode
enables vertical-up welding of aluminium without any waving motion. It utilises spray arc transfer in the primary phase
for enhanced penetration and pulse arc in the secondary
phase, which serves to cool the weld pool for less heat
transfer to the base material and less distortion. Pulsing in
the second phase also allows spray type transfer to be
achieved in all positions of welding [7375].
Figure 17c depicts the pulse arc/short arc process, which
was developed for very thin aluminium and stainless steel. It
utilises pulse in the primary phase and a short arc in the
second phase with very low heat input and a GTAW bead
appearance. It can be used in all positions of welding and
has low sensitivity to variations in root gap. The process can
also be used for root runs from one side in thicker materials
without the need for backing.
Tables 15 and 16 present welding parameters of stainless
steel and AlMg, respectively, as given by the manufacturer
for the combined pulse and dip or spray transfer mode
process. An analysis by [74] of welding process speed with
combined pulse investigated the distortion resulting when
welding aluminium. The results showed that the process
reduces heat input without compromising productivity.

Table 16 Example welding

parameters with the pulse/dip or
spray process [78]

6 Comparisons of new arc welding processes

and conventional welding processes
Table 17 presents a comparison of some key features of new
arc welding and conventional processes. The new processes
listed in this table belong to the GMAW welding process
group. It should also be noted that the comparison does not
distinguish between manual, semi-automatic and robotised
processes, and focuses on the waveform ability to increase
the droplet transfer with low heat input. The comparison is
based on the results of both academic studies and information provided by the suppliers of the power sources. It can
be seen that a significant amount of the information is from
manufacturers. This is because limited research has been
published presenting comparisons of new welding applications; the main raison being the investment required to
conduct such comparative research.
A variety of arc welding process concepts has been
suggested during the last decades but interest in scientific
research of such processes is still low, although some of
them, such as WiseRoot, STT, and CMT, have been studied
and scientific publications are available. These welding
processes have demonstrated improvements in terms of heat
input reduction, improved speed and productivity, and an
increased range of material weldability [39, 42, 47, 76].

Material type

AlMg

Travel speed

Material thickness
Joint type
Welding position
Wire type
Wire diameter
Gas type
Primary phase
Secondary phase
Pr. phase synrgic
Sec phase synrgic

1.5 mm
Butt
PA, PC
18.15(5356)
1.2 mm
Ar
Pulse
Dip/spray
On
On

Primary wire feed speed (WFS)

Secondary wire feed speed (WFS)

3.0 m/min
1.1 m/min

Primary voltage

22.8 (+10)V

Secondary voltage

12.0 (+3.6)V

Primary time

0.2 s

Secondary time

0.1 s

++ Increased
++ Increased
Slower
Moderately slower

Short circuit
pulse

Faster
Faster
50 % Slightly twice
fastera
50 % Slightly twice
fastera
Same as
+ Increased

CP
Pulse/short arc

Micro MIG
AC-MIG

CMT Advanced

SP-MAG
CBT
CMT

10 % faster
High welding speed
Increase 2 or 3 times
fastera
Can improve
Increase
15 % faster

Welding speed vs
MIG/MAG

No information

Indication from the manufacture

Decrease of feature, + increase in feature

Hybrid metal
transfer
Conventional
MIG/MAG

AC-MIG
modified

Mechanically
assisted

WiseRoot
STT
RMD

Advanced
controlled

Cold Arc
Cold MIG
IAC

Features
processes

Group

0.6
Thinner
0.5
0.6

Lessa
Reduction 3040 %a
Reduction
Reduce
0.6
0.6

0.3

30 %

Moderately higher
Higher

Tested on 1.2
0.8
0.3

0.3
0.6
0.6a

0.6
0.9
3.17 or less

Steel (mm)

0.8
0.6

Yes

Yes

0.6
Less than 0.8a

No
No

Difficult
Difficult

2
Nob

No exp
2

b
No expb
No
Yes

2.5

Possible
1.4
2.5

+ Possiblea
Can+
+ Possiblea

6
5a
4.7

Gap -bridging and

position (mm)

Yes

a
No
Yes

b
No
0.3
0.3

Yes
Yesa
b

No
Possible
b

0.9
3.1 or less
1.3
0.6
0.6a

Mixed
joint

Al (mm)

Yes
Yes

Yes
Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes
Programme
include
Yes
Yes
Yes

Yes
Yes
Yes

Stainless steel
(mm)

Material and thickness

Lower
Reduce
30 %

Minimised
Minimised
Reduce heat inputa

1015 % less
Lower than TIG
Reduce heat inputa

Thermal
input

Table 17 Comparison of low heat input welding processes for thin sheet metal [1379]

Thin sheet all position

Thin and medium

++
+++ Good because of
melting rate
+++
High productivity root pass

+++

Increase productivity
++
++

Good Different position

High productivity
High productivity for root
pass
All positiona
All position,
Increase productivitya

Productivity

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

671

672

7 Conclusions and summary

The aim of this study was to investigate new innovations in
terms of novel concepts and significant improvements. The
investigation leads to the following conclusions.
Arc welding processes have developed considerably with
new techniques and applications being implemented.
Principal aims have been to reduce the heat input, suppress
the harmful spatter phenomenon, and increase the flexibility
of welding processes. Usability of the processes discussed in
this study is an important issue, conventional GMAW, for
example, is limited to thin thick (0.65 mm) material for
short arcs. Moreover, it requires high skill and causes burnthrough and spatter when welding thinner sheet material.
New modified short arc welding processes are suitable for
thinner sheet metals, gap bridging, root pass and materials
such as stainless steel, and heat-sensitive and coated sheet
metal. Some modified short arc processes have dissimilar
material joining capability.
Although the arc welding process consists of about 12
groups, particular interest has been directed to GMAW over
the last decade. The new arc welding processes in this study
focus on the control of short-circuiting, pulse spray,
mechanically assisted droplet transfer, and the combined
mode in the GMAW.
The design of the power source has been a main target of
innovation and modern power sources have high speed
switching with new advanced inverter and electronic devices for digitalised feedback control. Use of an inverter is
increasingly common in industrial applications. As the
speed of the inverter increases, it enables faster higher speed
responses during feedback control.
The control of droplet detachment by the reversal of wire
feeder motion has been improving, thus mechanical retraction of the electrode has been integrated into the welding
process. The approach is still limited to small manufacturers. Control through voltage and current is the main part
of droplet transfer, since it affects the shape of the current
and voltage waveform. New welding devices have considerable flexibility in terms of adjustment of waveforms. A
waveform designer would be useful to provide the welder
with more options.
Mechanically assisted droplet transfer has led to the
creation of a new welding torches and wire feeders. The
concept initially affected the size of the gun; a current trend
is to focus on developing a convenient size of welding gun.
The external parameters such as CTWD and shielding
gases can affect the voltage and current waveform.
Shielding gases controlled devices can be improved and
they can benefit from intelligent optimization of the follow
rate.
The voltage and current waveform provided by the manufacturer are different from those obtained by independent

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

laboratories with the same settings. New transfer modes

such as the combined pulse, short-circuiting and mechanised
droplet transfer implemented by innovative arc welding
concepts should be introduced in new classification of metal
transfer modes. This work can be used to further study
industrial development and application of new welding
procedures.

References
1. Richards RW et al (1994) Metallurgy of continuous hot dip aluminizing. Int Mater Rev 39(5):191212
2. Ghosh PK, Gupa SR, Randhawa HS (2000) Characteristics of
pulsed-current, vertical-up gas metal arc welding in steel. Metall
Mater Trans A 31(A):22472259
3. Ueyama T (2010) Welding power sources. Weld Int 24(9):699705
4. Weman K (1999) Modern MIG welding power sources. ESAB
welding Equipment AB, Laxa, Sweden, Svetsaren 1:7779
5. Dzelnitzki D (1999) Increasing the deposition volume or the welding speed?Advantages of heavy-duty MAG welding. Weld Cut
9:197204
6. Lancaster J (1984) The physics of welding. Phys Technol 15:73
79
7. Norrish J (2003) A review of metal transfer classification in arc
welding, Proc. Conf. IIW Doc, Bucharest
8. Iordachescu D, Lusca W, Ponomarev V (2005) Classification
of metal transfer modes in GMAW, Proc. Conf. IIW Doc,
Prague
9. Huisman G (1999) Introduction of a new MIG processadvantages
and possibility. Proc. Conf. IIW 1999 Doc. 212
10. Wu Y, Kovacevic R (2002) Mechanical assisted droplet transfer
process in gas metal arc welding. Proceeding of the Institution of
Mechanical Engineering. J Eng Manuf 216(B):555564
11. Himmelbauer K (2003) Digital welding, Fronius International.
Proprietary reports
12. Ngo MD, Duy VH et al (2007) Development of digital gas
metal arc welding system. J Mater Process Technol 189:384
391
13. Suban M, Tuek J (2001) Dependence of melting rate in MIG/
MAG welding on type of shielding gas. J Mater Process Technol
119:185192
14. Robicheau R (1993) Pulsed welding of HY80/HY100 using the
T.I.M.E, 5th CRAD Conference Proceeding, Defence Research
and Development, Canada
15. Uusitalo J (2007) Modified short arc process-new way of welding
root passes, Economic and Ecological Aspects, Proceeding of the
IIW International Conference: Welding & Materials-Technica.
Dubrovnik & Cavtat, Croatia
16. Peltola T, Kumpulainen J, Veikkolainen M (2010) Novel tailored
welding arcs help welders meet quality and productivity demands.
Innovation and Business Development, Kemppi Oy, Lahti, pp 15
18
17. Kemppi Oy. Wise create more productive result. http://www.kemp
pi.com/inet/kemppi/kit.nsf/DocsPlWeb/BR_Wise_AD235_0940_
EN.pdf/$file/BR_Wise_AD235_0940_EN.pdf. Accessed 30 Aug
2011
18. Deutsch P, Uusitalo J (2009) Technology of safe root forming.
Przegl spawalnictwa 78:5255
19. Dodson DeRuntz BD (2003) Assessing the benefits of surface
tension transfer welding to industry. J Ind Technol 19(4):18
20. Stava EK (1993) Surface tension transfer power source, a new,
low-spatter arc welding machine. Weld J 72(1):2529

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

21. Dodson D (1999) New welding rechnology eases FGD wallpapering. Power Eng 103(6):3842
22. Srinivasan K, Balasubramanian V (2011) Effect of surface
tension metal transfer on fume formation rate during fluxcored arc welding of HSLA steel. Int J Adv Manuf Technol
56(14):125134
23. Duner M, Samardi I (2005) Monitoring of main welding
parameters at STT welding process, 9th International Research/
Expert Conference, Trends in the Development of Machinery and
Associated Technology, TMT 2005, Turkey, 2630 Septembre
24. Miller Electric Mfg. Co (2004) Software-driven RMD process
overcomes short circuit MIG limitations. http://www.millerwelds.
com/about/news_releases/2004_archive/articles82.html. Accessed
30 Aug 2012
25. Miller Electric Mfg. Co (2003) Miller introduces Axcess multiMIG systemsmost significant welding invention since the inverter. http://www.millerwelds.com/about/news_releases/2005/
articles140.html. Accessed 30 Aug 2012
26. Peterson N (2009) New technology doubles contractors pipe
welding output. Weld J 2009:5657
27. Petro SJ (2011) Effect of interpass temperature on the structure and
properties of multipass weldments in high performance nickel
alloys. PhD dissertation. Colorado State University, Fort Collins,
2 May 2011
28. Goecke SF (2005) Low energy arc joining process for material
sensitive to heat, GST (Groe Schweitechnische Tagung). EWM,
Mndersbach
29. Matusiak J, Pfeifer T (2011) The research of technological and
environmental conditions during low-energetic gas-shielded metal
arc welding of aluminium alloys. Weld Int. doi:10.1080/
09507116.2011.600040
30. EMW Hightec Welding (2007) Simply moreEWM coldArc, 11
2007. Available: http://www.ewm-group.com. Accessed Aug
2011
31. Merkle, The Merkle ColdMIG Process. http://en.merkle.de/
_images/uploaded/editor/File/ColdMIG%20Flyer_GB.pdf.
Accessed 14 June 2011
32. Migatronic, IAC brochure, SIGMA GALAXY. http://www.
migatronic.com/media/leafletsuk/52170035.pdf. Accessed 17
July 2011
33. Migatronic, Gap Welding Spatter-free lamination. Optimal pipe
root welding. http://www.welder.or.kr/Technical/201011/
Migatronic/Migatronic.html. Accessed 17 Jul 2011
34. Panasonic, The arc welding robotic solution. http://www.
panasonicfa.com/pdfs/TAWERS_tech_specs.pdf. Accessed 4
June 2011
35. Akira S (2011) Welding seminar, Panasonic Welding System Co.
Ltd., 6 June 2011
36. Panasonic, The arc of welding robot system. http://www.
panasonicfa.com/pdfs/TAWERS_tech_specs.pdf. Accessed 5
June 2011
37. Lertora E, Gambaro C, Cypres P (2011) The influence of robotic
MAG process welding parameters. Weld Int 25(10):767776
38. ERA T et al. (2008) Welding sheet with a modified short circuiting
process, AWS Detroit Sections Sheet Metal Welding Conference
XIII, May 1416, Livonia, Mich
39. Potesser M et al (2006) The characterization of the intermetallic
FeAl layer of steelaluminum weldings, EPD Congress 2006.
TMS-Minerals Metals and Materials Society, San Antonio, 12
16 March 2006
40. Furukawa K (2006) New CMT arc welding processwelding of
steel to aluminium dissimilar metals and welding of super-thin
aluminium sheets. Weld Int 20(6):440445
41. Trommer G (2009) Fronius: technologieund anwendungsinnovationen mit dem, CMT avancedprozess. Weld Cut Today 2:12
15

673
42. Zhang HT et al (2009) The arc characteristics and metal transfer
behavior of cold metal transfer and its use in joining aluminium to
zinc-coated steel. Mater Sci Eng, A 499(12):111113
43. Doneth W (2010) Welding thin with GMAW. http://www.
thefabricator.com/article/arcwelding/welding-thin-with-gmaw.
Accessed 10 March 2011
44. Potesser M et al (2006) The characterization of the intermetallic FeAl layer of steelaluminum weldings, TMS (The
Minerals, Metals & Materials Society). University of Leoben,
Austria
45. Maritime-executive (2009) Reaching the limit of arc welding.
http://www.maritime-executive.com/pressrelease/latest-newsfronius-international-gmbh/. Accessed 10 July 2011
46. Fronius (2010) CMT Advanced notches up further successes.
http :// www.fron ius .com/c ps/ rde/x chg /SID-5 49 85 C4A EA7E18B8/fronius_international/hs.xsl/79_19829_ENG_
HTML.htm. Accessed 30 May 2011
47. Pickin CG, Young K (2006) Evaluation of cold metal transfer
(CMT) process for welding aluminium alloy. Sci Technol Weld
Join 11(5):583585
48. Zhang HT, Feng JC, He P, Hackl H (2007) Interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminium-zinc-coated steel
steel joints made by a modified metal inert gs welding-brazing
process. Mater Charact 59:588592
49. Grzybicki M, Jakubowski J (2011) Comparative tests of steel car
body sheet welds made using CMT and MIG/MAG methods. Weld
Int. doi:10.1080/09507116.2011.606147
50. SKS welding system (2010) Heat-reduced welding with defined
penetration, virtually spatterfree, SKS Info
51. Barabs P, Klein M, Nagy F (2011) MicroMIGalacsony
hbevitel eljrs robothegesztshez. http://www.rehm.hu/
download/szakkonyvtar/micromig.pdf. Accessed 15 June 2011
52. Harwig DD (2006) Arc behavior and melting rate in the VPGMAW process. Welding Journal 85(3):5262
53. Harwig D D, (2003) Arc behavior and metal transfer in the VPGMAW process, Dissertation (Ph.D.). Cranfield University,
Cranfield
54. Harwig DD, Dierksheide JE, Yapp D, Blackman S (2002) Melting
rate analysis of the VP-GMAW process. Cooperative Research
Program-EWI. Summary Report December 2002
55. Zhang HT, Feng JC, He P, Zhang BB, Chen JM, Wang L (2009)
The arc characteristics and metal transfer behaviour of cold metal
transferand its use in joining aluminium to zinc-coated steel. Mater
Sci Eng 499:111113
56. Lee KJ, Kumai S, Arai T, Aizawa T (2007) Interfacial microstructure and strength of steel/aluminium alloy lap joint frabricated by magnetic pressure seam welding. Mater Sci Eng
471:95101
57. Hyoung JP, Sehun R, Mun JK, Dong CK (2009) Joining of steel to
aluminum alloy by AC pulse MIG welding. Mater Trans 50
(9):23142317
58. Jaskulski K (2010) Robotyzacje OTC z wykorzystaniem niskoenergetycznych metod spawania. http://www.sap.poznan.pl/fotki/
File/DW300%281%29.pdf. Accessed Jul 2011
59. Harada S, Ueyama T, Mita T, Innami VT, Ushio M (1999) The
state-of-the-art of AC-GMAW process in Japan, Pro Conf. IIW,
Doc. XIII-158999
60. DW 300 OTC Daihen, Highly Advanced AC MIG Technology for
input heat control. http://www.nachirobotics.com/media/
applications_autogen/DW300.pdf. Accessed 28 June 2011
61. Tong H, Ueyama T, Ushio M (2002) Improvement of aluminium
alloy sheet metal welding quality and productivity with AC pulsed
MIG welding system (Report 2). Weld Int 16(2):104109
62. Xiaozhu (2007) variable polarity MIG/MAG welding waveform control sheet. http://web.weld21.com/wz/lunwen/20070713212135.html.
Accessed 2 Oct 2011

674
63. Cloos, Cold process. http://www.cloos.de/cloos/en/produkte/
prozess/cold_weld/index.php. Accessed 12 Jul 2011
64. Belgian Welding Institute (BIL) (2009) Cold Process Principe,
BIL-OCAS 20072009
65. Praveen P, Yarlagadda PKDV, Kang MJ (2005) Advancements in
pulse gas metal arc welding. J Mater Process Technol 164
165:11131119
66. Zhang YM, Liguo E, Kovacevic R (1998) Active metal transfer
control by monitoring excited droplet oscillation. Weld J 77(9):388
395
67. Ferraresi VA, Figueiredo KM, Hiap Ong T (2003) Metal transfer in
the aluminum gas metal arc welding. J Braz Soc Mech Sci Eng 25
(3):229234
68. Ponomarev V, Scotti A, Silvinskiy A, Al-Erhayem O (2003) Atlas
of MIG/MAG welding metal transfer modes, Proc conf IIW, Doc.
XII-1771 to 177503, Bucharest
69. Pfeifer T, Rykaa J (2011) Robotic welding of thin-walled aluminium alloy elements using low-energy welding methods. Welding
International. pp. 16
70. Kursen T (2011) Effect of the GMAW and GMAW-P welding
processes on microstructure, hardness, tensile and impact strength
of AISI 1030 steel Joint frabricated by ASP316L austenitic stainless steel filler metal. Arch Metall Mater 56(4). doi:10.2478/
v10172-011-0105-x

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2013) 67:655674

71. Armao FG (2002) Design & fabrication of aluminum automobiles.
Weld Innov XIX(2)
72. ESAB (2004) ESAB Aristo Superpulse expands pulse MIG/MAG.
http://www.esab.ch/global/en/news/ESAB-Aristo-SuperPulseexpands-pulse-MIGMAG.cfm. Accessed 28 June 2011
73. Anderson T (2009) Aluminium Q&A. Weld J 87(2):2023
74. Begg D (2007) Evaluation of advanced gas metal arc welding and distortion mitigation techniques for thin panel steel
and aluminium structure. BMT FLeet Technology Limited,
Kanata
75. Erlandson D (2007) Les fondamentaux du procd MIG/MAG-Le
soudage MIG/MAG en general- Les types darc, ESAB AB
Welding Equipment AB, Lax
76. da Costa Ppe NV(2010) Advanced in gas metal arc welding and
application to corrosion resistance alloy pipes. Dissertation (PhD).
Cranfield University, Cranfield, March 2010
77. Lucas D (2010) Finding the right steps to purge the purge from P91
procedure. http://www.thefabricator.com/article/arcwelding/
no-purge-no-problem. Accessed 16 Jul 2011
78. Oy ESAB (2012) Example of setting based on material and thicknesses. ESAB Finland, Helsinki
79. N CNC Product (2007) CP cold welding thin plate technology.
http://www.cncproduct.com/tech/detail/4478.html#. Accessed 11
Oct 2011