Tech Connect

Welding

Gas Metal Arc

Welding (GMAW)
 GMAW Safety Precautions

Electrical Safety
•Make sure all electrical equipment has an
earth ground.
•Keep electrical connections tight, clean, and
dry.
•Keep work area, equipment, and clothing
dry.
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)

Electrical Safety (continued)

•Never dip a GMAW gun in water.
•Never touch hot parts of the electrode
holders.
•Disconnect and lock out all electrical power
sources before doing any work on electrical
equipment.
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)

Electrical Safety (continued)

•Keep welding cables as close to the work
area as possible.
•Do not connect cables to the building
framework.
•Always check the work area for any
electrical hazards before starting a project.
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)

Handling cables, gas hoses, and coolant

hoses
•Never pull a welding cable to force it over an
obstruction.
•Never drag a welding cable through dirt or oil.
•Only use clean, dry rags to clean a welding
cable.
•Properly store welding cables when not in
use.
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)
Handling cables, gas hoses, and coolant
hoses (continued)
•Never interchange gas and water hoses.
•Disconnect and remove electrode holders and
cables after each use.
•Keep cables off any metal tables or any
grounding surfaces.
•Make sure that water-cooled systems have
the water turned off when shutting down.
•Use welding cable covers
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)

Handling hollow castings and containers

•Vent hollow castings before beginning any
heating, cutting, or welding activities.
•Do not heat, cut, or weld any tanks, drums, or
containers until they have been carefully
cleared of any flammable materials.
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)

Working with arc rays

•Wear appropriate personal protective
equipment to protect your eyes and skin.
•Shield work areas to prevent an arc flash from
injuring nearby workers.
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)

Environmental concerns
•Make sure the work area is properly
ventilated.
•Wear a respirator when necessary to protect
from breathing dangerous fumes.
•Wear earplugs during periods of continuous
loud noise.
•Make sure the lighting is bright and free of
glare.
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)

Working with electrodes

•Always wear safety glasses when working
with electrodes.
•Make sure that you have the correct spool or
coil before leading and cutting tie wires.
•Position the coils close to the reel before
lifting and then lift with your legs, not your
back.
 GMAW Safety Precautions (continued)

Working with electrodes (continued)

•Never look into a gun while you are feeding
wire into it.
•Never point a gun at anyone else.
•Never place your finger or hand over the
contact tip to verify if the wire is feeding
properly.
Personal Protective Equipment for
GMAW
Hoods
 Personal Protective Equipment for
GMAW (continued)
Hoods (continued)
Personal Protective Equipment for
GMAW (continued)
Lenses
•Electrode size and amperage determine the
level of lens protection.
•Use the lens manufacturer’s selection chart to
select the appropriate shade.
 Personal Protective Equipment for
GMAW (continued)
Protective clothing
 Principles of GMAW
•Usually operates on direct current electrode
positive (DCEP) or direct current reverse
polarity (DCRP).
•A wire is used as an electrode and a welding
arc is struck between the electrode and the
base metal.
•The electrode melts and becomes part of the
weld.
•The process is controlled by a constant
voltage, which is set by the welder.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of
GMAW
Advantages
•An easy process for beginners to learn.
•Electrodes never need to be changed during
the process.
•Reduces the chances of distortion in base
metals.
•The arc is always visible to the welder, which
allows for better welds.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of
GMAW
Advantages (continued)
•Efficiently deposits the welding wire into the
joint.
•Can be used in any position.
•Can be used on both light and heavy gauge
metals.
•Can be used on both ferrous and nonferrous
metals.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of
GMAW
Advantages (continued)
•Can be adapted to either automatic or
semiautomatic operation.
•Requires no cleanup because no slag and
very little splatter are causes.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of
GMAW
Disadvantages
•Cannot be used in a windy environment.
•Electrical components must be carefully
setup.
•Equipment is more expensive.
•Some weld joints can be hard to reach with
the welding gun.
 Benefits of Learning GMAW

•Enables you to learn and understand the uses

of consumable electrodes and shielding gases.
•Introduces you to electrical concepts and
electrical controls not used by other processes.
•Allows you better visibility of the arc, electrode,
and weld zone than other processes.
•Enables you to acquire additional skills that are
useful in a competitive job market.
Different Methods of Metal Transfer
Short circuiting transfer
•Also known as “short arc.”
•Uses a low electrical current, low voltage, and
a small-diameter electrode.
•Metal is transferred when the electrode
touches the base metal and the molten metal
from the heated electrode enters into the weld
pool.
•Used to join thin sheet metal and parts that
have large gaps.
Different Methods of Metal Transfer
(continued)
Short circuiting transfer (continued)
•How it works:
The welding machine maintains a
constant voltage.
The voltage drops to zero when the wire
“short circuits” the base metal.
The electrical current rapidly increases,
which forces the end of the electrode to
separate from the base metal.
Different Methods of Metal Transfer
(continued)
Short circuiting transfer (continued)
•How it works (continued):
The arc reignites and the steps are
repeated.
Different Methods of Metal Transfer
(continued)
Globular transfer
•Uses a higher electrical current and high
voltage than used for short circuiting transfer.
•How it works:
An arc is created that melts the end of the
electrode and the base metal.
The globule increases in size until it falls
off the end of the electrode.
Different Methods of Metal Transfer
(continued)
Spray transfer
•Uses a higher electrical current and higher
voltage than used for globular transfer.
•Produces good penetration and very little
splatter.
•Commonly used in the flat position or for
horizontal fillet welding.
•Requires a shielding mixture of at least 90%
argon.
Different Methods of Metal Transfer
(continued)
Spray transfer (continued)
•The current setting must be set above the
transition current.
•How it works:
Hundreds of metal droplets are formed
every second and travel directly into the
weld.
Different Methods of Metal Transfer
(continued)
Pulsed spray transfer
•Similar to spray transfer except it uses two
different currents: background current and
peak current.
•Background current and peak current
alternate.
•Allows for good penetration.
•Can be applied in all positions.
Different Methods of Metal Transfer
(continued)
Pulsed spray transfer (continued)
•How it works:
Background current is applied to the
electrode, causing a shielding gas to form.
Droplets of molten metal form at the tip of
the electrode.
Peak current is applied.
Droplets of molten metal form at a
constant rate and are transferred through
the arc to the base metal.
 GMAW Equipment

Welding machines
•Types of machines:
Inverter welding machine
Transformer-rectifier welding machine
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Characteristics of a GMAW welding machine

•Provides a constant voltage power supply.
•A crank knob can be used to adjust the
voltage.
•Automatically adjusts to the welding position.
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Wire feeder
•Feeds the electrode wire to the welding gun.
•The inch switch causes the electrode to feed
out as long as the switch is pressed.
•The purge switch enables the welder to
control the shielding gas flow.
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Welding gun
•Includes a switch to start and stop the welding
process.
•Controls the electrode wire, shielding gas, and
coolant.
•Available in a variety of shapes.
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Types of welding guns

 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Parts of a gun tip

 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Gun maintenance
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Electrode wire
•Use an electrode wire that has a composition
that matches the composition of the base
metal.
•Use a 0.020” to 0.045” diameter wire for short
circuiting transfer.
•Use a 0.035” to 0.045” diameter wire for
pulsed spray transfer.
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Electrode wire (continued)

•Use a 0.045: to 0.125” diameter wire for spray
transfer.
 GMAW Equipment (continued)
Common GMAW electrode wires
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Electrode extension
•Allows the welder to control the amperage
and voltage to correct for spatter, penetration,
and bead width.
•Allowing too much electrode extension
decreases the amperage and increases the
voltage.
•Allowing too little electrode extension
increases the amperage and decreases the
voltage.
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Electrode extension (continued)

•Recommended extension lengths:
•Short circuiting transfer – ¼” to ½”
•Spray transfer – ½” to 1”
•Pulse spray transfer – ½” to ¾”
 GMAW Equipment (continued)

Shielding gases
•Mainly uses argon and carbon dioxide (CO2).
•Can also include mixtures that contain helium
and oxygen.
•Normally consists of argon with 1% to 5%
oxygen or argon with 3% to 50% carbon
dioxide.
•The type of shielding gas determines the level
of penetration.
Causes and Corrective Actions for
Common GMAW Problems
Causes and Corrective Actions for
Common GMAW Problems (continued)
Causes and Corrective Actions for
Common GMAW Problems (continued)
Troubleshooting Techniques
Troubleshooting Techniques (continued)
Troubleshooting Techniques (continued)
Troubleshooting Techniques (continued)
Troubleshooting Techniques (continued)
Troubleshooting Techniques (continued)
Troubleshooting Techniques (continued)
 GMAW Application Techniques
Forehand welding
•Also called the “push angle.”
•The electrode points in the direction of travel.
•Decreases penetration and gives a wider,
flatter bead.
•Used mainly on thicker metals.
 GMAW Application Techniques
(continued)

Backhand welding
•Also called a “drag angle.”
•The electrode points in the opposite direction
of travel.
•Increases penetration and gives a more
convex, narrower bead.
•Provides a more stable arc.
•Leaves less splatter on the workpiece.
•Used mainly on thinner metals.
 GMAW Application Techniques
(continued)

Steps for properly ending a weld

• Procedure 1:
1. Release the gun trigger as the bead
reaches the end of the weld.
2. Hold the gun in place for a few seconds
to keep the molten puddle covered with
the shielding gas until it cools.
3. Slowly pull the gun away.
 GMAW Application Techniques
(continued)

Steps for properly ending a weld

• Procedure 2:
1. As the bead reaches the end of the weld,
reverse the travel of direction.
2. Break the arc.
3. Hold the gun in place for a few seconds
to keep the molten puddle covered with
the shielding gas until it cools.
4. Slowly pull the gun away.
Welding Techniques and Their
Correct Positions
 © 2008
Oklahoma Department of Career
and Technology Education