When aluminium fabricators need to join aluminium or aluminium alloy parts together, they employ aluminium fabrication welding techniques to get the job done. Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding is especially popular among many aluminium manufacturers because it can produce high quality welds. However, it is important to point out that aluminium TIG welding does not mean that manufacturers of aluminium parts or products will automatically get the top quality welding results they want. Like with any other welding technique, the quality of aluminium TIG welds depends upon the welder's knowledge and level of skill.
Here are some factors that aluminium manufacturers must keep tabs on, as they can affect the quality of aluminium TIG welding jobs.
How well the surface is prepped.
One of the major drawbacks of TIG welding is that it requires clean substrates. If the surface of aluminium material is dirty or rusty, the quality of TIG welds will be compromised. With that being said, it is vital to ensure that the aluminium substrate is properly cleaned and prepared for welding. This is necessary to help remove impurities that may be present on the surface of the aluminium substrate. A clean, well-prepped substrate ensures that the welds on final products are strong and of topnotch quality.
TIG aluminium welders can employ a variety of surface preparation techniques, including degreasing and blast cleaning to make sure that the base material is clean and free of impurities that may affect the quality of welds. The right combination of choice of surface prepping methods is based on the type and nature of the impurities involved and how thick the layer of impurities is.
How well distortion is controlled.
Proper control of heating and cooling cycles during TIG welding is necessary to help minimise distortion of aluminium workpieces. As the cycles change, the material properties of the workpiece also change, resulting in material distortion. Aluminium TIG welders should ensure uniform distribution of heat while welding. Working with the right combination of torch and electrode will help minimise weld distortion.
Other ways of minimising weld distortion include (but are not limited to) keeping the number of weld passes to a minimum, presetting parts and avoiding overwelding.
The surest way of attaining top-quality aluminium TIG welding results is to make sure you have properly trained welders and to provide them with the best welding equipment on the market. Most consumers are willing to pay a premium price as long as they know they are getting superior-quality products.
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