Welding

Welding involves joining materials by heating and melting them at the joint, with or without the addition of a filler metal. The heat source is usually a welding arc, created by a current generated by a welding power source. Welding using an electric arc is called arc welding.

Arc welding utilizes only the heat generated by the arc, which causes the workpieces to fuse together. This is the case, for example, in tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding.

However, filler material is usually also melted into the weld. This is fed either by a wire feeder connected to a welding torch (MIG/MAG welding) or manually in the form of a coated electrode. The filler material must have approximately the same melting point as the workpiece being welded.

Before welding begins, the edges of the workpieces must be prepared to obtain a suitable weld groove, such as a V-shaped groove. During welding, the arc melts the edges of the groove and the weld material. This creates a weld pool.