Can Aluminium be TIG Welded?
Blog | September 29th, 2017
The short answer says, yes, aluminium can be TIG welded. As a matter of fact, Tungsten Inert Gas welding work is frequently associated with the aluminium fabrication process. So what benefits come to mind when this GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) method addresses your metal jointing requirements? Here’s a list of the manufacturing advantages, beginning with the refined looks, which are a natural upshot of a finitely controllable welding process.
A TIG Welding Review
As mentioned in past articles, TIG welding equipment employs a non-consumable tungsten electrode. Paired with an inert shielding gas, the arc created by the welding action facilitates an entirely attractive join seam. Keep that feature in mind. Now add an aluminium filler rod to the process. The resulting joint, formed under the argon shield gas, takes shape as a highly accurate weld, one that uses the filler to create a gracefully implemented joint finish. In terms of catering equipment fabrication benefits, that high-precision join flows like butter, so there are no defects in the weld seam.
Aluminium Welded Benefits
What’s one of the upshots of this smoothly worked weld join? Well, no bacteria or dirt can possibly find its way into a near seamless weld seam. Remember, recessed edges and sudden surface changes are undesirable in certain metal fabrication scenarios. Catering equipment, as one example, is designed with as few potential dirt refuges as possible. The polished metal is scratch-resistant, so the furnished sheet metal cleans easily. Surely, then, the structural joins on that same piece of catering equipment must emulate that same hygiene-oriented design feature. If the aluminium is TIG welded, that defect-free weld profile is practically assured.
A Brief Look at Aluminium Joining Technology
There are different fastener types and welding techniques that bond aluminium parts. Are they a match for TIG welding, for that hallmark, high-precision metal bonding feature? Well, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fabrication system that works as well as TIG. Aluminium conducts electricity well, so thin sheet metals accept the filler readily while thicker gauge alloys anchor readily as the torch head progresses. Clean and mechanically resolute, the finished weld is also oxide free, thanks to the argon shroud.
Clean welds are as essential as any diligently scrubbed panel of sheet metal, especially when the equipment is stationed inside a food-safe environment. That’s a tough requirement to follow through on, but it’s easily achievable when the aluminium parts are exposed to TIG welding gear. So the long answer follows the short answer with the same ‘Yes,’ but it’s a calculated, considered response, one that analyzes the GTAW technique and digests its benefits as a clean and mechanically proficient aluminium welding technique.
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