Welding Electrorodes or Welding Rods are used in arc welding. Arc welding is a special type of welding which uses a welding power supply to create an electric arc between the base material (e.g. steel) and the electrode. The Welding Ectrorodes can be used for all weldable aluminum and mild steel.
Both use electrical current to melt the base metal and the filler metal. Both could be considered ARC welding. Most welding is done with an electrode (stick) and as the electrode becomes consumed the weldor has to stop and replace it with a new one. MIG welding uses a spool of wire and can be run for hours on end. MIG is usually easier to learn.
An AC welding machine is one that uses electrical power from house or shop and has a controlled output in AC or Alternating Current.
Wire EDM uses a thin wire to remove surrounding material, where conventional EDM uses a shaped electrode to remove material.
The mercury in the tube is a liquid at normal temperatures. It needs to be vaporized and ionized before the tube will conduct electricity and the arc can start. So, like fluorescent tubes, mercury vapor lamps require a starter, which is usually contained within the mercury vapor lamp itself. A third electrodeis mounted near one of the main electrodes and connected through a resistor to the other main electrode. In addition to the mercury, the tube is filled with argon gas at low pressure. When power is applied, there is sufficient voltage to ionize the argon and strike a small arc between the starting electrode and the adjacent main electrode. This starting arc discharge heats the mercury and eventually provides enough ionized mercury to strike an arc between the main electrodes. This process takes from 4 to 7 minutes, so mercury lamps are slow starting. Some bulbs include a thermal switch which shorts the starting electrode to the adjacent main electrode, extinguishing the starting arc once the main arc strikes.The mercury vapor lamp is a negative resistance device. This means its resistance decreases as the current through the tube increases. So if the lamp is connected directly to a constant-voltage source like the power lines, the current through it will increase until it destroys itself. Therefore it requires a ballast to limit the current through it. Mercury vapor lamp ballasts are similar to the ballasts used with fluorescent lamps. In fact, the first British fluorescent lamps were designed to operate from 80-watt mercury vapor ballasts.Variation: Metal halideA very closely related lamp design called the metal halide lamp uses various compounds in an amalgam with the mercury. Sodium iodide and scandium iodide are commonly in use. These lamps can produce much better quality light without resorting to phosphors. If they use a starting electrode, there is always a thermal shorting switch to eliminate any electrical potential between the main electrode and the starting electrode once the lamp is lit. (This electrical potential in the presence of the halides can cause the failure of the glass/metal seal). More modern metal halide systems do not use a separate starting electrode; instead, the lamp is started using high voltage pulses as with high-pressure sodium vapor lamps. "MetalArc" is Osram Sylvania's trademark for their metal halide lamps; "Arcstream" and "MultiVapor" are General Electric's trademark. Besides their use in traditional outdoor lighting, these lamps now appear in most computer and video projectors. However, Philips' UHP lamp, introduced in 1995, contains only mercury. As an example of application and efficiency of mercury lamps, the 61" Samsung DLP rear projection TV (HL-S6187W) uses a 150-watt Osram P-VIP lamp. Self-ballasted (SB) lampsThere are mercury vapor lamps with a filament inside connected in series with the arc tube that functions as an electrical ballast. This is the only kind of mercury vapor lamp that should be connected directly to the mains without an external ballast. These lamps have only the same or slightly higher efficiency than incandescent lamps of similar size, but have a longer life. They give light immediately on startup, but usually needs a few minutes to restrike if power has been interrupted. Because of the light emitted by the filament, they have slightly better color rendering properties than mercury vapor lamps. The color temperature is higher than incandescent lamps.
Argon welding, also known as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), is a welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to create a welding arc. Argon gas is typically used as the shielding gas to protect the weld pool from atmospheric contamination. This process is commonly used for welding non-ferrous metals, stainless steel, and thin materials.
Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) typically uses electricity as its power source. The electric current passes through a consumable wire electrode, creating an arc that melts the base metal and forms the weld. The electrode is continuously fed from a spool to maintain the welding process.
TIG welding electrodes do not melt under most applications. Electrode means it carries electrical current. In MIG welding the wire becomes the electrode. In TIG and Gas Welding the filler material is called a rod. Stick welding uses rods called electrodes.
The main difference between Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) and Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) is the type of consumable electrode used. FCAW uses a tubular electrode filled with flux to protect the weld pool, while GMAW uses a solid wire electrode with an external shielding gas. FCAW is often preferred for outdoor welding due to its self-shielding capabilities, while GMAW generally produces cleaner welds.
Stick welding, also known as shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), is a welding process that uses a flux-coated electrode to create a weld. The electrode is connected to a welding machine that generates an electric current, which creates an arc between the electrode and the workpiece, melting the metal and creating a bond. Stick welding is versatile, portable, and can be used in various positions and environments.
TIG welding uses tungsten electrodes. Some electrodes also contain Thorium some also contain Zirconiun some are pure Tungsten. Each has its own applications.
Technically speaking, MIG welding is arc welding because it uses an intensely hot electrical arc to heat and join the metal together. Usually arc welding means stick welding. The difference between the processes is the manner in which the filler metal is applied. With MIG welding, the filler metal is usually applied with a wire fed through a gun type device with an inert gas such as argon shielding the weld. Arc (or stick) welding uses a solid electrode of the same type of metal as is being joined shielded by a layer of flux. The method of welding depends on the user's skill and what is to be welded.
ElectrodeTIG welding uses a tungsten electrode that is not consumed during the welding process. MIG welding uses a metal electrode that doubles as filler material for the weld and is consumed during welding.Shielding GasTIG welding primarily uses argon as a shielding gas, with helium occasionally used. Argon is also the primary shielding gas used in MIG welding, but argon mixtures and carbon dioxide are often used for different applications.Filler MaterialTIG welding requires a separate filler material in rod or wire format because the electrode is not consumed. MIG welding delivers the filler material via the electrode.Work Piece MaterialsTIG welding can be applied to just about any metal, from steel to aluminum and exotic alloys. MIG welding was developed for nonferrous metals, but can be applied to steel.DifficultyTIG welding is considered to be more difficult than MIG welding because tighter tolerances have to be maintained between the electrode, the filler rod and the work piece.
TIG welding uses Argon.
It is arc welding process using a spool of wire that is fed to the material by an electric motor. Different from shielded metal arc welding which uses consumable welding electrodes with a covering of flux to assist and protect the weld. The MIG uses an inert gas (IG) to keep impurities from the welding point. The technical term for MIG is GMAW (gas metal arc welding), this is because most of the time an inert gas is not used, a mixed gas is more likely. Ex. 90-10 Ar-CO2
No, Forge welding is the simplest form of welding where two metals are heated to a state than can be forced to meld into each-other such as hammering or by other mechanical means such as a press. MIG Welding is short for Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW). This is a process which uses electricity to melt the parent metal and the electrode (wire) while shielded by a inert gas to keep contamination's (our atmosphere (aka air)) out of the weld puddle. Forge welding uses brute force and heat to join metals while MIG welding uses electricity and a shielding gas.
There are a considerable number of welding processes that cover a vast range of metals and some nonmetals in most industries and applications. An excellent resource for welding information is The American Welding Society (AWS.org). A short list of the most common processes are: Oxygen Fuel Gas (OFG) which includes welding and cutting equipment where oxygen is mixed with a fuel gas such as acetylene, propane, etc. and a torch is used. Shielded Metal Arc (SMAW) sometimes called "Stick Rod" welding. This is a manual process that uses a flux covered wire electrode that melts during welding to form the filler metal. Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) sometimes called "MIG" (for Metal Inert Gas) which is a semi automatic process that uses a bare or flux cored wire that is delivered by a spool drive during welding. Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) sometimes called "TIG" (for Tungsten Inert Gas) or Heiliarc (trade name by the Lindy corp.) which uses a non consumable Tungsten electrode in an inert gas shielded gas torch. The Tungsten's produces the heat (via an electric current) and filler metal is added by "dipping" the tip of a bare wire to the weld puddle. The list goes on to include things like Electron Beam Welding , Plasma Arc Welding / Cutting, Friction Welding, Explosion Welding. Microwave Welding, Plastic Welding, etc.. Welding is used on everything from auto mufflers to space vehicles and medical instruments.