Three Most Common Types of Welding Wires Available

Welding is a commonly used method that helps in joining two distinct types of materials, including stainless steel, plastic, aluminum, brass, and so on. It is a type of a sculptural process where high heat is used to melt the provided materials together, which are subsequently cooled down in order to cause fusion. A welding wire or rod is ignited to generate a heated arc for this purpose.

Welding wires are basically a type of a slim metallic rod. It helps in fusing metals together by ultimately rendering the wire soft by hammering and compressing it under the necessary applied heat source. People buy welding wires or rods to add the required filler material to the region being welded in the welding process. There are certain arc welding methods where this wire is used as an electrode as well.

The welding wires are quite commonly made up of the same materials as the base metal used in the process of welding. These wires are typically held with the help of a certain electrode holder that helps in properly insulating the welder from the electric current that might be created during the process of welding.

Welding wires are available commercially in a number of classifications and types. Distinguished types of base materials and welding jobs need a certain corresponding welding wire that would be ideal for application. Hence, when buying welding wires people should take into consideration the job they need these items for.

Diverse types of welding wires have their very own arc behavior, mechanical properties, quality, and costs. Here are some of the most popular types of welding wires available:

• Solid GMAW Wire: In the process of gas metal arc welding (GMAW), composite metal-cored electrode and solid wire electrode are needed. The solid wire electrodes are popularly known as GMAW electrodes. The mechanical strength and properties of the weld deposit largely depend on the chemistry of the wire, as well as the type of shielding gas that is being used. GMAW wires provide assurance of consistent chemistry and feedability from spool to spool. Solid GMAW wires are commonly used for out-of-position welding by the usage of a short-arc procedure on certain thin materials that ultimately yields low deposition rates.
• Metal-Cored Wire: The metal-cored wires are certain tubular electrodes that have metallic constituents in the core. Much like the GMAW wires, metal-cored wire ultimately produces slag-less welds that need no or little cleanup. The overall performance features of these wires are also similar to that of the solid GMAW wire. Due to their metallic components, the metal-cored wires can easily handle surface contaminants and mill scale much better than the GMAW wire.
• Gas-Shielded FCAW Wire: The FCAW (Flux-cored arc welding) wires are tubular electrodes that contain fluxing agents in its core, and also feature deoxidizers that provide a level of extra protection from the atmosphere. These flux ingredients can be easily engineered to augment the mechanical properties of the relevant weld deposit.

After choosing the ideal welding wire for the welding process, people need to select the perfect wire chemistry and diameter for the application.