ABIBLOG: ABICOR BINZEL's Welding Blog

The fact that the welder is close to the welding process and would therefore be completely exposed to the dangerous gases in the welding fumes without a fume extraction system is no surprise. But how is the situation when using a robot for welding? Do similar precautions need to be implemented as with manual welding? Just as with manual welding, the dangers of welding fumes should not be underestimated.

When it comes to weld inspection, this portion of your weld process is among the most crucial. With a majority of facilities using visual weld inspection methods to pass welds as good or bad, you encounter a major inconsistency issue and run the risk of missing bad welds.

Gas-shielded metal arc welding – also known as GMAW welding or MIG/MAG welding – is by far the most applied and most common welding process in welding technology. When searching for the cause of weld spatter, this process literally hits the bull's eye. Whereas with TIG welding and plasma welding almost no weld spatter occurs, spatter formation in GMAW welding can never be completely prevented. The question may arise why not use TIG or plasma welding in general if welding spatter should be avoided as much as possible. To get the answer it is necessary to take a closer look at the process of MIG/MAG welding and the cause of weld spatter.

Aluminum welding has become one of the most popular forms of welding in the industry today, with a special interest being in the automotive sector. Understanding how to successfully weld aluminum becomes the tricky part, as it is not the easiest material to work with. The process as a whole has its challenges, from preparation and correct welding techniques to specific equipment that should be used to help your operation run smoothly.

For this reason, aluminum requires specific consumables to ensure your welding jobs are completed with minimal issues and ease. In this blog, we will break down the necessary consumables needed to properly weld aluminum.

Flammable vs. non-flammable anti-spatter sprays

Wherever welding takes place, weld spatter also occurs. During MIG welding and MAG welding, spatter formation is particularly high. Although it is possible to reduce the formation of weld spatter in these processes through process optimisation, it can never be avoided completely. Since weld spatter partially sticks, a good preparation is required, because it can be found almost everywhere: on and in the front end of the torch including the gas nozzle, on the contact tip and contact tip holder, on the workpiece as well as on the clamping element, if used. However, by applying a good sprayable anti-splatter agent, which is suitable for all areas, the majority of the welding spatter can be kept away or easily removed.

Those experienced in push-pull welding understand the challenges that can arise when using this type of equipment. When it comes to ensuring consistent and problem-free wire feeding, you can frequently experience issues or limitations - some being tied specifically to your push-pull welding gun.

As aluminum welding remains a rising force in the industry, continuing to test and understand the problems that come along with it is essential. With all the advantages that aluminum brings, there are also some aspects of this material that makes it tricky to weld with. For starters, aluminum is very soft, leading to many of the issues we will discuss.

Extracting harmful welding fumes should be standard in every manufacturing company for health reasons. Many rely on large extraction systems for extraction, which completely exchange all of the hall air within a very short time. More efficient and far cheaper than such large air filtration systems are extraction devices where appropriate fume extraction torches can be connected for source capture. With the fume extraction torches RAB GRIP and RAB GRIP HE 2 from ABICOR BINZEL, fume extraction is easy.

There is no question that aluminum has special characteristics that require it be welded different than other metals. Aluminum is a very soft metal, with a high melting point that requires high voltages. Distorting aluminum is easy and can happen pretty quickly, as the wire will start oxidizing almost immediately, leading to a host of issues. Spool guns were designed to help feed difficult wire in an effort to avoid messy welding by placing the feeder right on the gun. Reliable wire feeding is among the most important parts of welding.

Whether it is an anti-spatter spray, a paste or an emulsion: anti-spatter agents for welding are available on the market in many variants - for using on the welding torch, on the work piece or even on both.

They all serve the purpose to avoid time-consuming rework by removing weld spatter from the work piece, to reduce downtimes due to frequent wear part changes, and to ensure that tools used in the welding process, such as clamping devices, always remain fully operational.

What role does it play whether an anti-spatter agent is flammable or non-flammable? Moreover, are all non-flammable anti-spatter agents equally good?