What is

TIG welding?

WIG-welding

TIG welding: clean seams, stable connections

Tungsten inert gas welding (TIG welding) is a gas shielded welding process and is one of the fusion welding processes. It is used wherever optimum quality and spatter-free weld seams are required. TIG welding is suitable, among other things, for stainless steels, aluminum and nickel alloys as well for thin sheet metal made of aluminum and stainless steel. Typical areas of application include pipeline and container construction, portal construction, and aerospace applications.

 

TIG welding: This is how it works

WIG-welding

In TIG welding, the required current is supplied via a tungsten electrode, which is temperature-resistant and does not melt. This electrode emits an arc that heats up and liquefies the material. There is a nozzle for shielding gas around the electrode. The gas protects the heated material from chemical reactions with the ambient air. The noble gases argon, helium or mixtures thereof are used for this purpose. The inert, i.e. non-reactive, gases prevent chemical reactions with the liquid weld pool and the heated material. This ensures high-quality weld seams.

Since the tungsten electrode does not melt, the filler metal is fed separately during TIG welding – either manually or mechanically by an external wire feeder.

 

 

The tungsten electrode

The tungsten electrode is the heart of TIG welding. At 3380 degrees Celsius, tungsten has the highest melting point of all pure metals in the periodic system. This prevents the electrode from melting. It generates an electric arc that heats and liquefies the material. The electrodes are produced using a sintering process. In order to improve their properties, they can be alloyed with oxidic additives. The electrodes are color-coded according to the alloy:
Arc

Pure tungsten (WP) (green):

/ Smooth, spherical electrode surface
/ Ignition problems with DC
/ Low current carrying capacity

Tungsten rare earth oxide (WS2) (turquoise):

/ can be used for all materials
/ very good ignition characteristics
/ higher durability than WT- or WC-electrodes 

Tungsten cerium oxide (WC 20) (gray):

/ Can be used with all materials
/ Good ignition characteristics

Tungsten lanthanum oxide (WL 20) (blue):

/ Longer service life than tungsten/thorium or tungsten/cerium oxide electrodes

WIG electrode
WIG-weldingsystem

This is how a TIG welding system is structured:

(1) Mains connection

(2) Power source

(3) Hosepack

(4) Grounding cable

(5) Welding torch

(6) Ground terminal

(7) Workpiece

(8) Filler metal

(9) Shielding gas

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Advantages of TIG welding

  • No formation of welding spatter
  • Particularly high optical quality of weld seams
  • All welding positions are possible
  • Very high weld seam quality
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Disadvantages of TIG welding

  • Requires high degree of skill
  • Low welding speeds
  • Complex seam preparation – rust must be completely removed
  • Not suitable for thick workpieces

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Process variants of TIG welding

Cold-Wire TIG welding
A cold-wire feed increases productivity: the welding speed increases and the filler material is fed into the weld pool precisely and evenly. This allows even less-experienced welders to achieve outstanding results.
Hot-Wire TIG welding
TIG hot-wire welding is a further development of TIG cold wire welding. Here, the filler material is heated before being introduced into the molten pool. This has several advantages: the melting quantity and output increase, the welding speed increases, and mixing is reduced.
Cladding
Cladding is a process in which components are coated with special alloys in order to significantly extend their service life. This coating is applied by means of mechanized build-up welding.

Fronius Speed Cladding makes the coating process up to three times faster and more efficient than conventional methods. The result: shorter production times, lower costs, and a consistently high quality protective coating.
ArcTig
ArcTig is a TIG welding process for mechanized joint welding that combines the highest seam quality with maximum cost-effectiveness. It ensures an excellent seam appearance and reliable root penetration. ArcTig enables high welding speeds and reduces the effort required for seam preparation – ideal for applications where precision and efficiency are required.

Which materials are suitable for TIG welding?

The most commonly used materials for TIG welding include stainless steels, aluminum and nickel alloys, and thin sheets of aluminum and stainless steel. For sheet thicknesses of less than four millimeters, economical welding speeds can be achieved with a mechanized wire feed. For thicker sheets, the TIG process becomes less economical – in this case, only root pass welding is recommended. More powerful processes such as MIG/MAG or submerged arc welding are suitable for welding the fill passes.

Professional welding systems for TIG welding

MagicCleaner 150/300

  • Stainless steel: optimally rework TIG welds and surfaces
  • Cleaning and passivation in a single working step
  • Cost-effective electrolyte consumption
Learn more about MagicCleaner

iWave 230i

  • Alternating current TIG welding system from the new generation
  • Intuitive menu navigation
  • Can be expanded with optional function package
Find out more about iWave
Product photo Artis 170/210

Artis

  • Wide range of functions such as TIG pulsing
  • Intuitive menu navigation
  • Can be expanded with optional function packages
Find out more about Artis

Ignis 180 TIG

  • Ultra-light TIG welding system
  • Good ignition characteristics for touchdown ignition
  • Can be updated for other functions
Find out more about Ignis
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