Welder World Blog

Hello,

Today we start with basics…What is Welding?  We have to start with
a good base knowledge before we get to more complex ideas.  Also,
make sure you get your Instructions for 2 Free Welding eBooks at the
end of Today’s Lesson.

What is Welding?
Wikipedia defines welding as “a fabrication process that joins
materials, usually metals.” This is done by melting the part of the
materials to be joined and adding some additional molten joining
material. When the molten material cools, it forms a strong bond or
joint.

Welding is the most widely practiced way of joining metals together
due to the efficiency and economy of the process. It has been
estimated that approximately 50% of the Gross National Product of
the USA arises from activities that are in some for or another
related, perhaps remotely, to welding. As an example, farming may
appear to have nothing to do with welding, but the equipment the
framer uses to grow and harvest his crops will have used welding in
their manufacturing process.

Until the advent of the 20th century, welding was confined to
blacksmith shops where two pieces of metal were heated to very high
temperatures in a forge and then hammered together until the
joining occurred. This is what is called forge welding.

With the introduction of electricity into industrial processes,
welding became both quicker and easy, and also more economical.
Today there are 4 types of welding techniques that are commonly used.

- The most basic for is Arc Welding where the parts to be joined
together are brought into contact with strong electrical current
and heated. The molten parts are then joined together to form a
weld. This is the low technology end of welding in its cheapest and
least sophisticated form.

- Gas Welding is generally used for repair work especially in the
case hollow items like tubes and pipes. Hot gas is forced onto the
surfaces to be welded. This procedure requires the parts to be
subjected to less heat and is suitable for material that may be
damaged by exposure to high temperature. For this reason it is used
in the jewelery industry which has to work with soft metal with
low melting points.

- Resistance Welding requires that an additional sheet of material
is used to cover the pieces that are to be welded together. This
provides great strength to a weld, but the process requires
expensive equipment and also the use of additional material to
encase the weld which makes it expensive and not suitable for all
applications.

- Laser Welding is the most modern technology available. High
intensity lasers can be tightly focused and produce controllable
heat on the surfaces to be welded very quickly. This is perfect for
material which can be damaged by prolonged exposure to extreme
heat. Laser welding is very accurate and can be used to produce
even the smallest of welds. However, because of the high capital
cost involved in purchasing this equipment, the cost of welding is
also high.

Although the perception of welding is that of a simple process of
heating and joining, it is a high technology industry with huge
amounts being spent of research and development to find stronger,
more accurate and cheaper methods. The welding process plays a big
role in metallurgy with a constant effort underway to find newer
and more weld friendly alloys.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Here is a link to a Web Page that covers this first email in more depth:
http://www.welderworld.com/what-is-welding/2

Have a good one,
Ivan Irons
WelderWorld.com

P.S.
There is more…If you sign up as a member of Welder World Community, you
will get special access to 2 Free eBooks on the site. The eBooks
are about Welding Basics.  Here is the best part, becoming a member is Free!

Wait…The Welding Basics eBooks are Free!
Yes!

What do I get out of it you ask?  A bunch of like-minded Welders and Metal Working Friends
around the world!

Sign Up Now to get all these Welding Benefits!
http://www.welderworld.com/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=registers