How to choose the best TIG welder for your needs
Choosing the best Tig welder for your needs involves asking a few questions:
What is TIG? - An Introduction
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is a welding process in which fusion is produced by heating with an arc between a single tungsten (non-consumable) electrode and the work. Shielding is obtained from a gas or gas mixture and filler metal may or may not be added (figure 1).
The process was originally developed during World War II to weld corrosion-resistant and difficult to weld metals such as aluminium and magnesium. Today most metals are easily joined, making GTAW a process that is used in a variety of applications from simple maintenance jobs to the most critical areas of metal joining in the space program.
Recent improvement of equipment and the development of new process controls and techniques has seen GTAW become an indispensable tool of modern industry.
GTAW is often referred to as TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding. While this is true when inert argon or helium is used, there are applications where an active gas such as oxygen or hydrogen is blended with argon or helium as a shielding gas. The welding process is now no longer inert, GTA welding correctly defines the complete process.
- What material will I weld? Stainless Steel, Steel, Aluminium, Copper or others?
- How thick will the material be ?
- Will I need to get into tight spaces?
- How much TIG Welding will I be doing? An hour a week, an hour per day, several hours per day?
3 Phase TIG welder
