What types of arc welding are there?

Arc cladding is a process that uses an arc as a heat source to melt the filler material (wire or electrode) and deposit it on the surface of the substrate to form a coating. According to the different process characteristics and equipment forms, arc cladding is mainly divided into the following types:

1. Manual Arc Welding (SMAW)

Principle: Use the arc heat of the welding rod to melt the cladding material and deposit it on the surface of the substrate.

Features:

The process is simple and the equipment cost is low.

Flexible operation, suitable for small area or complex shape parts.

The cladding efficiency is low, and the coating thickness and uniformity are more affected by the operating technology.

Application: Suitable for small-scale repairs and low-precision coating processes such as mold repair and tool cladding.

2. Gas shielded arc welding (GMAW/MIG/MAG)

Principle: Use shielding gas (such as CO2 or mixed gas) to protect the molten pool, and use welding wire as filling material for surfacing.

Features:

The arc is stable and the welding efficiency is high.

The coating quality is good with less oxidation and pores.

Suitable for cladding of large and thick coatings.

Application: Repair and strengthening of a wide range of wear-resistant parts, such as shovel buckets, roller surfaces, etc.

3. Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

Principle: Using the submerged arc welding process, the arc burns under the coverage of flux, and the cladding material melts and deposits on the surface of the substrate.

Features:

The welding efficiency is high and it is suitable for large area cladding.

The coating has high uniformity and is suitable for thick coating cladding.

It is based on straight shapes and horizontal processing positions and is not suitable for complex shaped workpieces.

Application: Suitable for wear-resistant coating of large workpieces, such as surfacing of rollers and shaft parts.

4. Self-Shielded Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)

Principle: Self-shielded flux-cored welding wire is used for cladding welding under the action of electric arc, and no external gas protection is required.

Features:

Easy to operate and simple equipment.

It has strong wind resistance and is suitable for outdoor use or places with poor ventilation.

The coating quality is not as good as gas shielded cladding.

Application: Suitable for field operations or occasions where coating accuracy is not required, such as agricultural machinery repair.

5. Argon arc cladding (TIG cladding)

Principle: The gas (gas pressure) is used to protect the arc, and the material is melted and deposited on the substrate through the welding wire or filler rod.

Features:

Small heat input, small heat affected zone and small workpiece deformation.

The coating is dense and has high precision, which is suitable for fine surfacing of thin coatings.

The welding efficiency is low and it is suitable for small area surfacing.

Application: Mostly used for high-precision mold repair and surface treatment of wear-resistant parts.

6. Plasma Transferred Arc Welding (PTA)

Principle: Using high energy plasma arc as heat source, powder or wire material is melted and deposited on the substrate surface.

Features:

The heat source is concentrated, the coating is uniform, and the bonding strength is high.

Suitable for thick coatings and high thermal conductivity coatings.

The equipment is complex and more expensive.

Application: Suitable for high-end wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant workpieces, such as valves, pump components, etc.

Summarize

When selecting the cladding process, comprehensive consideration should be given to the workpiece shape, coating requirements, economic cost and processing environment.