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Metal inert gas (MIG) and metal active gas (MAG) welding are the most common welding methods in Europe, the US and Japan. Their popularity is attributable to the high productivity gains offered by these methods, coupled with the fact that MIG/MAG systems are easy to automate and integrate into robot stations.
With MIG/MAG welding systems, a metallic wire is fed through a welding gun and melted in an electrical arc. The wire serves the dual purpose of acting as the current-carrying electrode and the welding consumable filler wire. Electrical energy is supplied by a welding power source. .
A shielding gas that flows through the gas nozzle protects the arc and the pool of molten material. The shielding gas is either inert (MIG) or active (MAG). In this context, an inert gas is one that does not react with the molten material. Examples of gases in this category are argon and helium. Active gases, on the other hand, participate in the process between the arc and the molten material. Argon containing a small proportion of carbon dioxide or oxygen (or a mixture of these gases) is an example of an active gas.
The gas plays an important role, since it determines several process characteristics and also the performance of the process. |
