Crumpton Welding Supplies Provides Welding Consumables at Four Central Florida Locations
Various types of electrodes, rods, wires, fluxes, and gases are used in arc welding to create a bond between the two metal surfaces that are being joined. All these filler metals, whether from a covered electrode, a rod, or a wire are "consumed" during welding and become a part of the finished weld. Crompton Welding Supplies can provide a variety of welding consumables, including brazing rods, electrodes, fluxes, MIG wires, TIG wires and solder.
The choice of consumable is based on a variety of factors. The type of welding, the composition of the metals that are being joined, the surface condition where the join will be made, and the design of the join all play a role.
Metal inert gas, or MIG welding, is an automatic or semi-automatic process that uses a continuous wire feed as an electrode and an inert or semi-inert gas mixture to protect the weld from contamination.
Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) is related to MIG welding, but the wire consists of a steel electrode surrounding a powder fill material. This cored wire is more expensive than solid wire, and it can generate fumes or slag, but the welding can be quicker and penetrate the weld more deeply.
Tungsten inert gas, or TIG welding, is a manual process that can produce very high quality welds of thin materials in the hands of a skilled welder. In TIG welding the electrode is not consumed. A separate welding wire provides the filler material.
Usually, the finished weld metal should have mechanical properties similar to those of the metals that are being joined. The electrodes or wires can be made of aluminum, aluminum bronze, bronze, brass, cast iron, magnesium, silver, mild steel, stainless steel, tungsten or other metals. Deoxidizing metals silicon, manganese, titanium and aluminum may be added in a small percentage to help prevent oxygen pores being created during the welding process. De-nitriding metals such as titanium and zirconium may also be added to avoid nitrogen pores being created in the weld. Diameters can range from 0.7 mm to as large as 4 mm.
Crumpton Welding Supply can help customers choose the most appropriate wire for their applications. Call 813-248-8150 for more information, or visit the Crumpton Welding Supply website at www.crumptonws.com.
