Everything you need to know About Welding Aluminum

Posted by Pooja Gupta on July 5th, 2022

Even experienced welders find it a little difficult to weld aluminum as the techniques and processes used to weld this metal are much different than the ones used to weld steel. MIG welding is used for welding aluminum and this requires a particular knowledge about the metal as well as its mechanical characteristics. While welding aluminum can be challenging, developing the right knowledge and practicing it can help you in developing this skill. This will help you in preparing for the project in the best way possible and will also allow you to obtain a result of high quality. In order to procure the right electrodes for this process, you will need to approach leading Welding Electrodes Manufacturers in India. 

Reasons Why Welding Aluminum is Hard 

Aluminum is one of the most common types of metals used for fabrication. It is not only pleasing to the eyes but also lightweight and non-corrosive. Thus, it is an appropriate choice for a wide range of welding projects. However, these same characteristics also make it quite difficult to weld aluminum easily. Given that it is soft as well as highly sensitive, it can be difficult to create welds using aluminum. Moreover, when melted, there is a potential risk for the development of impurities and this can also result in porous as well as weak welds. 

Aluminum and its alloys bond easily with oxygen. The melting point of aluminum oxide is higher than the melting point of aluminum itself. Thus, the oxide needs to be cleaned before the metal welding can begin. Aluminum has a low melting point and relatively higher thermal conductivity. This means that its window of workable temperature is rather small in comparison to other metals. Thus it can easily be burned through. This also makes it quite difficult to indicate the progress of the work as well as its quality. All of these together make aluminum extremely difficult to work with. 

The Best Way of Welding Aluminum 

At the end of the day, the quality of your aluminum weld will depend on the choice of your process. Many tools and techniques can be used for welding steel but aluminum requires special types of equipment and technique. Even the electrode you use needs to be of a specific composition. You can procure this from one of the leading Welding Electrodes Suppliers in India. 

Before the process begins, the aluminum should be cleaned thoroughly. Since it is quite prone to impurities, prepping the material is important. You can use the following steps to prepare your metal:

1. Remove any grease oil that may be present on the surface of the metal using a solvent such as an acetone or a mildly alkaline solution. Make sure to wipe the metal completely so that there is no water vapor on the surface. 
2. Remove the surface oxides using a stainless steel brush which is designed specifically for aluminum. 
3. Assemble the joint and cover it if you don’t plan on welding immediately. 
4. Keep the aluminum in a moisture-free environment and store it at room temperature. Even when storing the electrodes acquired from Welding Electrodes Manufacturersfor the process, make sure to store them in a moisture-free environment. 

Conclusion 

Once the metal is ready, you can weld aluminum using the MIG process. This is the perfect procedure for welding aluminum as it requires higher currents compared to other metals. Even the electrode used is perfect for the procedure. You can avail them from Welding Electrodes Suppliers.