Shielded Metal Arc Welding: SMAW
From small DIY home hobby arc welding machines right up to large three phase industrial units.
The arc welder has earned areputation for versability and durability throughout the world.
Some of the benefits of using an arc welder are:
1. Cheap and available everywhere.
2. Portable, even more so now with the little inverter arc welders.
3. Can be used outdoors in windy conditions.
4. Robust and last for ever. No mechanical components to replace, except fan.
5. No need cart around a gas bottle.
Who uses an arc welding machine?
From small DIY home hobby machines right up to large three phase industrial units. The arc welder has earned a reputation for versability and durability throughout the world.
They are used on just about evey farm to repair tractors and farm machinery. Qualified welders and boilermakers use them for pipe welding.
And the average person uses a stick welding machine to make basic repairs, and projects around the house.
For the electric arc welding process to work you need.
1. Electricity, either AC or DC.
Most arc welding machines are DC output. Plug it into the wall socket (120v AC, 220-240v AC) and the electricity goes through a transformer, and the electricity is "transformed" into a DC output. Chances are the small machine you have a home in the shed will be a DC output.
2. You need an electrode to burn.
The electrode is what melts down into molten metal and fuses to the base metal.
3. And you need to make a basic electrical circuit.
Clamp the earth lead to the base metal, touch the electrode to base metal to complete the circuit.
When the rod touches the "earthed" base metal. The electrode will spark up generating high amounts of heat. This heat will melt the electrode, and also the base metal. As the electrode melts the molten metal will attach itself to the base metal, forming a weld deposit.
Simple as that
Now, you can't just grab a bit of fencing wire and hook it up as an electrode and weld. It will not work. Why?.... All welding electrodes have what is called a flux coating on the outside of the rod. This flux coating burns and creates a "shield" to keep unwanted gases out.
Unwanted gases are in the air we breath. This is why the techincal name for arc welding is " Shielded Metal Arc Welding".
Now you need to learn how to use it.........
Arc welding is not rocket science. It's simple, fun and easy to do, providing that you learn a few basic techniques from the start.
If you want to know how to arc weld, folow this link here and I can take you throught the steps of how to do shielded metal arc weling How to weld with an arc welder or stick welder