High-Roller TIG Welders - The Development Through The Years
For one, the techniques they employ are some of the most difficult in the field.
High level of hand control and accuracy is necessary.
And not to mention, the method is also far more complicated, especially when compared to the simplistic and more direct approach of SMAW (stick welding).
And although not as widely used in the industry compared to SMAW, TIG Welders enjoy a high demand in the industry.
This is partly due to the fewer number of welders that can do the method and deliver convincing quality.
If you want to have higher chances of nailing consistent job offers in this field, it is good to learn TIG as an addition to your repertoire of skills.
Another reason why it is the high roller of the field is its extensive application in aerospace.
So if you know how to do TIG welding, you can be proud of yourself knowing that something very similar is used by engineers in building and developing highly complicated space vehicles.
Given the complexity and the high skill requirement of the technique, it did not just sprout out of nowhere.
It was pretty much a work in progress.
Through the years, several techniques kept changing until it achieved its mature form today.
The needed weld non-ferrous metals The first idea of using inert gases in welding hatched about 90 years since the discovery of electric arc.
This took place around the year 1890.
However, the method still posed many quality problems when it comes to dealing with non-iron based metals like copper and magnesium.
Later in the year 1930s, the integration of bottled inert gas into the technique improved things exponentially.
It improved further when the application of direct current was added into the method.
Later, welding metals like magnesium became more productive.
Application of alternating current The use of inert gases came with the utilization of tungsten rod.
It was ideal because tungsten has a very high melting point and can withstand high levels of heat.
However, this still did not prevent tungsten particles from getting mixed into the weld, which is undesirable.
To correct this, TIG Welders back then thought of changing the current to negative.
It did prevented tungsten particles from collapsing but it made the whole procedure unsuited for non-ferrous metals.
Later, the application of alternating current solved the problem for TIG welders.
Use of plasma The development of the technique did not stop with tungsten and alternating current.
Later, a more advanced method made use of plasma.
This afforded TIG Welders better finish and better quality with the work pieces.
Another addition to it is the use of a nozzle which provided TIG Welders better control.
However, this technique which is often called plasma arc welding is primarily an automated method.
For manual operations, the standard techniques are still employed.
Both methods however have their own advantages and disadvantages too and would work well on different situations.