Implementing the best possible welding processes will allow you to consistently deliver strong, durable and superior welds. Taking the necessary steps to improve your welding process ensures that your weld jobs are free from cracking, undercuts, erratic bends and distortion.
Having a superior quality of welds presents two distinct advantages – weld integrity and welding repeatability. Whether you are a seasoned fabricator, new to the trade or somewhere in between, it is always useful to seek fundamental ways on how to improve the quality of your welds.
Planning & Preparation
To deliver the best possible quality welds on a consistent basis, planning and preparation is essential. Doing so can greatly improve your welding process, your techniques and, essentially, the quality of your output. If the planning and preparation process is consistent then the quality of the jobs are consistent too.
During the planning and preparation process, fabricators and welders must always ensure that they check for external factors before welding such as the edges of the material being welded. For example, if the material requires a butt weld, both the root face and root gap will need to be properly prepared prior to welding.
Cleanliness
A crucial step to improve the quality of your welds is cleaning and removing external contaminants before presenting a component for welding. Dust, grease, grime and even oils in the skin can cause incomplete fusion, cracking and poor bead appearance.
Cleanliness is a vital step to improve your welding process, if the material is not properly cleaned, the results can be disastrous. It can compromise the welds longevity and its ability to resist corrosion. You should always ensure your welding process includes cleaning the components so that all surfaces are spotless and smooth.
Gas selection
Selecting the appropriate gas for your welding job is imperative to improving welding quality and offers a range of benefits too:
- Protects the weld pool from exposure to the atmosphere
- Promotes a stable arc
- Improve the quality of your welds
When choosing the gas for the weld, you need to consider:
- The type of material being welded
- Whether deeper weld penetration is a must
- Whether weld appearance is important
Type of welding
The type of welding you choose will greatly influence the quality of your finished product. Different welding types offer unique advantages and disadvantages, for example welding with the Gas Metal Arc Welding process can be subject to lack of fusion with potential issues including spatter and inter-pass cleaning. In comparison, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding will typically result in a cleaner finish – workshops tend to use this process because of the high-quality results it delivers.
The team at Rapid Fab are experts in the welding and fabrication industry and are happy to give advice on ways to improve the quality of your welds and ways to improve your welding process. Contact the team at 07 5529 2622 to discuss anything and everything to do with welding and welding materials.