T
The Daily Insight

What are the welding terms

Author

Robert Spencer

Published Apr 05, 2026

Arc Voltage – the voltage that runs along the welding arc.Base Metal – the metal material that will be welded or cut.Bond – the joining of welding metal and base metal.Cutting Torch. … Goggles – safety equipment worn to protect the welder’s eyes from harmful radiation while welding and cutting.

What does EN stand for in welding?

EN Euro Norm (The European Community for standardization has developed a nomenclature in welding) ESO Electrical Stick Out. FCAW Flux Cored Arc Welding. FCAW-GS Flux Cored Arc Welding – Gas Shielded. FCAW-SS Flux Cored Arc Welding – Self Shielded.

What does lmao stand for in welding?

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is a welding technique that can be used on all ferrous materials in all welding positions. Another name for SMAW is stick welding.

What are four major parts of the shielded metal arc welder?

SMAW Components​ Arc welding power source (welding machine)Electrode lead cable. Electrode holder.

What are the 3 types of welding?

Three of the most common are Arc, MIG (Metal, Inert Gas) or GMAW (Gas, Metal Arc Welding), and TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding. In order to know which process is best for the particular job you’re working on, here’s what you should know about each of them. Arc welding is the oldest of these three welding processes.

What does R mean in welding?

R = rod; this means that it does not have to be an electrode to be used as weld metal.

What is the top of a weld called?

Fillet Weld Face – The surface or top of the weld. Fillet Weld Leg – From the intersection of the joint to the end of the weld. There will be a leg for each plate.

Is arc welding the same as stick welding?

Arc welding is also known as shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), manual metal arc welding (MMAW), or stick welding. … In contrast, in arc or stick welding, the electrode is consumable. Unlike in TIG welding, the electrode acts as the filler metal rod and melts to form part of the weld joint itself.

What does id stand for in welding?

This refers to the diameter of a pipe. Some pipes are measured base on their outside diameter, or O.D. Others are measured by their interior diameter, or I.D.

Why electrode is coated with flux?

The electrode is coated in a metal mixture called flux, which gives off gases as it decomposes to prevent weld contamination, introduces deoxidizers to purify the weld, causes weld-protecting slag to form, improves the arc stability, and provides alloying elements to improve the weld quality.

Article first time published on

What are the 7 basic types of welding?

These include metal inert gas (MIG) welding, stick welding, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding also know as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas welding, metal active gas (MAG) welding, flux cored arc welding (FCAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and plasma …

What is swam welding?

SMAW stands for shielded metal arc welding. This is also commonly called ‘stick’ welding. This creates an inert cloud or gases which protect the molten metal and displace any oxygen that might come into contact with it. … The gas cloud settles on the pool of molten metal as it cools, and is referred to as ‘slag’.

What does saw mean in welding?

Submerged-arc welding (SAW) is a common arc welding process that involves the formation of an arc between a continuously fed electrode and the workpiece.

What does the M in MIG stand for?

MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas. Only inert gases or gas mixtures are used for the shielding gas when MIG welding. Typical inert gases used for MIG welding are argon and helium. … MAG stands for Metal Active Gas.

Which welding is strongest?

Bottom Line. TIG welding produces cleaner and more precise welds than MIG welding or other Arc welding methods, making it the strongest. That said, different welding jobs may require different methods, while TIG is generally stronger and higher in quality, you should use MIG or another method if the job calls for it.

What is the easiest form of welding to learn?

MIG Welding (Beginner) MIG welders are among the best type for beginners, as they’re designed with a wire welding electrode on a spool that is fed at a pre-selected speed through a welding gun. As a semi-automatic or automatic process, gas metal arc welding (GMAW or MIG), is the easiest to learn.

Which type of welding pays the most?

  1. Welder helper. National average salary: $13.53 per hour. …
  2. MIG welder. National average salary: $16.24 per hour. …
  3. Fabricator/welder. National average salary: $17.76 per hour. …
  4. Welder. National average salary: $17.90 per hour. …
  5. Welder/fitter. …
  6. Structural welder. …
  7. Pipe welder.

What is puddle welding?

An arc spot weld also referred to as a puddle weld, or a plug weld, is the method used for welding steel decking to the supporting steel framing below. … It penetrates into the steel beams, steel trusses, or open web joists beneath it and attaches the the metal deck.

What should you say before striking an arc?

Use an audible signal such as “cover” to indicate to others that you plan to strike an arc. 18. If an electrode sticks, try to twist it free. If twisting fails to free the electrode, release the electrode from the electrode holder.

What are holes in welds called?

Figure 1: Round holes in the weld bead are a sign of a defect called weld metal porosity. … Evidence of porosity comes in the shape of rounded holes, called spherical porosity (see Figure 1). If the holes are elongated, the defect might be called wormholes or piping.

What are the four types of welding?

There are four main types of welding. MIG – Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), TIG – Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), Stick – Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) and Flux-cored – Flux-cored Arc Welding (FCAW). We dive deeper into each type of welding here.

What is a staggered weld?

[′stag·ərd ‚in·tər′mit·ənt ′fil·ət ‚weld·iŋ] (metallurgy) Making a line of intermittent fillet welds on each side of a joint in a manner such that the increments on one side are not opposite to those on the other side.

What does RSP mean welding wire?

Mild steel low hydrogen stick electrode designed for cold re-strike and tacking – Retail Small Packaging (RSP). All RSP products carry AWS compliance. Unlike the standard products, RSP products have no other agencies approvals.

What does 6010 mean on a welding rod?

The “60” in 6010 means 60,000 pounds’ tensile strength (the ability to resist being pulled apart) per square inch. The “1” means it can be run in any position—flat, horizontal, vertical, or overhead.

What does 6013 welding rod mean?

DESCRIPTION: 6013 is a high titanic coated electrode. This electrode was primarily designed to provide good wetting and shallow penetration for thin sheet metal applications (using smaller diameter electrodes), but with sufficient penetration for welding medium gauge steel.

What is actual throat?

– Actual throat – The shortest distance between the weld root and the face of a fillet weld. – Theoretical throat – The distance from the beginning of the joint root perpendicular to the hypotenuse of the largest right triangle that can be inscribed within the cross section of a fillet weld.

What is a stronger weld MIG or arc?

The E70s6 bare wire used in MIG and 7018 ARC used in Arc welders are both equally strong. They have a 70,000 psi tensile strength, which is stronger than most steels that you will work with.

What's better MIG or arc?

For example, if you are going to work outside, the stick welding would be the better option as it allows you to create a powerful enough arc that would not be affected by the wind condition. However, if you are working on delicate metal that is less than 1/8th of an inch, then MIG welding is the better option.

Is Tig A arc welder?

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, also known as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is an arc welding process that produces the weld with a non-consumable tungsten electrode. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding became an overnight success in the 1940s for joining magnesium and aluminium.

Why TIG is used for root pass welding?

Techniques Used in TIG Welding Root pass uses the filler material to seal the root space between the weld faces; the process is beneficial when only one side of the weld is visible or accessible. Here are some techniques that professional welders use.

What does ARC mean in welding?

Arc welding is a type of welding process using an electric arc to create heat to melt and join metals. A power supply creates an electric arc between a consumable or non-consumable electrode and the base material using either direct (DC) or alternating (AC) currents.