The MIG-MAG Arc
The arc that burns between the wire electrode and the workpiece serves as a heat source and is used for welding.
Due to the high temperature of the arc, the base material at the weld spot melts. At the same time, the wire electrode melts as filler material and forms a weld bead. The supplied shielding gas protects the weld zone from the ingress of ambient air.
The Shielding Gas.
There are 2 types of metal shielding gas welding, which differ by the shielding gases used:
Metal Inert Gas welding (MIG, inert shielding gas) and Metal Active Gas welding (MAG, active shielding gas).
Detailed information on choosing the right gas can be found in this article:
Which shielding gas for which welding process?
Steel, stainless steel, aluminium. Thin to thick.
With MIG-MAG, steel, stainless steel and aluminium can be welded. Material from approx. 0.8 mm to 8 mm thickness. If you want to weld thicker material, i.e. over 8 mm, you can do so, but must prepare the joint accordingly beforehand.
MIG-MAG is easy to learn.
A good machine, some knowledge about it, hold the torch, press the torch button, weld. No slag obstructs the view of the weld pool or needs to be removed after welding. No interruptions of the seam due to electrode changes. It is said that after just a few hours you have MIG-MAG under control. Good – but practice makes perfect here too.
Operating modes.
2-stroke: For short tack welds and short seams.
4-stroke: Continuous welding for long seams.
Spot welding: For short timed welding and setting weld spots. Press and hold the torch button = welding starts and automatically ends after the adjustable spot time. This makes all weld spots uniform.
Interval welding: Timed welding with breaks. For setting weld spots and welding thin material.
The Wire – really important.
Welding wires are available in various materials and sizes, matching the base material. Especially for very expensive welding wire and low consumption, small spools are suitable. The following spools are common on the market:
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D 200 Small Spool. Note: The Red by Lorch MIG 210 SYN can only be equipped with D 200 small spools. |
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D 300 Plastic Spool. Diameter 300 mm, 15 kg for steel, approx. 7 kg for aluminium. |
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K 300 Basket Spool. Diameter 300 mm, 15 kg for steel, approx. 7 kg for aluminium. For basket spools, a basket spool adapter is required to insert this spool as well. |
Torch Equipment.
1. Contact tip
2. Wire liner in the hose package
3. Drive rolls
These three must match the welding wire. To ensure the torch hose package and drive unit work well with the welding wire, they must be individually adjusted.
And one more thing:
The groove of the wire feed roll must match the wire. The pressure of the drive unit should also be correctly set. Tighten the screw of the rolls so firmly that the drive rolls just slip when the wire feed is running and you hold the wire spool by hand. If the wire feed stalls, the pressure is too high. If it slips easily, the pressure is too low. Correct wire feed is the basic prerequisite for good MIG-MAG welds. You can never have too much precision here.
Tip:
Release spray prevents welding spatter.
The spray forms a protective film inside the gas nozzle against welding spatter sticking firmly to the nozzle. Spray the release spray from the side, this is important. Spraying directly from the front could block the shielding gas hole. The gas flow and gas coverage of the weld pool would be disturbed.
The following RED by Lorch machines are suitable for MIG-MAG welding:
Do you want to read more about MIG-MAG welding or get to know the other welding processes?
Here is the link to the respective article: