Types of Welding Processes: A Detailed Guide

Welding built the world we live in - from our houses, buildings, cars, bridges, and even spaceships. Are you curious about welding and want to learn more about it? Do you want to know about the different welding processes? Or what do the welding acronyms GMAW, GTAW, SMAW stand for? You’ve come to the right place. 

What is Welding?

Welding in its very basic form is the joining of two metals through heat or pressure. It’s an ancient process that dates back as far as the iron age. During that time, our ancestors hammered two metals together using heat. All the welding equipment and techniques that we see today started during the Industrial revolution. Since then, the welding process has long since progressed. Now, there are different types of welding processes used depending on other factors. These factors can take the form of:

• Type of metal welded - aluminum, copper, steel etc.
• The thickness of the metal
• The welding environment ( inside, outside, underwater, etc.)
• Where the final product is going to be used - hospital, automotive, aerospace, etc.

The welding industry is made even more exciting with its shift to automation, but that is for another article.

What Are the 4 Main Types of Welding?

There are many types of welding depending on how you want to use it. But of these, four common ones are widely used in the welding industry. These are:

• Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW or MIG)
• Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW or TIG)
• Shielded Metal Arc Welding
• Flux Cored Arc Welding

These types of welding join two metal parts with the assistance of an electric arc. This electric arc is formed between the metal part and an electrode on the gun.

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