Welding methods vary. Stands out:
- gas,
- timely,
- electric,
- laser.
Gas welding
It is called autogenous. This type of welding was practised in the first half of the 19th century. It is the original method of joining metals. Its advantages are the simple technique, the low cost of the equipment, the large area of welded thicknesses, and the high productivity. The disadvantages should also be borne in mind, i.e. the considerable cost of the operating gases, the difficulty in welding aluminium, and the poor aesthetics of the welds. Gas welding is used for repair and overhaul work. Thin pipes can be welded, e.g. for district heating, water pipelines or gas pipelines. Gas welding is ideally suited for field conditions. Acetylene is the most commonly used gas for gas welding.
The features of an oxy-acetylene flame are:
- very high temperature, i.e. 3100 degrees Celsius
- deoxidizing property of the middle flame
- quite the right power
- simple flame adjustment
Welding on time
Another popular method of welding is term welding, also known as aluminothermic welding. The heat source is thermite combustion. Thermite was originally used as a fuel to produce pure metals without the use of carbon. Timely welding is used in the repair of steel journals, cracked shafts, casting defects, as well as for joining railway rails and any cast iron or steel objects.
Laser welding
This is a state-of-the-art welding technique. In this welding, a laser beam is used. It has a high energy density. Laser welding is applicable to metals that are difficult to fuse, titanium, aluminium, alloy steels, carbon steels. High efficiency is a huge advantage of laser welding, which is competitive with other advanced processes such as electron welding.
Hybrid welding
The combination of arc welding and laser welding makes it possible to achieve more flexible welds compared to ordinary laser welding. The speed of the process is maintained. Hybrid welding has a wide range of applications in the shipbuilding or bodywork industry, among others. Hybrid welding is also known as HLAW (hybrid laser arc welding). This method has the advantages of laser welding as well as the GMA method. It is a very efficient way of joining materials.
Electric welding
It is the most popular. Its advantages are economy and strength of joints. There are gas-shielded welding, covered arc welding, welding with coated electrodes, arc welding with a non-consumable electrode.
