MIG/MAG (Metal Inert Gas / Metal Active Gas) welding – welding with a consumable electrode in an inert gas shield (MIG, method 131) or in an active gas shield (MAG, method 135)[.
How the MIG/MAG welding process works
In this welding, an electric arc is produced between the material to be welded and the electrode (welding wire) and is protected by a special gas shield. For inert gas shielding, argon or helium is most often used, and for active gas shielding, carbon dioxide or mixtures of carbon dioxide and argon are used. The wire is continuously fed through the feeding unit and welding chuck up to the welding pool. Solid (GMWA) and cored wires (FCAW-GS – shielded cored wire welding) are used in this method. By appropriate selection of electrode wires, most materials (various metals) can be welded.
MIG/MAG welding – one of the most widely used methods of welding structures
It is now one of the most widely used methods of welding structures. The thorough shielding of the glowing arc between the material to be welded and the fusible electrode ensures that a weld is formed under very favorable conditions.
MIG/MAG welding can be used to make high-quality joints of all metals. These include corrosion-resistant steels, carbon and low-alloy steels, copper, aluminum, nickel and their alloys.
MIG/MAG welding involves melting the fusible electrode material and the weld material with the heat of an electric arc glowing between the fusible electrode and the welded object, under the cover of an inert or active gas. The weld metal is formed from the superfused edges of the weld material and the fusible metal of the electrode wire.
Welding can be carried out with alternating or direct current in all positions. Nowadays, MIG/MAG welding with direct current with positive polarity is almost exclusively used. Welding is carried out robotically, as semi-automatic (mechanized) or automatic.
