If you’ve ever had any questions with regards to finding the proper filler metal for welding aluminum (or aluminium, as everyone else calls it), then look no further!  Tony Anderson from the AWS has exactly what you need:

Finding an ally alloy

6 variables that affect aluminum filler alloy selection

By Tony Anderson
May 15, 2009

Choosing the best filler metal for aluminum welding involves taking into account the operating conditions of the finished welded component as well as six important variables that can affect the operating condition.

Editor’s Note: This article is adapted from Tony Anderson’s presentation for the Aluminum Association Conference, May 5-6, 2009, Toronto, by the American Welding Society.

Filler alloy selection for welding aluminum is an essential part of the development and qualification of a suitable weld procedure specification (WPS). Choosing the most appropriate filler alloy for welding aluminum is based on the operating conditions of the finished welded component and a number of variables.

When selecting a filler alloy for welding aluminum, it’s a good idea to compare the performance of each filler alloy against each of the six variables: ease of welding, strength of the welded joint, ductility, corrosion resistance, sustained-temperature service, and postweld heat treatment.

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If you’re looking for some filler metal of your own, you can check out the Arc-Zone eBay Store.

I may have just found my new favorite welding website: The Metal Worker.  It’s Australia’s “premier metalworking news website” and it’s keeping me up to date on all the latest international welding news.  They even have some helpful tips – check it out:

Ten things about MIG welding

10 July 2009

WELDING Industries of Australia has listed ten things which not many people know about MIG welding.

1.    A MIG welder operates by creating an arc between a continuously fed filler metal (consumable) and the material being welded.

2.    MIG welding can weld all common metals, including carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium.

3.    The MIG welding process caters for either light gauge material, such as sheet metal or thick plates, such as structural steel.

4.    MIG welding is up to four times faster, with nearly double the metal deposition rate when compared to the Stick welding process.

5.    Welders are classified by how much amperage they can generate at a given duty cycle.  Basically, amperage equals heat. Amperage required also varies with wire size, welding position and shielding gas being used.

6.    Duty cycle is the amount of time during a 10-minute period that a welder can operate at any given amperage without overheating. For thicker metals or bigger jobs, choose a welder with higher duty cycle capabilities.

7.    MIG welders can be used for both solid wire or flux cored wire. Switch the polarity links near the drive system to change from solid to flux cored wire.

8.    MIG welders offer the versatility to run different diameter wires.  Using thinner wires, such as 6mm, minimizes the chance for burn-through on thin materials.  Conversely, using thicker wires, such as 1.2mm will deposit larger welds and can help ensure excellent fusion on thicker metals.

9.    The shielding gas required varies with the type of application and metal being welded.  Most mild steel applications call for a mixture of 75% Argon and 25% CO2.  Aluminium requires pure Argon, whereas stainless steel welds best with a tri-mix, or Argon and 2% Oxygen.

10.    MIG welding can be used across a wide range of applications and welding positions, including rural work, metal fabrication, manufacturing and automotive.

What are your favorite welding websites?  Let us know – we’re always on the lookout for up and coming welders, new companies, and the latest in welding equipment!

Am I the only one who imagines metal sheep when they hear the phrase “metal spinning”?  You know, like spinning the wool of metal sheep into yarn and whatnot?  No?  Okay, then…

We’d better just let the nice people over at THE FABRICATOR® tell you all about it then…

Metal Spinning 101

Metal spinning can be a cost-effective alternative for drawing metal

February 24, 2009

Metal spinning gives shops a broad palette of options that can be customized for the job at hand.

Without metal spinning, motorcycle parts and car wheels wouldn’t be so easy to make. Neither would gas bottles, cooking pots and pans, or myriad components in the defense and aerospace industries.

The process fundamentals are simple. A round blank, flat or preformed, is fixtured in a spinning lathe. As the blank spins, a roller tool forms it, usually pressing the blank against a mandrel, compressing the grain structure, and producing a smooth surface that often doesn’t require secondary finishing.

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Have you ever watched the show “8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter“?  Probably not, but the title is hilarious, isn’t it?  I’ve always wondered what those eight rules were…

But now, we have the “8 Rules” welding-style… aka: “8 Simple Rules For Operating a Portable Milling Tool”.  Very catchy, no?

A briefing on portable milling tools:

8 simple rules to do the job

By David Schreiner
February 24, 2009

By following eight simple rules regarding material removal, lubrication, and tips for general use, you can be sure that you are operating your portable milling tool correctly.

The traditional methods of torch cutting and grinding bevels and radius edges are being challenged today by portable milling machines.

Portable milling tools cut bevels, chamfers, and radius edges on straight or contoured edges of plate and are primarily used for deburring, weld prep, and paint prep. These tools typically use coated carbide inserts in various shapes, allowing for milling on straight plate, contoured plate, and pipe.

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Do you have any tips of your own that you’d like to share with the rest of us?  After all, “8 Simple Rules” is not a permanent title… it could be 9 simple rules… or 10…

Tregakiss is doing a favor for the environment and for us by publishing their FUSION Magazine online!  Not only are they saving paper, but they’re saving us some trouble by delivering them directly to your inbox, and it’s all free!

FUSION Magazine is now FUSION Online!

FUSION Magazine is going digital!  Our popular magazine will now be issued via email 4 times per year as FUSION Online. 

Like its popular printed forerunner FUSION Magazine, the new electronic publication will feature an assortment of valuable welding and business management information, along with fun, interactive polls, trivia, contests and more!  

Subscribers will also be among the first to learn about Tregaskiss’ newest products, as well as trade show and welding seminars that Tregaskiss will host or attend.

Fill out our quick and easy sign-up form to have FUSION Online delivered to your inbox for FREE!