Welding Equipment

Welding equipment and soldering tools are used to create a joint on a workpiece. They include soldering irons, stick welders, TIG welders, MIG welders, and gas welders as well as the torches, electrodes, filler metals, solder, and other welding supplies that are used with them. Plasma-cutting and arc-cutting equipment cut or gouge materials. Welding helmets, gloves, blankets, and other safety equipment are designed to withstand hazardous glare, sparks, spatter, and heat generated during welding to prevent injury to workers and avoid damage to equipment and surfaces. Welding tables and accessories support the workpiece to improve efficiency and accuracy during welding tasks.

Fume extractors and fume extraction systems draw harmful welding and soldering fumes away from the welding area. They help keep the work environment clean, prevent damage to equipment in the welding area, and prevent workers from breathing air that’s been contaminated by welding smoke and fumes. Mobile or portable fume extractors are ideal for training centers and job sites where welding equipment is brought to different areas for small welding tasks. Stationary fume extractors are permanently installed in facilities where large workpieces are welded or where a high volume of welding tasks are typically completed. Accessories such as filters, hoses, and nozzles enhance or maintain the performance of the extractor in specific tasks. Welding fume extractors are commonly used for fume control in fabrication shops, manufacturing facilities, repair shops, and construction sites.

MIG (metal inert gas) welding, also known as wire feed welding, MAG (metal active gas) welding, or GMAW (gas metal arc welding), creates clean welds and can be used on thick or thin plate metals. It is ideal for high-production environments and is commonly used in manufacturing, automotive, railroad, metalworking, and farm applications. During the process, a MIG welding machine (also known as a MIG welder) provides electric current to a MIG welding gun. A wire feeder feeds welding wire to the gun to create an electrical arc that melts and fuses material from the workpiece and the wire to create a weld. Nozzles, retaining heads, tips, and other consumable parts and accessories are used with MIG welding equipment to feed the electrode wire to the gun, create a conductive path for the welding arc, help shape the weld, direct shielding gas to the weld pool to keep out contaminants, and more

Plasma cutters can make precise cuts or gouges in any metal that conducts electricity. They create minimal slag, or waste, and can cut metal plates with a range of thicknesses. Plasma cutters also cause minimal distortion on the workpiece when cutting or gouging thin metals. Plasma cutting is faster and cleaner than gas cutting. During the process, a plasma cutting torch is connected to a plasma cutting machine to deliver a focused jet of ionized compressed air (also known as plasma) that melts and cuts the workpiece. Nozzles and other accessories are attached to the torch to shape and control the cut, and plasma cutting guides can be used to help improve speed and accuracy while cutting. Plasma cutters are often used for cutting stainless steel, mild steel, and sheet metal in fabrication shops, automotive shops, construction applications, and salvage and scrapping operations.

Soldering is the process of forming a joint between two surfaces by heating a filler material (also known as solder wire or solder) at a relatively low temperature until it flows between two surfaces and then letting it cool. Solder joints are mechanically weaker than welded joints but provide better electrical conductivity, making soldering ideal for applications like building circuit boards or installing electronic components. A variety of soldering equipment and soldering supplies are used in hot soldering. Soldering irons and soldering guns are used to heat the solder, and different styles of soldering tips can be used with the hot iron to target the heat to a specific area. Soldered joints can be undone using desoldering tools. Use flux to clean and prepare a surface for soldering to improve the quality of the soldered joint. Soldering stands, pots, and stations help keep your soldering tools organized during use.

Stick welding — also known as SMAW (shielded metal arc welding), MMAW (manual metal arc welding), and flux shield arc welding — creates welded joints on a workpiece without using compressed gas. It is suitable for outdoor and windy areas and can be used to weld dirty or rusty metal. Stick welders typically have fewer parts and are lighter and more portable than other types of arc welders. Stick welding equipment includes a welding machine, an electrode holder, and a flux-coated electrode. The welding machine and electrode holder deliver current to the electrode to create an electrical arc between the electrode and a workpiece. The arc melts and fuses material from the workpiece and the electrode to form a welded joint. Stick welding can be used to weld most common alloys and metals and is best suited for welding thick workpieces. Stick welding equipment and accessories are commonly used to weld stainless steel and steel structures in metal fabrication, construction, and repair tasks.

SAW (submerged arc welding) is an arc welding process that is ideal for welding thick steel sheets or creating long welds. It is commonly used for welding pressure vessels such as boilers, structural shapes like pipes, railroad and construction equipment, locomotives, and ships. During the sub arc welding process, the area being welded is covered with a thick layer of powdered flux and the welding arc is buried in the flux, which prevents spatter and fumes from being created and minimizes the operator’s exposure to UV radiation. It also maximizes the quality of the weld by keeping contaminants out of the weld pool. A SAW welding machine provides electric welding current to a welding gun. Consumable electrode wire is fed to the gun to create an electrical arc that melts and fuses material from the workpiece and the electrode to create a weld.

Thermoplastic welders melt and fuse plastic materials to join or repair parts made from HDPE (high-density polyethylene), polypropylene, and other thermoplastic materials. Thermoplastic welding (or thermoplastic bonding) is commonly used in plumbing, agricultural, marine, automotive, and aviation industries. For best results, the rod and the workpiece should both be made from the same material.

Welding cable grounds ensure your welding machine is grounded prior to welding to prevent breaks in the electrical current during the welding process. They help prevent electrical shock, protect welding equipment from damage or malfunction, and ensure that enough heat can be produced to create a high-quality weld. Welding cable connectors and lugs create secure connections between the welding cable and the welding machine and can also be used to connect two lengths of welding cable to create a longer cable. Cable reels keep welding cables organized when not in use. They keep loose cables off of floors to help prevent tripping hazards and prevent damage to cables due to kinking or crushing.

Welding rod ovens, also known as electrode stabilization ovens and electrode holding ovens, help ensure high-quality welds by preventing welding rods and electrodes from absorbing moisture from the atmosphere. This helps protect the weld from contamination and prevent weld defects such as cracking and porosity. Bench electrode ovens are ideal for job trailers, welding shops, and training facilities where the oven does not need to be moved around. Portable electrode ovens are designed to be taken with you for tackling welding operations in different locations. Watertight canisters are welding oven accessories that are used for short-term rod storage to keep them dry and ready for use.

Welding stations and tables are made from heat- and fire-resistant materials and provide a flat, sturdy surface to support a workpiece during welding. These welding workstations have holes and channels on their surface that accommodate clamps, vises, blocks, and other work-holding accessories to boost efficiency and accuracy.