Industrial & Manufacturing Blog
If you don't have any experience welding stainless-steel, laser-cut parts together, then these tips will have you welding them like a professional welder in no time:
Tip: Don't Skip the Important Step of Cleaning the Cut Areas
When you take your stainless-steel parts off the laser-cutting machine, they will have some burn marks and require cleaning before welding. Using your grinding wheel, make sure you grind off any areas with discoloration and make sure you remove any burrs.
Tip: Ensure Your MIG Welder's Gas Mixture Is Appropriate for Welding Stainless Steel
When you MIG-weld stainless-steel parts together, you must use a tri-blend of the following three gases:
It is important to note that if you are used to TIG welding or don't have any experience welding with helium gas, it will make a sputtering sound while welding and this is completely normal. If you do not hear this sound, then your gas mixture isn't correct.
Tip: For Stronger Welds Use the Stitch Method Rather than Straight Welds
When welding your laser cut stainless steel pieces together, you need to use the stitch method rather than welding straight across the joint. If you aren't familiar with the stitch method, it uses small oscillations in the weld rather than just going across the joint in an even straight line.
Tip: If Your Welds are Dark, Then You are Using Too Much Heat
When you MIG weld stainless steel, the welds should be a light color. If you see dark discolorations around the welding bead, then you are using too much heat and need to turn it down.
Tip: Use the Proper Technique at the Edge of Your Welds
When welding your pieces together, go all the way to the edge of both of the parts and then move the wire back just a bit onto the weld. This technique will make your corners strong without any small voids on the ends and also makes them look a lot cleaner.
Tip: Always Passivate All of Your Parts Post-Welding
Finally, when you are finished welding your laser-cut, stainless-steel parts together, it is vital you passivate your parts with acid. The acid removes any excess iron ions that are present, and this is very important because it prevents future rusting. This step is vital because it also keeps your welds from losing strength and separating as they age.
For more information, get in touch with a company such as Spradlin Bros Welding Co.
Share29 August 2018
When was the last time you really started thinking about how happy your employees are? As a factory owner, it can be easy to focus on production and keeping costs at bay, while simultaneously forgetting about other things like workplace safety and happiness. Fortunately, there are a lot of tips out there that can help you to keep things safe and functional. I decided to create a blog dedicated to helping owners to keep workers happy to make the world a better place. This website is all about focusing on reducing employee accidents and maintaining morale to improve your business.
