5 factors that help you enhance the quality of the welding process

High-quality welding processes would ensure that you could consistently deliver high-quality welds that are free of drawbacks like distortion, cracking, porosity, spatter, etc. High-quality weld gives you 2 key advantages - weld integrity and repeatability. But how exactly do you take your welds to that quality level? How do you improve the weld’s quality? These are exactly the questions we are going to answer in this blog. The tips provided here have been sourced from Diffusion Engineers Limited, one of the biggest welding consumables manufacturers and suppliers, welding electrodes suppliers and manufacturers, flux cored wire suppliers, and wear plates manufacturers in India. So with a big thank you to them, let us proceed to the crux of this article.

The quality of the weld largely depends on the following 5 factors. And if you want to enhance the weld quality, then you must enhance the quality of these factors.

1. Skill

The welder’s skill level is arguably the most important factor that determines the quality of the weld. And if the welding technique is labour intensive, like say, gas metal arc welding, then the importance of this factor becomes paramount. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could perform a strong and highly durable weld. You need a lot of time, practice, experience, and technical knowledge to perfect your welding technique.

2. Cleanliness

Cleanliness is a very underrated but extremely important factor that determines the weld quality. If the components aren’t cleaned properly, brace yourselves for some disastrous results. Contaminants like dirt, dust, grease, etc. could cause cracking, porosity, and even incomplete fusion and poor appearance of beads. All of these issues affect the performance, longevity, and corrosion-resistant ability of the weld. So you must ensure that cleaning is a part of your welding process.

3. The number of passes

When you weld thicker materials, you’d require a more number of passes, which increases the chances of porosity, lack of fusion and other such ills. You would also need to clean and grind between the passes, which may increase the likelihood of inclusions. So in order to increase the weld quality, it is imperative that you reduce the number of passes.

4. Storage of consumables and materials

The leading welding consumables manufacturers would tell you that storing your consumables in a manner and place which protects them from contaminants is crucial for the weld quality. Various quality issues like excessive slag fluidity, rough welding surfaces, and increased diffusible hydrogen could all be prevented if your welding consumables are stored properly. And it is equally important to store your materials and workpieces in a dry place so that they stay away from contaminants.

5. Gas selection

Selecting the right gas vastly improves the quality of the weld. Selecting the right gas provides protection to the weld pool from the atmosphere exposure, besides promoting a stable arc. In order to choose the right gas, you must consider the following factors - the type of material you are welding, if you require deep penetration or not, and if weld appearance matters or not.

The 5 factors mentioned here could make or break the quality of your weld. Make sure you optimize them to obtain the finest weld. And yes, you’re welcome!