MIG Welding Machine – Important Entity in the Welding Industry

Also called Metal Inert Gas Welding, MIG welding machine is one of the numerous welding processes, whereby electricity is used to melt and join metal pieces.

In Welding Machine, only inert gases or gas mixtures such as argon and helium are used as shielding gas.

However, in MAG (Metal Active Gas), a similar welding procedure, active gas mixtures like argon, carbon dioxide, and oxygen have been mainly created for welding steels.

This guide explores what a MIG welding machine is, along with its features, and how the MIG welding machine is useful for the welding industry.

What Is MIG Welding?

MIG welding is a process that creates an electric arc between an expendable MIG electrode wire and the piece of metal(s), thereby heating the metal(s), melting, and joining them.

Together with the wire electrode, a shielding gas is passed through the welding gun, protecting the process from contamination via the atmosphere.

Typical MIG welding machine gun has several essential parts:

• A control switch,
• Contact tip,
• Power cable,
• Gas nozzle,
• An electrode lead and liner,
• And a gas hose.

The trigger, or control switch, when pushed by the engineer, activates the wire feed, power supply, and the shielding gas flow, thereby igniting an electric arc.

The contact tip – which is usually made of copper and, at times, treated chemically to decrease spray – is attached to the power source of the welding machine.

This is done through the power cord, and the tip then transfers electrical energy to the electrode as it conducts into the welding area.

Applications

Most industrial sectors generally use MIG/MAG. Furthermore, it accounts for over 50% of the total deposited weld metal.

(For instance, it is used for mild steel, low alloy, and stainless steel, for copper, for aluminum, nickel, and their alloys.)

There are 4 main parts of the MIG welder needed for welding.

The first one is the welding power supply, which delivers electricity to generate heat. Also, there’s the wire feed system that supplies the wire from a coil to the welded joint.

The third part is a handlebar housing a trigger that regulates the wire feed system, which moves the wire from a spool to the welding joint. A shielding gas protecting the weld from the air is the fourth part.

MIG and MAG

MIG and MAG welding machines are gas metal arc welding (GMAW) procedures.

Such processes make use of the heat generated by a direct current arc between a melting metal electrode and a piece of metal – both of which melt together to produce a weld pool that combines to create a joint.

Only inert gases or gas mixtures such as argon and helium are used as shielding gas in MIG welding.

In MAG, active gas mixtures like argon, carbon dioxide, and oxygen have been primarily developed for welding steels.

Common Industries That Use MIG Welding

Automotive industry

MIG welding is popularly used in repairing cars, motorcycles, motor homes, trucks, and SUVs. Because MIG welding can offer a solid weld makes it a perfect process for building and mending the body and internal part of any automobile.

Construction

In construction, the standard metal that’s being used is steel.  Though MIG welding was developed originally for non-ferrous metals, it is now being utilized for steel.

Highly productive manufacturing

This involves the production of a product on a large scale. The fact that MIG welding is inexpensive and fast makes it valuable for use in high-volume manufacturing. Also, it can be used on different types of metals like steel, carbon steel, magnesium, nickel, aluminum, and other alloys.