Aluminum welding

How can aluminum be welded? How many types of aluminum welding are there? For which applications? Let's find out more about the weldings and services provided by Minifaber.

Aluminum is one of the most widely used materials in all sectors; it is light but very strong, does not corrode and is easy to work with, for two reasons:

• it is extremely ductile
• and has a low melting temperature (about 1220°F).

However, the aluminum welding requires precise attention because aluminum reacts with oxygen and behaves in a special way.

 

What you need to know before welding aluminum

In contact with oxygen, in fact, a very hard oxide surface layer (alumina) is created and it can create problems during the various aluminum welding, undermining the integrity of the welded joint.

For this reason, before starting the welding process, it is necessary to:

• remove the alumina
• use a protective gas to limit the contact of aluminum with oxygen.

 

Aluminum welding: MIG or TIG?

That's why, the most suitable aluminum welding is the one with protective gas: but is TIG or MIG welding better?

It depends on the thickness of the aluminum:

• For smaller thicknesses, TIG welding is excellent – it uses an infusible tungsten electrode and the protection of an inert gas.
• For thicker layers, MIG welding with filler material is more suitable to avoid the formation of cracks or porosity.

 

Aluminum welding: laser = speed

When choosing the best type of aluminum welding, however, the required production speed must also be taken into account. If there is an urgent need to speed up production, laser welding is the most suitable: not only fast, but also precise and safe, aluminum laser welding requires the sole care to prepare the edges accurately for processing.

 

With Minifaber you can choose between different aluminum welds

At Minifaber we have the skills and machinery to carry out all 3 types of aluminum welding: TIG and MIG welds (both manual and with robotic systems) and laser welds with 3D robots.

Depending on the type of parts to be machined, our technicians always know how to choose the right technology to optimize resources and provide you with impeccable results.