How to Weld Thin Metals

When welding is a necessary part of your manufacturing operations, you’re constantly exploring the best ways to improve your or your welders’ skills to get better, faster results and enhance profits. One way to do this is to learn the proper methods of welding thin metals, which require more care and precision than other welding endeavors. These are PBZ Manufacturing’s best tips for welding thin metals.

What Type of Weld Is Used for Thin Metals?

When discussing welding methods for thin metal sheets, most welders prefer one of these two:

• MIG/GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding): MIG welding utilizes a consumable metal electrode to weld parts together, essentially acting as two tools in one. This equipment can make the welding process move much faster, which is ideal when you don’t want your parts to heat up too much and cause warping.
• TIG/GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding): TIG welding uses a non-consumable electrode made with tungsten. It acts on a consumable welding rod that fuses the metals together. TIG can generally deliver a more targeted heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the less heat you apply to thin metal, the better.

Other forms of welding often require too much power or force, contributing to warping and burn-through. While both MIG and TIG can do the job, TIG is slightly more capable, as you have better heat control, particularly if you can use pulsed TIG. Pulsed TIG allows your machine to fluctuate between two amperage values, providing even more control over the HAZ.

While many welding operations advocate for straight-line welding, working with thin metals is a bit different. Welding one long line can put your metal at risk of overheating. Instead, opt to weld smaller lines with spaces between them, and allow the metal to cool between segments. Since thin metal also generally needs less support, this should not compromise the integrity of the final result.

Satisfy All Your Manufacturing Needs With PBZ

At PBZ Manufacturing, taking care of intricate work with ease is what we do. Working with thin metals can be challenging even for seasoned professionals. When there’s no time to waste, let us take the process off your hands. Our company is your one-stop shop for resourceful manufacturing — from conception through completion, we’ll handle it all so you can focus on making record-breaking sales.

Let us show you what we can do for your business. Contact us today to learn more about our services.