THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WELDING PROCESSES IN NIGERIA

Welders or welding machines as they are popularly called in Nigeria actually works by liquifying metals for the purpose of binding other metals together, as the sparks fly and the heat turns up, welders transform metals into shapes as they are envisioned and desirable. The skills are taught in welding schools such as Epoxy Oilserv industrial training schools in Nigeria.

I have curated the various types of welding, learners must learn and adapt this new skills from basic levels before moving on to other advanced levels, I have always advocated attention to details as one of the basic and most important skills to get used to when learning a new skill and this what makes a great welding tradesmen and potentially will land you your dream of working in the industry of your choice.

Welding services are needed almost in all industries where metals are used, I will briefly explain the various types of welding and the four most important and popular ones used predominantly in Nigeria:

1. Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW)

2. Gas Metal arc welding/Metal Inert Gas (GMAW/MIG)

3. Flux cored arc welding (FCAW)

4. Gas Tungsten Arc welding/Tungsten inert gas (GTAW/TIG)

Welding basics for beginners

Shielded Metal Arch Welding (SMAW)

In this particular type of welding the welder will follow a manual proces of stick welding, the stick uses an electric current both in the form of DC or AC produced from the welding machine to form an electric arc between the stick and the metals to be joined.

The Shielded metal arc welding is used in the construction of steel structures and other industrial fabrications that required to weld steel and iron.

Gas Metal arc welding (GMAW/MIG)

GMAW welding operation

Equipment set up

Th other name for this type of welding is Metal inert gas welding, it is involved using a shielded gas along the wire electrode, this heats up the two metal to be joined, this method requires constant voltage and direct current power source, it is one of the most common industrial welding process. There are four primary methods of transferring metal using this welding process. They are

1. Globular
2. Short-circuting
3. Spray
4. Pulse spray

Flux cored arc welding (FCAW)

This is characteristically same as shield arc welding, it was developed as an alternative to shield welding, it is semi automatic arc welding that is used often in construction projects, it has a high welding speed and portability. It requires continuously fed consumable tubular electrode containing a flux and a constant-voltage or a contact current welding power supply (constant current welding supply is less common)

Gas Tungsten arc Gas welding (GTAW/TIG)

This welding type is also know as Tungsten arc welding (TIG) This is a welding process that uses a non consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld, it uses long welding rods and slowly feeds them into the weld puddle.

Welding machine manufacturers that we carry their products are

Lincoln welding brand

Miller welding brand

Esab welding brand

Kaierda welding brand

Powerflex welding brand

GYS welding machine brand