| By :
Nadine Davis
Copyright (c) 2010 Nadine Davis From tonnes of dark orange bauxite pebbles to sleek, gleaming sheets of silver metal is an amazing transformation involving complex industrial methods to convert raw bauxite into the soft, lightweight and amazing metal called aluminium. Industrial designers just love this metal as it is suitable for an incredible array of manufactured products. Aluminium is also a fine example of the way in which skills development often lags behind innovation. For example, competent and experienced steel welders had to learn new skills in working with aluminium to create these new products. Initially, not many welders were skilled in working with aluminium, but these days, most welders are familiar with aluminium welding techniques. Aluminium can be a difficult metal to work with, especially for those experienced only in steel welding, and care must be taken to get the best result. Aluminium Fabrication welders are aware that what works for steel may not work for aluminium. There are three areas in particular that need to be addressed: 1. The set-up and associated techniques. 2. Power sources. 3. Three ways to feed the aluminium wire. Because of the sheer size of this particular topic, we will discuss set-up within this article, and subsequent areas will be covered in future articles. The Set-up and associated techniques. The following changes to steel settings and equipment are required: => Liner and Wire Guides: a helically wound steel liner is not suitable as it would scratch the soft aluminium wire creating shavings. Use a Teflon or nylon liner and wire guides to reduce friction and eliminate shavings. => Drive Rolls: Use a U-shaped groove in the drive rolls to eliminate sharp edges that will shave off the aluminium wire. Reduce the tension on the drive roll to stop the wire from crushing during feeding. => Contact Tips: A bigger hole is needed for aluminium than for steel, as the aluminium expands further than steel when heated. Purchase contact tips designed especially for aluminium to prevent poor electrical contact. => Brake Tension: The brake tension on the wire spindle should be set more loosely than you would for steel in order to reduce the force necessary to pull the wire from the spool. => Gun Cables: Keep the gun as straight as possible to minimize tangling. The column strength of aluminium makes it much more difficult to feed. The softness of the metal is the most difficult thing that people new to welding aluminium must consider. The danger of scratching the soft wire and creating shavings that cause other problems is ever present so welders used to Pipe Fabrication work need to make these recommended changes in the set-up stage.
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