Tig Vs Mig For Sheet Metal

Tig tungsten inert gas welding uses long rods to fuse two metals directly together.

Tig vs mig for sheet metal.

The difference between the two is the way the arc is used. Tig welding is also a better option for joining thinner material like sheet metal or fine gauge metal tubing. Mig metal inert gas welding uses a feed wire that constantly moves through the gun to create the spark then melts to form the weld. While sheet metal is primarily a tig welding job there are times when it s handy to have an available mig welder to fuse sheet metal.

In some cases such as when welding high nickel content metals a helium and argon mixture is used. Mig and tig welding both use an electric arc to create the weld. Tig welding almost always uses 100 percent argon gas to shield the weld puddle. For thinner pieces of metal tig welding tends to be the more effective solution.

Overall for really thick heavy duty welds mig welding is the go to option. Learn why mig pulsed mig tig and pulsed tig are the ideal choices when welding sheet metal. In comparison to mig welding tig welding produces equally strong but more finished looking welds. Shielding gasses less commonly used in mig welding are helium argon and oxygen.

It s one of the highest quality machines available and comes incredibly low priced. These are reserved for specialty metals and aluminum. The hobart handler 140 mig is the best affordable mig welder for sheet metal. Short circuit transfer mig short arc tig and pulsed tig welding processes provide the most control over the heat to address these challenges.

This makes it preferable in applications where the welds will be visible. Tig welding requires more practice than the mig welding because of the complexity and the tighter tolerances to be maintained while the mig welding is much more user friendly. When welding thin metal the main objective is to avoid warping burn through and excessive heat affected zones while still ensuring the weld has enough mechanical strength for the application.