Some of the most difficult welds to make are those that require the welding of a small diameter to a plate. Gas tungsten arc welding or gas metal arc welding joints such as these require a high degree of operator skill, take a great deal of time, and can be a quality nightmare. These factors become even more troublesome when the material with the small radius being welded is in the vertical or overhead position. Fortunately, Red-D-Arc provides stud welding equipment that increases productivity, decreases the required operator skill immensely relative to other welding processes, and allows for consistent, repeatable weld quality on materials with small radii.
What is Stud Welding?
Stud welding is a fusion welding process that is commonly used for the joining of small round stock to plate. The process requires a power source, a stud welding gun, a ground clamp, and the materials that are to be welded. To carry out the stud welding process, a solid, round piece of metal, also known as a stud, is placed into the stud welding gun.
Depending on the type of stud welding process, a ferrule may be placed around the stud to shield the weld and protect the adjacent base material. The trigger on the gun is pulled, and a weld is quickly made across the entire faying surface of the stud to the plate on which it is being welded.
Capacitor Discharge Stud Welding
Capacitor discharge stud welding is a very useful type of stud welding. It uses capacitors to unload a high amount of electrical energy into the weld joint via the stud in an extremely short amount of time (far less than one second). It is a very clean welding process that requires minimal post-weld attention. It can also weld very thin materials, down to 0.015” thick. Capacitor discharge stud welding is well-suited to weld aluminum, steel, and stainless steel. ¼ inch diameter studs is usually around the upper limits of most capacitor discharge stud welders. Red-D-Arc provides the Proweld CD-312 stud welder to give you world-class capacitor discharge stud welding capability.
Drawn Arc Stud Welding
Drawn arc stud welding is another very popular type of stud welding. During this process, an electrical arc is created between the base material and the stud. Drawn arc stud welding also creates a weld joint that joins the entire faying surface of the stud to the plate on which it is being welded. Although drawn arc stud welds do take longer than capacitor discharge welds, they typically take less than two seconds of arc time per weld. Drawn arc stud welding also typically requires the use of ferrules. These ferrules are ceramic rings that go around the stud in the gun prior to welding. One advantage of drawn arc stud welding over capacitor discharge welding is that it is capable of welding studs with diameters over 1 inch. The Proweld AC-1850 and the Proweld AC-3000 are two drawn arc stud welding solutions carried by Red-D-Arc to provide customers with extremely fast, high quality stud welds.
