Stainless Steel Welding

Stainless steel welding is a specialized process developed specifically for its base material, stainless steel. Stainless steel is a strong alloy that resists corrosion, rusting, and of course staining far better than regular steel. Other steels, such s carbon steel, rust when exposed to the atmosphere. It’s the chromium alloyed to stainless steel which makes it unique and minimally corrosive.

When performing a stainless steel weld, take note of the thickness of the base material as well as the physical strength and position of the joint. The most common joints are corner, lap, T, edge, and butt joints.  

There are a few ways to. First, there is TIG welding. TIG welding—tungsten inert gas welding—is probably the most commonly used welding process due to its versatility. It efficiently welds base materials of various metallic compounds and is most often used in aluminum welding. The heat used in this welding process is created by the stable electrical arc formed between the non-consumable tungsten electrode and the base material. Wire filler may be used, but it must be manually guided into the weld in a constant and smooth motion to minimize excess build up.  

Unlike aluminum welding, stainless steel welding can also be performed exceptionally well by shielded metal arc welding (or stick electrode welding) and MIG welding (gas metal arc welding). The ARC (SMAW) welding process uses a consumable electrode covered in flux. The power supply provides either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) which then forms the electric current used in the arc between the electrode and the base metals to be welded. The coating on the electrode burns and vaporizes, creating a vaporous shielding gas and a coat of by-product known as slag. Flux cored arc welding is another method very similar to SMAW welding. It does not, however, require the use of stick electrodes. Its fast welding time and portability rival standard SMAW welding machines.  

Stainless steel welding can also be performed with the MIG welding process. Metal inert gas welding, or gas metal arc welding, is an automatic or semi-automatic arc welding procedure. Consumable and constant wire electrode used in conjunction with a shielding gas are pumped through a welding gun. The most common power supply used in this case is constant voltage direct current, though AC can also be used. This process was developed for aluminum but is more suitable in the stainless steel welding area because of it low welding time. MIG welds are easily and quickly made on thicker metals such as stainless steel. A minor amount of cleanup is necessary. And with more options on the market, it’s hard to pass up. We at www.longevity-inc.com offer welders a few state-of-the-art LONGEVITY stainless steel welding MIG/MAG machines: the ArcMate LM-250L and the ArcMate M200 IGBT at 250AMP and 160AMP respectively. They produce the voltage needed for a stable arc required for working with stainless steel welds. LONGEVITY also offers affordable Stainless Steel TIG Welders available at www.longevity-inc.com.  

With the exception of SMAW welding, all other aforementioned forms of welding require a separate shielding gas source to protect the workspace from atmospheric contaminants. In this case, argon—an inert gas—is the key. For base materials thicker than ½ inch, the argon can be mixed with a small amount of helium.  

There is a universe of options available www.longevity-inc.com for stainless steel welding. Choosing the right method for the base material used, right joints, and proper LONGEVITY welding equipment will give the hobbyist, professionals, and the welding world the desired results. As always, LONGEVITY has some of the most reliable MIG/MAG/TIG/ARC stainless steel welding equipment available around the world.