Welding Aluminum Sheet Metal

Typical aluminum alloys for sheet fabrication are 3003 and 5052.

Welding aluminum sheet metal.

Types of aluminum welding. A 5356 filler metal also works for 5052 materials specifically. Well for aluminum you might need as much as 1 5 amps per thou. The two most common aluminum filler metals are 4043 and 5356 and they produce very different results when welding sheet metal.

Gas tungsten arc welding gtaw also known as tungsten inert gas tig welding is one of the most popular welding processes chosen for aluminum. This helps to keep the oxidation out of the puddle when you re welding. Tig welding is similar to mig but instead of a consumable wire the electrode used is a tungsten metal rod inside the welding gun. But 1 5 amps per thousandths along with a foot pedal is usually close enough.

This welding technique is often used by automotive enthusiasts and welders for professional racing teams. To prevent burn through and warping don t whip or weave the torch. Tig also known as gas tungsten arc welding gtaw can be used to weld aluminum and alloys such as 4130 chrom moly. The more time the arc is in an area the hotter it becomes.

Techniques for welding sheet metal. The ration of thickness should not exceed 3 1mm. And weld those alloys that melt at roughly less than 1 275 degrees f. There are many factors to consider when selecting the best filler metal for welding aluminum sheet metal.

Thus spot welding diameters go from 3mm to 12 5mm. When welding sheet metal the main thing to look out is to prevent warping and burn through. It requires a lot of experience patience and skill to get the desired results. Even professional welders can create excessive heat affected zones and burn through while welding sheet metal.

But as it heats up you back off to much less than that. Its primary usage is in welding auto body and sheet metal. Spot welding is usually used to join a panel of overlapping sheet metal parts that are usually 3mm thick. Aluminum alloysmelt at a wide range of temperatures from about 1 075 to 1 450 degrees f so some filler materials will braze one alloy while welding another.

There is a rule of thumb that one amp per one thousandths of thickness up to around 125 will get you pretty close. If a chosen filler metal melts at 1 250 degrees f for instance it will braze alloys that melt at greater than approximately l 325 degrees f. Unlike tig welding you will need to use a flux paste on your welding rod so you get a clean weld. The welder holds the gun in one hand while feeding a filler rod in the other hand.

You can make a little tray and rotate the rod in it before welding. These include the base metal alloy service temperature and environment formability and more. For aluminum welding you will want to the same grade or as close as possible as the parent material.