|
Re: ARC Welding Aluminum
I mentor the weiding on Team 1280's robot and do the welding myself when a gifted student is not available to do it under my supervision. When it comes to the typical thickness of aluminum used on a FIRST robot, TIG with a suitably high current is the best choice. A 175 amp welder is marginal for some configurations of 1/8 aluminum and is pretty useless on 1/4 inch thick aluminum. This should give you an idea of what your welder is capable of if you know its current rating. MIG would be a second choice, but there are significant wire feeding issues for aluminum welding with MIG, so a setup specifically for aluminum is best.
I have tried using the specialty arc welding rods for aluminum in the distant past and the results were so poor that I would not try them again. Your arc welder is best confined to mild or carbon steel, and there wlll be times that you need to weld a steel part so it is a good capabilty to have.
Last edited by eugenebrooks : 07-09-2006 at 02:43.
|