High-performance drilling of aluminum alloys. Arcline PP®

MIG welding of aluminum alloys is a solution that allows us to be productive, but at the cost of lower quality welds. These welds present problems with pores, undercuts, inclusions, and surface dirt. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to rework the part or perform subsequent operations to obtain a healthy, well-finished weld bead. Linde has developed the ARCLINE PP® welding torch, which is a modification and improvement of the TIG torches currently on the market. This technology allows for reverse polarity welding by using a larger-diameter cooled electrode. Two gases are also used in the process: an external gas hood that acts as a shielding gas, and an internal gas hood (focus gas) that stabilizes the arc and achieves greater penetration. WITHOUT FOCUS GAS                 WITH FOCUS GAS The results obtained are exceptional, allowing welding at higher speeds than those achieved with the MIG process, with welding quality identical to that obtained with the TIG process in reverse polarity. With the ARCLINE PP® torch, not only is it possible to weld at higher speeds, but it is also possible to omit edge preparation on thicknesses up to 8 mm and weld these thicknesses in a single pass, with the quality of TIG welding and with better productivity than the MIG process. For more information: javier.martin@linde.com  www.linde.es Javier Martín Welding Applications Engineer