How to Spot Weld Sheet Metal

Posted October 24, 2009 – 12:03 am in: Equipment

For metalworkers, the most commonly used types of weld techniques are spot welding and seam welding.For sheet metal in particular the preferred method is to use spot welding since this concentrates all the welding into a small area of the sheet.This reduces greatly damage to the metal and it also minimizes the time it takes the metal to heat up as well as for it to cool down.In the hands of a welder who knows how to do the job properly then the material should not be damaged.It is also very important that the equipment used is acquired from an established supplier of welding equipment.  This method of welding sheet metal is the easiest type of welding as it requires less work, making it much easier for those who have never stepped foot inside a metal shop.For those people here is a brief guide to the basics:

You should start by laying two pieces of sheet metal of the same thickness, on a flat surface area.It may seem like an obvious point but it is important that you avoid wood.

You will then need to flatten out the sheet metal with a rubber hammer or similar until the surface is as flat as you can get it.  Place your metal on the working area of the spot welder.Carefully position the sheets under the two electrodes on the spot welder.It is a good idea to use a practice piece of metal for testing the weld.You should make adjustments to the voltage on your welder where necessary.

It is important that you place aluminium sheeting under the welding area in order to catch any potential liquid metal.  This is especially useful if you are using a portable welder. 

Finally, simply switch on the power and press the button to begin welding.  Continue welding from the edge, then the middle, then the other edge of the sheet metal.Make sure to spread out your weld spots in order to get the very best results.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print this article!
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Propeller
  • StumbleUpon

Related posts:

  1. Sheet Metal Fabrication Tools Sheet metal is measured by gauge number (ga) which is...
  2. The Sheet Metal Fabrication Process The process of sheet metal fabrication is commonly defined as...
  3. Intro to Sheet Metal Fabrication Metal Fabrication describes the process of loading raw materials into...
  4. East Texas welding contractor comes to your job site When you need East Texas welding services, Matt Roach offers...
  5. Be Safe When Welding It is, of course, critical that you are safe when...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

  Tags: , , , , , ,
Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed