COMPARISON OF THE COSTS OF MIG, COATED AND TIG WELDING METHODS

Abstract

DUE TO THE WIDE APPLICATION OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY IN THE MAIN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, SEVERAL WELDING TECHNIQUES WERE ADOPTED, MAKING IT NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EACH ONE, MAINLY FROM AN ECONOMIC POINT OF VIEW. AMONG THE VARIOUS WELDING TECHNIQUES, MIG AND TIG WELDING STAND OUT DUE TO SOME OF THEIR ADVANTAGES, SUCH AS LOW EQUIPMENT COST AND THE ABILITY TO WELD VARIOUS METALS AND ALLOYS. ALSO, COATED ELECTRODE WELDING IS THE MAIN WELDING TECHNIQUE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE AND HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE INDUSTRIES, AROUSING INTEREST IN EVALUATING THIS JOINING METHOD AS WELL. THUS, WE SOUGHT TO ANALYZE THE ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF THE WELDING PROCESS MIG, TIG AND COATED ELECTRODE OF CARBON STEEL A-36. FOR THAT, EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH WAS CARRIED OUT WITH 30 SPECIMENS, IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE TIME AND THE NECESSARY INPUTS TO CARRY OUT EACH ONE OF THE WELDING PROCESSES AND TO OBSERVE WHICH OF THE TECHNIQUES IS THE MOST ECONOMICALLY VIABLE. FURTHERMORE, TENSILE AND HARDNESS TESTS WERE ALSO CARRIED OUT TO VERIFY THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SPECIMENS AND EVALUATE THE INHERENT QUALITY OF EACH PROCESS. THUS, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE MIG PROCESS IS THE MOST ECONOMICAL AMONG THE THREE METHODS, PRESENTING 38.4% OF THE COST OF THE TIG PROCESS AND 43.7% OF THE PROCESS WITH COATED ELECTRODE. IN ADDITION, IT WAS THE METHOD THAT PRESENTED THE HIGHEST HARDNESS AMONG THE THREE AND A RESISTANCE LIMIT SIMILAR TO THE TIG PROCESS, WITH THE SPECIMEN MANUFACTURED WITH COATED ELECTRODE BEING THE ONE WITH THE LOWEST TENSILE STRENGTH LIMIT.