How to Weld Aluminum With a Wire Welder?

Welding aluminium can be very frustrating as the metal oxidises rapidly in the open air. In addition, oxidation can contaminate the weld seam and in some cases can create a fire hazard. Aluminium is a very conductive metal and can be problematic when welding at low voltages as the heat generated by the weld can dissipate quickly and unevenly. Problems with aluminium welding are increased when using a wire welder, as aluminium welding wire tends to crumple and bend. Correct preparation is therefore the key to successful welding of aluminium using a wire welder.The next  aluminum welding wire manufacturer will introduce how to weld aluminum with a wire feed welder.

Step1
Assemble your wire welder using a wire tip that is larger than the size of the wire you will be using. Recess the contact tip of your welder approximately 1/8" inside the nozzle of the welding tip. If your welder has a wire liner, remove it and replace it with a plastic or Teflon liner so that the aluminium wire is not tied up.

Step 2
Place the spool of 1mm aluminium wire on the welder and feed the wire into the wire liner. Continue feeding the wire until it emerges from the tip of the wire.

Step 3
Connect a can of pure argon gas to your wire welder as a shielding gas. Argon will help prevent fires and bursts caused by existing oxidation and will prevent oxygen from reacting with the metal you are trying to weld.

Step 4
Clean the aluminium surface you are trying to weld. Brush the metal with a steel bristle brush designed for use on metal; make sure you use a brush that has never been used on steel before. Brush the metal in a single direction away from the weld to prevent aluminium oxide from being distributed to the area you are trying to weld.

Step 5
Attach the brass heat sink to the aluminium, placing it as close as possible to the area you are welding. Brass will not react with the aluminium and using a heat sink will ensure that excess heat is removed evenly, thus reducing the chance of distortion.

Step 6
Connect the electrical connection of the welder to the metal. Turn on the protective gas flow and the welder. Generate an electric arc with the metal. Turn up the voltage and wire feed speed until the sound of the arc changes noticeably and the sound resembles an aerosol spray; this change in sound indicates that you have created a "spray arc" which works much better on aluminium than a standard arc.

Step 7
Start welding your joint, allowing a pool of molten aluminium to form between the two pieces of metal you are welding. Tilt the nozzle 10 to 15 degrees from the direction you are welding and allow the arc to push the bead of molten metal so that your weld is slightly ahead of your nozzle at all times.

Step 8
Ensure that your weld head is moving so that it keeps up with the wire feed and does not allow any part of the metal to overheat. As the heat is distributed through the aluminium very quickly, you need to keep your welds moving forward so that you can finish them quickly before they have a chance to cool.

Step 9

When you have finished welding turn off the wire welder, disconnect it from the metal and then disassemble and clean the welder.