If you need to make small welds in Cleveland, resistance or spot welding can be an excellent method. It doesn’t take a great deal of skill, and you can produce a lot of welds each day. However, if you want the best results, from your resistance welds, these tips can make the job easier and more efficient.
Choosing Metals
Steel or stainless steel materials work best for spot welding in Cleveland. It’s best to avoid copper and aluminum alloys if your equipment is made for welding steel. However, you can buy welders that use higher temperatures, and this makes it possible to weld most aluminum alloys.
Heat Control
Controlling heat is important for many resistance welding jobs. Make sure to set the heat controls at the recommended levels. This is especially important for thin sheet metal jobs as you’ll need less heat. If your unit doesn’t have a heat controller, use longer tongs to produce less heat. On the other hand, by shortening your tongs, you’ll increase the amount of heat.
Alignment
When using long tongs, make sure to check their straightness, and they can be prone to bending with use. If they get slightly out of alignment, the tips won’t align properly. Also, check to make sure there is adequate pressure at the points where the tips meet the materials. Too much pressure can cause your tongs to bend.
Tightness
Before welding, take the time to double-check the clamping force on your materials. Even the slightest of gaps will give you a weak weld.
Cleanliness
Make sure your metals are cleaned before spot welding in your Cleveland shop. Also, clean the tips on a regular basis. Clean tips give you maximum current and the best welds. To keep your tips in good shape, use a special tip dresser tool. This cleans the tips and re-shapes them into a small point at the end.
