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What is Resistance Spot Welding?

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Spot welding means joining two or more metals parts together with the help of heat and pressure. It is considered one of the oldest welding processes. This type of welding can be used to weld thin or thick foils but cannot be used for above about 6 mm thickness. High quality welds can also be made in stainless steels, nickel alloys, aluminum alloys and titanium.

Resistance spot welding produces little fumes and very less arc rays. Danger of flying sparks is less when compared to other processes. But tongs and linkages can cause higher risk of mechanical hazards such as pinching and crushing the fingers and hands.

Resistance is the opposition that a substance offers to the flow of electric current. If the metal has lesser resistance, less heat is generated when current passes through it. The higher the resistance of a metal, the more heat is generated when the same current passes through it. If you want best results in resistance welding you should have a detailed understanding of the materials being welded, careful control of the heat and pressure at the weld point, and consideration of numerous other factors.

Benefits of Resistance Welding

  • High speed welding
  • Easily automated
  • Suitable for high rate production
  • Economical
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Safety Measures to be Followed While Doing Resistance Spot Welding

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Spot Welding can lead to fire, burns or explosions

  • Flying sparks, hot equipment or hot work piece can cause fire or burns. Protect yourself from sparks and hot metal.
  • Welding sparks can move to small cracks easily. Be alert while welding.
  • Always keep a fire extinguisher in the welding room.
  • Avoid spot welding in closed containers.
  • Once your welding work is over, make sure that the area is free of sparks and flames.
  • Make sure you use correct circuit breakers.

Electric shock can cause severe burns to the skin or kill a person

  • See to it that you do not touch any electrical equipment while it is on.
  • Always wear welding gloves and protection clothes while spot welding.
  • Turn off all the electrical equipments when not in use.
  • Make sure all the electrical equipments are well maintained. In case
    of any repairs rectify it at once.
  • Make sure you keep all panels and guards in a protected place.

Sparks can burn or injure eyes and skin

  • Always wear face shield or safety goggles while welding.
  • Wear protective clothes like heavy shirt, cuff less trousers, high shoes, leather gloves and a cap while welding.
  • Avoid clothing made of synthetic materials.
  • Protect your eyes and face by wearing a welding helmet.

Wear gloves while working with Hot metals

  • Make sure you wear insulated gloves while using this equipment.
  • Avoid touching tips, tongs with bare hands.
  • Cool tongs and tips before touching.

Moving parts like tongs, tips and linkages can injure fingers and hands

  • Be away from moving parts and pinch points.
  • Avoid putting hands between tips.

Cleaners, paints and plating can cause fumes which are hazardous

  • Avoid breathing these fumes.
  • If inside, ventilate the area to remove fumes.
  • In limited space, always keep a respirator.
  • Always read the manufacturer’s manual carefully.
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An Overview of Spot Welding

Sunday, January 18th, 2009

Spot welding is one of the very old processes that people have used for welding. It is done through combining heat with pressure and time. The weld is done through using a current flow through the resistance of the material so that it localized heat in one spot. The amount of time that the current flows into the joint is determined by the thickness and type of material that is being used in the weld.

Another name for spot welding is resistance spot welding and it is one of the few processes that produce small amounts of arc rays and fumes. There are tongs and linkages that are used so an individual must be careful around the equipment for their own safety. Although there are fewer problems it is still wise to wear safety equipment.

The Process of Spot Welding

When a welder is doing spot welding the point is to have the current flow through the very tip of the metals to be joined. The base metal will resist the electrical current which makes the heat focus directly on the join that you want to have welded. The process is unique because you will see that the weld bead is created inside the surface of the base metal. This is different from a TIG or MIG spot weld because the resistance process uses electrodes that are attached to both sides of the work pieces that you want to weld.

Protect Yourself

It is very important to understand some of the safety hazards that can happen with resistance spot welding. As said before the weld is made inside the work pieces so this is not an open-arc process. Here are two common hazards that you should know how to protect yourself from:

You may have flying sparks. You will need to keep a fire extinguisher close and be skilled at using it. Besides causing fires or explosions they can also fly off the weld joint so you need to wear safety goggles and long sleeves. Otherwise you will risk burns to your face and to your body.

Electric shock should be considered. Since you are working with wiring electric shock is always a possibility. To cut down the hazard it is always a good idea to wear insulated gloves.

Keep in mind that spot welding is a very important skill to learn but you must be safe doing it.

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