Arc Welding Machines

An arc welding machine is a device used for fusing metals. The machine emits an electrical arc from an electrode which melts metal or supplies filler into a joint between two pieces of metal. To produce the temperatures up to 3,600ºC needed to fuse metals, arc welding machines consume significant quantities of energy. One of the most common types of arc welding is shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), which is also known as manual metal arc welding (MMAW) or stick welding. An electric current is used to strike an arc between the base material and a consumable electrode rod or stick. Three of the most common are Arc, MIG (Metal, Inert Gas) or GMAW (Gas, Metal Arc Welding), and TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding. In order to know which process is best for the particular job you're working on, here's what you should know about each of them. Arc welding is the oldest of these three welding processes.