Welding with TitaniumWhat types of Arc welding processes can be used on Titanium? Is one better than the other?Many different arc welding processes can be used to weld titanium such as GMAW, GTAW, PAW, and LHAW just to name a few. All of these processes provide their own advantages and one is not necessarily better than another. Depending on the application, GMAW provides high weld quality, great versatility and increased productivity. GTAW and PAW provide very high weld quality but are slow processes in comparison to GMAW & LHAW. LHAW provides the highest possible welding speed but is limited to automation only.

Can Titanium be arc welded manually or is this something that requires automation? Is automation easy to do?Titanium can be welded manually or by automation. Automating your welding process for titanium is relatively easy. Fronius uses the same equipment for both manual and automation applications; therefore if you start with a manual system it can be easily adapted for automation use.

So you say Titanium can be welded with the GMAW process; what equipment is needed to do this successfully and what does Fronius offer for a solution?Welding titanium with the GMAW process requires sophisticated power supplies with pulse capability. Fronius offers the TPS or TransPuls Synergic platform for GMAW welding of Titanium. The Fronius TPS power supply uses advanced inverter technology to make the welding of titanium easy for the user. To ensure perfect wire feeding we recommend a push/pull torch, the Fronius wire feeding system is perfectly synchronized and easy to use.

Can I use the same practices and set up as I use for steel welding or do I need special equipment?Special practices must be used when welding titanium. Titanium is not tolerant of contamination; the material must be cleaned before it can be welded. The parent materials must be cleaned with a non-chlorinated solvent prior to welding at least one inch away from the weld seam. If the material is heavily contaminated the surface can be removed by grinding, followed by solvent cleaning. It is also important to not touch the cleaned materials without gloves as the oil on your skin can cause weld contamination – practice titanium as a “white glove” treatment. A trailing shield is always necessary when welding titanium to keep the weld pool from absorbing nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen & carbon which can cause the weldment to become brittle. The welded area must be protected by inert gas until the weld cools below 700°F. For butt joints a purge gas is necessary to protect the root, even on fillet joints it is generally necessary to purge the backside of the joint. A common pre-weld procedure is to:1. Deburr the weld area with a rotary or draw file2. Wire brush with a dedicated stainless steel brush3. Solvent clean4. Tack weld and then wire brush again

5. Solvent clean6. Begin welding

What shielding gases, wire types and wire diameter are commonly  used and does Fronius offer something that will fit my needs if I choose to weld my parts with GMAW process?Only inert shielding gases can used for welding titanium, this includes argon, helium or a mixture of argon and helium. Argon needs to be a high purity argon (99.999%) for best results. Common wire diameters for GMAW are 0.035” (0.9mm) and 0.045” (1.2mm). There are several different grades of titanium so it would be best to speak with the wire manufacturer about the right wire alloy for your application. If you decide to use the GMAW process for your application Fronius offers the TPS platform for welding titanium. With the TPS platform Fronius has tailor-made waveforms specific to titanium to allow for perfect and repeatable results.

 If I didn’t want to use GMAW what would be some other good alternatives and what are some differences or advantages? Does Fronius offer solutions for other Arc welding solutions?Other alternatives to GMAW are GTAW and PAW. Both Tig and Plasma can be utilized either manually or by automation. Fronius is unique in that the same power supply is used for Tig & Plasma welding. Plasma welding can be generated with only a small equipment add on such as a plasma module for the pilot arc and a plasma welding torch. However, the GTAW & PAW process require a greater skill level of the welder. Another possible arc welding solution is laser hybrid; this process greatly increases the welding speed. However, this setup can be very expensive, is limited to automation only and the weld joint tolerances are low.