MIG welding of aluminium materials made easy

Norbert Knopp / Heinz Lorenz, Mndersbach and Robert Killing, Solingen, Germany
Introduction Higher, further, faster is today more than just a maxim in top-class sport; there are always new challenges in modern technology which follow this principle. Whether its the height of skyscrapers, the span of bridges or the speed of trains, materials and welded joints are required to meet increasingly high demands and welding technology is expected to function without any errors. For example, to realise the technology required for higher speeds and/or lower power consumption, lightweight construction techniques have established themselves in vehicle construction (Figure 1). As well as modified designs, this has required in particular the use of aluminium and aluminium alloys of high-strength steels. Due to its physical properties, aluminium as a material does many different things during welding and even experienced steel welders have initial difficulties when required to switch to aluminium. However, thanks to continued advancements in power sources, welders have a functional tool for welding aluminium materials. This article covers this topic. 1 Why is welding aluminium different from welding steel Table 1 compares the physical properties of iron and aluminium. It becomes clear that there are significant differences between the two metals in some important properties for welding [1]. Specifically, the physical properties of aluminium can have the following negative effects: to a spray arc even at relatively low current intensities. Without MIG pulse welding, out-ofposition welding on thicker aluminium structures would be therefore not possible at all. Due to the low solubility of aluminium in hydrogen in the solid state, complicated cleaning work of the material surface and some pre-heating is required in order to keep pore formation within reasonable limits. This is because aluminium oxide is hygroscopic. The points mentioned above indicate that for errorfree welds on aluminium, the welder needs to be well versed in the properties of aluminium, and in terms of the technology, only the best is good enough for aluminium welding. 2 The shielding gas is also a critical factor Previously it was mainly argon that was used as the shielding gas for MIG welding aluminium. Using this shielding gas means that a quiet, low-spatter spray arc can be set and the pulse arc can also be used to good effect using argon. The low heat retention and the poor thermal conductivity of argon create a wide
Figure 1 MIG aluminium welding in vehicle construction Physical property Density of the metal Density of the oxide Melting point of the metal Melting point of the oxide Solubility in hydrogen in neutral state1) Heat-conductance Electrical conductance
1)

Unit g/cm3 g/cm

3

Iron 7.85 3.7 1539 1460 ...1580 8 0.58 10

Aluminium 2.7 3.4 660 2050 0.05 2.2 35

The density of aluminium is so low that aluminium oxide is heavier than the metal itself. On the other hand, the melting point of the aluminium oxide is very high. Both promote the formation of oxide inclusions in the weld. The low melting point of aluminium it melts even before it starts to glow significantly makes it difficult to weld through the root. The molten pool drops through more easily. The high degree of thermal conductivity more than three times as high as iron requires intensive heat feeding. The undesirable consequences of excessive heat dissipation may be bonding errors, insufficient single layer welding and pores. Large material thicknesses therefore need to be pre-heated to ensure adequate fusion penetration and sufficient exhalation of the weld. Due to the high electrical conductance of aluminium, the range of the short arc is very small and it changes

C C cm3/100 g W/(cm x K) S x m/min2

immediately on solidification Differences in the main physical properties between iron and aluminium in relation to welding

Table 1

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seam in the upper part, which, however, leaves the seam with a narrow, finger-shaped fusion penetration shape in the lower part. Helium as a shielding gas does not have these disadvantages, thus producing wider and deeper fusion penetration in comparison to argon. Pure helium is rarely used for MIG welding, but instead argon/helium mixtures containing between 30 to 70 % of helium (the remainder being argon). When deeper fusion penetration is not required, e.g. when welding thinner materials, the greater degree of heat retention and the improved thermal conductivity of shielding gases containing helium can be converted at greater welding speeds. Figure 2 clarifies this point in a schematic diagram. Thanks to the high-energy arc, the pre-heating can also be reduced or may not be necessary at all up to certain thicknesses. Argon/helium mixtures require different parameter settings than when welding with pure argon. By adding helium to the argon, the electrical conductance of the arc path is reduced. This means that at the same wire feed rate, the arc becomes shorter the greater the amount of helium used, if the
Shielding gas Argon Argon/Helium 50/50 Argon/Helium 50/50

Figure 3

Inverter power sources for MIG/MAG welding

2

260 A / 27 V 260 A / 32 V 260 A / 32 V vS 100% vS 100% vS 140% Figure 2 Fusion penetration profile with different shielding gases (material AlMg3, 1.6mm wire electrode)

arc voltage is not adjusted. At 50 % He / 50 % Ar, this equates to a voltage increase of around 4-5 Volts. The low density of helium also requires greater shielding gas flow rates to provide sufficient shielding against the atmosphere. Shielding gases containing helium are more expensive than pure argon. However, this is more than compensated by the higher welding speed possible and the fact that pre-heating may no longer be required. 3 Modern machines make welding easier As mentioned above, only the best equipment is good enough when welding aluminium because of the difficult conditions produced by the material. This applies both to the characteristics of the power source and in a very specific way to the wire feed units. Today, digital inverters (Figure 3) are generally used as power sources for these welding tasks. There are special demands on all components of the wire feed unit when welding aluminium because the wire electrodes used are very soft and therefore bend very easily when being fed through. A few figures for comparative purposes: A wire electrode made from pure aluminium has a level of strength after drawing 2 which is normally only a little over 100 N/mm . Aluminium alloys can at the very best provide a wire

strength of 300 N/mm . In comparison, Si/Mn-alloyed wire electrodes for welding steel with a diameter of 2 1.2 mm achieve strengths of over 900 N/mm [2]. The buckling strength of aluminium wire is also correspondingly lower. For this reason, only short tube packages can be used and the internal wire feed tube should be made from plastic due to the improved gliding properties. In addition, it is essential that the feed rollers do not damage the soft surface of the wire. Greater pressure points between the rollers must therefore be avoided. Multi-roller drive units have proven to be the most useful here (Figure 4). Instead of the steel, trapezoidal groove, the drive rollers should ideally have a rounded groove. With longer feed paths, intermediate feeds are required or push/pull torches can be used, where the wire is not just advanced by the machine, but is also drawn forwards into the torch (Figure 5). With torches of this type, even thinner wire electrodes made from aluminium can also be transported across longer distances without problems. Small spool torches can also be used for very thin wire electrodes. An even wire feed is important because irregularities in the

Figure 4

View into a wire feed unit with 4-roller drive

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Figure 5

Push/Pull torch

wire feed process are reproduced as fluctuations in the welding parameters. 4 Good welding results need the right welding parameters In MIG/MAG welding, two adjustments are normally always required. The wire feed rate and thus the welding current intensity are set on the wire feed unit, and the arc length and therefore the welding voltage are set by choosing a suitable characteristic on the power source. This manual setting requires considerable experience from the welder. However, not every company always has sufficiently well trained welders available. Modern MIG/MAG systems provide simplified options for setting the welding parameters. 5 Synergetic setting of welding parameters It started as early as the 70s with one-dial operation where a single rotary potentiometer was used to set the output by changing the wire feed and the same adjustment knob in a specific translation ratio was connected to infinite characteristic adjustment for modifying the voltage simultaneously. It was also possible to correct the operating point to a certain extent using a second knob. Today a more far-reaching simplification of the

setting process is part of standard modern MIG/MAG systems. The ideal working characteristics for frequently used welding tasks are saved on the machine. All the operator of the system then needs to do, for example, is use buttons to set the material being welded, the required wire diameter and the connected shielding gas. This calls up the ideal preprogrammed working characteristic. The output can be infinitely adjusted on a rotary dial and individual requirements relating to the optimum arc length can also be set using a correction control. Figure 6 shows the control panel on a modern welding system equipped with even more sophisticated settings. In the centre part, the welding task can be set using jog buttons. As well as the material, the wire electrode diameter and the shielding gas, it is still possible to specify whether solid wire or flux-cored wire is used for welding, or whether there are special tasks at hand such as MIG soldering or deposit welding. The different levels of electrical conductance of pure aluminium, AlSi alloys and AlMg alloys require modified welding voltages. For this reason, as can be seen on the control panel, some characteristics are pre-programmed for these material groups, whereby an argon/helium mixture can also be selected in addition to pure argon. As the system is a multi-process system, the required changes to the characteristics are made in the centre panel, as well those for other processes (TIG, MMA). In the left-hand part of the display, the output can then be set on the top rotary dial, the centre rotary dial can be used to correct the arc length and the lower dial changes the arc dynamics electronically. More on this later. The current intensity and voltage relating to the selected operating point are shown on the display along with the weldable sheet metal

Figure 6

Control panel of the PHOENIX 300 EXPERT PULSE welding machine

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thickness. The welding data used can be saved and retrieved at a later time. 6 Its much easier with a pulse arc In MIG pulse arc welding, the current and voltage pulse between a low base level and a short-term higher pulse-shaped level. With the values for the pulse current height and the duration of the pulse set correctly, the drip transition takes place in the same rhythm as the pulse frequency (Figure 7). This ensures virtually spatter-free welding. The duration of the pulse arc covers the entire range from the lowest to the highest current intensities. In this process, the pulse frequency increases with the output from around 15 Hz in the lower range to around 300 Hz at high current intensities. For MIG welding aluminium the pulse arc is particularly important because as mentioned above, the duration of the short arc is very small, meaning that out-of-position welding on slightly thicker materials is only possible using a pulse arc. The heat feeding can also be more easily regulated using a pulse arc. Unlike normal MIG welding, with MIG pulse welding a greater number of parameters needs to be set, namely the level of the base current (voltage), pulse current (voltage), base time and pulse time, in addition to the wire feed. Modern digital arc models use this to calculate other parameters, such as the pulse frequency. As these values are also specific to the material, the option of synergetic settings (Figure 6) offers an additional advantage here. These characteristics are also saved in the machine for MIG/MAG pulse arc welding. 7 Special programs are the icing on the cake In the software on modern MIG/MAG systems, not only sets of parameters but also entire welding programs can be saved and retrieved later on. Some of these programs are explained in more detail below. They normally operate according to a working characteristic saved on the machine, which is selected on the basis of the material, wire electrode diameter and shielding gas. 8 Safe ignition is important With MIG/MAG welding it is not usual to retract the

end of the wire after the first contact with the surface of the workpiece to give the arc space, with the exception of the first few steps in MIG welding. Also this is not normally required because the arc burns freely at the ignition point due to the high current density at the ignition point itself. With aluminium its rather a different story. Due to the good electrical conductance, the transition resistance between the end of the electrode and the surface of the workpiece is relatively low and the heating there is correspondingly low. It is therefore advisable to ignite using a current pulse defined in terms of the height and the time. If this occurs at too high a wire feed speed, however, the retracting wire extinguishes the arc, which is still very small to begin with. This results in repeated ignition processes in quick succession before the arc length is sufficiently ionised and the arc is burning stably. To avoid this, a lower wire feed speed, known as wire creep, is used for ignition to achieve a gentle positioning of the wire onto the workpiece. In modern digital power sources these ignition processes are already programmed for the individual wire and gas combinations. Once the first arc is burning, the fusion penetration continues to be very low on the still cold base material and this can result in fusion penetration errors at this stage. For this reason, increased welding energy is used for a short time to start the welding process. How this type of program works is shown in Figure 8. First of all, the shielding gas begins to flow. This starts the wire electrode moving at the programmed creep speed and ignites the arc when it comes into contact with the workpiece using the programmed ignition current. For an adjustable time, the welding process is started at increased welding power in order to avoid cool points (Pstart). Only then does the machine switch over to the actual working program (PA).

Figure 7

Drip detachment in MIG/MAG pulse welding

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Figure 8

Ignition program

the power source is not switched off, however, the arc continues to burn for a time on the wire (wire burn-back) before the power source is switched off as well. This prevents the end of the wire dipping into the end-crater and freezing solid inside it. The free burning phase must not be too long, however, because otherwise the arc melts onto the contact nozzle. Another disadvantage of an excessively long freeburn time is that a thick drip forms on the end of the wire. The manual welder cuts this using a side cutter before the next ignition process. With mechanical welding this is not generally possible, however. Here the thickened end of the wire can result in ignition faults. Modern systems therefore also provide the option of throwing off the drip formed on the end of the wire with a final pulse. The result is a properly spiked end of the wire that can be easily ignited next time. If the arc needs to be fully extinguished, a short post-flow phase is used for the shielding gas. Only then is the end program complete. 11 Special functions Modern MIG/MAG systems provide even more options that can be used to control the welding process. 12 Setting the arc pressure As mentioned above, the operating panel of the welding system shown in Figure 6 provides the option of adjusting the dynamics. This means that the arc can be adjusted to be harder or softer. This occurs via an adjustable current dynamic, similar to a choke effect. In the short arc range, which is of little significance for welding aluminium, this can be used to accelerate the drip separation process by reducing the choke effect. This makes the spatter formation slightly greater, but the arc slightly more directionally stable. Of more interest is the adjustable dynamic in MIG pulse welding. Here the reduction in the choke effect means that the pulse current increases. This also increases the effective current intensity resulting from the base current and pulse current. One consequence of this is that the concentric magnetic field surrounding the arc is amplified. This constricts the arc and increases the pinch effect. The harder arc becomes less easily diverted by magnetic fields and generates narrower, deeper fusion penetration. The dynamics must be set according to the relevant conditions, i.e. when welding thinner metal sheets a softer arc is preferable, and with thicker sheets, a harder arc. 13 Super pulse function In addition to pulses for targeted drip separation in the range between around 15 and 300 Hertz depending on the set current intensity, modern MIG/MAG welding systems also provide the option of pulsing at just a few Hertz (Figure 10). Here the welding power with adjustable frequency and pulseduty factor is switched backwards and forwards

9 The working program (PA) The appropriate current intensity and voltage for the actual welding process are programmed in the working program. If required, these values in the working program can also be changed, e.g. when the arc approaches corners or edges, the current and voltage can be reduced to avoid overheating. Avoiding welding seam irregularities using an end program It is desirable to keep the craters that form at the end of the seam as small as possible in order to avoid end-crater shrinkage cavities and cracks. The manual welder achieves this in conventional systems by making circular movements across the end point of the seam with the arc extended, before the arc extinguishes. With modern MIG/MAG systems an end program (PEND) can be entered (Figure 9). The working current intensity is first run down for a specific period (slope-down), held at a lower level for a certain time and then the wire feed is turned off. As 10

PEND
t

t
Figure 9 End program 5/6

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between a high and a low level. This pulsing at low frequency has no effect on the drip separation process. However, this does produce reduced heat feeding. This can be used when welding root passes, when welding in the V-up position and when welding thin sheet metal. Sometimes this pulsing is also used when welding final passes. This produces rough, but very even seam ripples, as is familiar from TIG pulse welding (Figure 11). This type of seam appearance is sometimes desirable for visual reasons. 14 Online or offline programming The individual stages in the programs described can be switched to non-latched or latched mode in manual welding using torch switches, or in mechanised welding in a time-controlled way using the program saved for the process, for example. The programs can be programmed on the welding machine. As programming time is unproductive time, however no welding can be carried out during programming the programming work can also be carried out using special software on a computer or laptop. 15 Conclusion Modern, digital, inverter-based MIG/MAG systems (Figure 12) not only provide very good welding properties, but also excellent ease-of-use during the welding process. The user can access the expertise of the machine manufacturer who will have saved not only the appropriate characteristics (JOBs) for different welding tasks in the system, but who also allows entire welding programs to be stored in the power sources matched to the welding task. This is

Figure 11 Appearance of a MIG seam welded using a low pulse frequency

Figure 12 MIG welding aluminium using push/pull torches

16 Literature [1] Killing, R.: Was ist beim Schmelzschweien von Aluminium anders als beim Schweien von Stahl (The differences between the fusion welding of aluminium and welding steel). Der Praktiker, H.11/1995, pages 562-567, DVS-Verlag Dsseldorf [2] Killing, R.: Das Beste ist gerade gut genug dafr (Only the best is good enough), Metallbau, H.2/1996, pages 73-75, Caldewey-Verlag, Mnchen First publication magazine: Metallbau 9/2002

Figure 10 Current output wave with superpulses

especially important when welding aluminium that due to some of its physical properties places higher demands on the exact settings of the welding systems. In addition to the use of the JOBs entered by the machine manufacturer, the user can also create and archive various program sequences and call them up again later as required.

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