SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding) - Shielded Metal Arc Welding
Commonly known as: Hand Arc Welding, Manual Welding
Explanation: It uses an external coated electrode with a flux as the electrode and filler metal. The flux burns to produce gas and slag, protecting the molten pool from air pollution. It is one of the most common and flexible welding methods.
GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) - Melting Electrode Gas Shielded Welding
Commonly known as: MIG Welding (Metal Electrode Inert Gas Shielded Welding) or MAG Welding (Metal Electrode Active Gas Shielded Welding)
Explanation: It uses a continuous fed solid or flux core wire as the electrode, and simultaneously introduces a protective gas (such as CO₂, Ar argon gas) to isolate the molten pool from the air. It is efficient and widely applied.
GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) - Tungsten Electrode Gas Shielded Welding
Commonly known as: TIG Welding (Tungsten Electrode Inert Gas Shielded Welding)
Explanation: It uses a high-temperature resistant tungsten rod as the non-melting electrode, generating an arc to melt the base material, usually requiring additional manual addition of filler wire. The protective gas is usually pure argon. It is characterized by stable arc, high weld quality, and good appearance, especially suitable for stainless steel, aluminum, titanium and other nonferrous metals.
SAW (Submerged Arc Welding) - Submerged Arc Welding
Explanation： The arc burns under a layer of granular flux, and the arc light is not visible. The flux melts to form slag and protective gas, providing excellent protection. It has the characteristics of large weld depth, high efficiency, and good quality, but is mainly used for heavy structures and large weld seams in horizontal welding positions.
FCAW (Flux-Cored Arc Welding) - Flux-Cored Wire Arc Welding
Explanation： The wire is internally filled with flux, similar to the flux coating of an electrode. During welding, an additional protective gas (gas-protected flux-cored wire) may be required, or it may rely solely on the gas produced by the flux (self-protective flux-cored wire). It combines the advantages of hand arc welding and MIG welding, with high deposition efficiency.
