Technique

Welding Aluminum
Different, But not Difficult
Setting up an aluminum welding operation will require some investment
and a slightly different perspective.
By John L. Campbell

The jewel of experience is purchased at

an exorbitant price.
~William Shakespeare

“Welding aluminum is not difficult,”

says John Uebele (pronounced E-ba-
lee), who teaches welding and performs
weld-certification-tests at Waukesha
County Technical College, in Pewau-
kee, Wis. “It’s just different than weld-
ing steel. Someone familiar with weld-
ing techniques should be able to pick it
up in twenty to twenty-five hours. The
key is cleanliness. I’d advise keeping it
separate from steel fabrication. The
investment? Other than training,
maybe three thousand dollars.”
Uebele, who serves the American
Welding Society on their structural
committee for sheet steel and alu-
minum certifications, also works with
companies on a contract basis, a serv-
ice faculty members at state funded
technical schools provided to indus-
tries in Wisconsin.
Welding aluminum is done using
two preferred methods, both of which
employ inert gases, pure argon, or a MIG welding can be brought to the work when using a long-reach spoolgun
mix of argon with helium. Any con- especially made for aluminum welding. The spoolgun allows the welder access
tamination of these gases causes oxi- to seams without moving the weldment. (Photo courtesy of Miller Electric Corp.)
dation of the weld, as John Uebele
inadvertently demonstrated trying to mix. We use carbon dioxide for welding monly used to weld carbon steel.
repair a mag-wheel. carbon steel. To weld aluminum you’ve Helium costs another $12 dollars more
“Mag-wheels are not magnesium, got to use pure argon. We don’t use per 300 cubic feet than argon.
you know. They’re aluminum,” Uebele helium here. It’s too expensive. But Like the game of golf, there’s no
said. “I knew that, of course, but the they do mix argon and helium to substitute for practice in welding a
weld kept turning black on me. Finally, increase welding temperatures for torch and weld rod. The resources for
I checked the gas supply and discovered thicker sections.” Argon is about ten learning are available. Most state
I was using an argon-carbon dioxide times the cost of carbon dioxide, com- funded technical schools and junior

No matter what position the weld is in, thin sheet metal containers are easily
welded with the pulsing feature of an industrial TIG welding machine. (Photo
courtesy of Miller Electric Corp.)
colleges have programs to teach weld-
ing. Alco-Tec, manufacturers of alu-
minum welding wire in Traverse City,
MI, and several producers of welding
equipment offer courses in aluminum
weld technology. Some technical
courses are not specifically designed to
2 Fabricator „ May-June 1999
flux, and the appropriate alloy filler
rod. Welds often absorbed hydrogen
gas and trapped oxide inclusions. If
the flux used wasn’t thoroughly neu-
tralized with sulfuric acid, corrosion
occurred around the welds. The acid
cleaner presented a hazard to the
welder’s lungs and his clothing. Such
welds were satisfactory, but they
wouldn’t qualify for applications
where your life depended on them.
During World War II, TIG welding
was developed. Old timers also call
this process heliarc welding. The word
heliarc was a trademark of Linde Air
Products. Like many known trade-
marks the name became generic for
TIG welding. The Linde Air name was
sold to the German subsidiary for $60
million dollars, and Linde became
known as Praxair in the U.S.
Today, TIG and MIG welding are
the two recommended options for
welding aluminum. TIG means tung-
sten-inert-gas, a shorter acronym for
gas-tungsten-arc-welding (GTAW).
The process uses a hand torch with a
non-consumable tungsten or tungsten
teach welding skills, and you should alloy electrode to strike an arc. Pure
inquire about the courses before send- argon and/or helium, both non-flam-
ing an employee for training. (See mable inert gases, provide the shield
attached sidebar) around the weld to prevent weld con-
Prior to the l940s manufacturers tamination from oxides and hydrogen
and repair shops welded aluminum absorption. A filler rod of aluminum
with an oxyacetylene torch, a special is fed into the molten weld, wherever a
filler is necessary.
High frequency alternating current,
the preferred electrical source for
manual welding, is controlled by
either a torch trigger or foot con-
trolled rheostat. An alternating cur-
rent gives the arc a cleaning action and
divides the heat evenly between the
A TIG is used to
assemble an tungsten electrode and the weld pool.
aluminum TIG is slower than MIG welding, but
frame. The unit it allows for more welder manipula-
shown is a tion without the fixtures for faster,
Square Wave
automated production.
TIG 275. (Photo
courtesy of MIG welding, an acronym for gas-
Lincoln Electric metal-arc-welding (GMAW), uses a
Co.) consumable electrode, aluminum
alloy wire fed through the torch along
with the inert gas. Torches may be
water-cooled, especially when amper-
ages exceed 200 for welding plate
(over ¼-inch thick), where deeper
penetration of the weld is required.
MIG welding, the preferred auto-
mated process, uses a direct current
power source, electrode positive
(DCEP). Unlike TIG welding, MIG
occupies one hand.
Aluminum has characteristics that
make welding its alloys different than
welding steel, which is the reason
many fabricators “job-out” their alu-
minum work to fabricators specializ-
ing in the process. One-third the
weight of steel, aluminum thermal
conductivity is six times greater. The
rapid heat transfer makes the weld
solidify faster than steel. Steel melts at
2,800 degrees Fahrenheit, while pure
aluminum melts at 1,220 degrees
Fahrenheit. However, surface oxides,
one of aluminum’s natural barriers
against corrosion, melt at much
higher temperatures, around 3,725
degrees Fahrenheit, almost 1,000
degrees over the melting point of steel.
Unless these oxides, which can be four
billionths of an inch thick (5 nm,
angstroms), are removed prior to
welding, sound metal fusion doesn’t
occur. This is the major reason why
weld preparation and cleanliness are
vital concerns in welding aluminum as
compared to steel. Protective oils and
grease are cleaned off with non-chlo-
rinated solvents like toluene. Chlori-
nated solvents emit toxic fumes dur-
ing welding, a chemistry similar to
mustard gas. As with all types of weld-
ing, you should have adequate ventila-
tion of the workstation. Before weld-
ing, it’s extremely important to
remove surface oxides. A clean stain-
less steel wire brush is recommended
May-June 1999 „ Fabricator
A TIG welder goes
into action. (Photo
courtesy of Lincoln
Electric Corp.)
for brightening the weld areas.
When heated, aluminum doesn’t
show color like steel does, which is
another characteristic that makes the
lightweight metal tricky to weld. An
inexperienced welder may not recog-
nize the silvery sheen under the blue
hue of the arc as molten metal. When
the weight of the puddle exceeds the
surface tension of the molten metal,
the spot sags and drops, leaving an
embarrassing, ugly hole in the weld
surface.
Aluminum oxide abrasives are
common grit materials in most shops
because aluminum oxide is one of the
hardest substances known, second
only to diamonds. These same oxides
are heavier than aluminum, and their
presence destroys expensive milling
cutters if the oxides are trapped in
welds where finish machining has
This Square
Wave 175 can
used for TIG or
stick welding.
(Photo courtesy
of Lincoln
Electric Co.)
been done. Another phenomenon that
makes welding aluminum different
than joining steel is the alloys’ affinity
for hydrogen gas. Aluminum sucks up
hydrogen when molten and emits it
more slowly as the metal solidifies.
Gas entrapment occurs with tell tale
porosity in the welds.
In many facilities, raw materials are
stored in unheated space. Cold metal,
brought into a warmer workstation,
sweats. Unless aluminum is gradually
raised to ambient temperature, weld-
ments pick up hydrogen gas from the
condensation. Fabricators recommend
storing aluminum in the vertical posi-
tion for this reason. Pre-heating to 150
degrees Fahrenheit removes surface
moisture and allows for better pene-
tration of welds, especially with plates
heavier than ½ -inch thick.
Dozens of aluminum alloys can be
obtained in wrought forms such as
rolled bar stock, sheet, plate, extru-
sions, and pipe. Some aluminum
alloys respond to heat treatment. The
nomenclature for both cast and
wrought alloyed aluminum
chemistries is established by the Alu-
minum Association of America. Cur-
rently, in wrought shapes there are
eight series of four digit numbers
1XXX to 8XXX. The 1XXX series is
high purity aluminum with a little
iron and silicon added. In the 2XXX
series, the major alloying ingredient is
copper. The 3,003 contains man-
ganese, which is stronger and less duc-
tile than 1,100 grade. The 5XXX, series
like the 5,052, has magnesium and
3
chromium added for good ductility.
Cold working will produce hardness.
Heat treatable alloys are the 2XXX,
6XXX, and 7XXX series. The alloying
ingredients of 6,053 are magnesium
and silicon. All this data, along with
the corresponding filler wire, are pub-
lished in tables and available from
suppliers of welding supplies and
wrought materials.
Cast grades of aluminum can be
easily distinguished by their three digit
numbers like 206, 319, 356. The next
time you stop at a red light look at the
base of the traffic light and its support
column. That’s a common aluminum
fabrication, a cast base welded to a
tapered aluminum pipe.
Cast grades of aluminum, because
of their higher silicon content for fluid-
ity, do not anodize as well as wrought
alloys. The two are difficult to color
match, and the same is true of alu-
minum filler rods and the base alloy.
The common filler rod for welding
heat-treatable alloys like the 6XXX
series is 4,043. When black anodizing a
combination of 4,043 and 6,053, the
welded surfaces will be a shade or two
lighter than the 6,053 alloy. Color
matching aluminum alloys is a prob-
lem that plagues companies striving for
cosmetics on architectural hardware.
Remember, anodizing is a build-up
of aluminum oxides a thousand times
thicker than the natural oxides that
occur on the surfaces of the metal. So,
if you have to weld aluminum that has
already been anodized, you have to
grind and prepare the weld areas by
removing all anodized finishes in the
weld area.
According to statistics followed by
the Aluminum Association, there has
been an increase of 26 percent (13,197
to 16,664 million pounds) in usage of
wrought aluminum products over the
past ten years, which is a positive indi-
cator of aluminum fabrication growth.
Instead of sending your aluminum
work up the street to another fabrica-
tor, you may want to do some market-
ing to see if there are other applica-
tions for aluminum fabrications in
your product line. Like the teacher
said, “It’s not difficult, just different.”
Mr. Campbell was formerly self-
employed for 26 years with Casting Con-
sultants Inc. He is now a freelance writer
and a regular contributor to Fabricator.

Where can you send employees for weld training?

Sources:
• Folkerts, Yvonne, vice president of
communications; Peter Pollack; and
Hank Sattlehight. The Aluminum
Association of America. Washington,
D.C. (202) 862-5100.
• Anderson, Tony, technical service
manager; and Andy Blanchard, vice
president of marketing/sales.
AlcoTec Wire Company. Traverse City,
MI. (616) 941-4111a*
• Cherne, Larry, sales manager.
Bentley Gas Tech. Brookfield, WI.
(800) 229-8800.
• Pratt, Phillip, president. Hobart
Institute of Welding Technology. East
Troy, OH. (800) 332-9448.
• Lincoln Electric Company.
Cleveland, OH. (216) 481-8100.
• Pankratz, Michael, publications
manager. Miller Electric Corp.
Appleton, WI. (920) 735-4013.
• Bullock, Bill, department chair; and
John Uebele, welding instructor.
Waukesha County Technical College.
Pewaukee, WI. (414) 691-5335.
• Modern Welding. Althouse,
Turnquist, Bowditch & Bowditch.
ISBN-0-87006-966-7.
• Welding Technology Fundamentals.
Bowditch & Bowditch.
• Sacks, Raymond J. Essentials of
Welding.
• Saunders, H. L. Welding Aluminum,
Theory & Practice. ISBN-89-080539.
Article copy was reviewed and
approved by Tony Anderson and a
metallurgist at AlcoTec Wire
Company, now part of ESAB, a
Swedish manufacturer of welding
equipment.
Check with your local vocational Troy, OH 45373, offers several
schools and junior colleges. State courses for training welders, weld-
supported technical schools and ing instructors, and inspectors.
junior colleges offer training in They offer a two-week course in
welding aluminum. Instructors at TIG that is 70 hours, and a one-
these schools may also be qualified week course in MIG welding that is
to provide welding certification for 35 hours. Hobart Institute was cre-
participants. ated 70 years ago by Hobart Broth-
Where can you obtain welding ers. The institute and the welding
technology on aluminum? AlcoTec equipment manufacturer became
Wire Corp., 2750 Aero Park Drive, two separate entities when ITW
Traverse City, MI 49686, offers a (Illinois Tool Works) acquired
four-day comprehensive course Hobart Brothers three years ago.
covering welding of aluminum. The ITW also owns Miller Electric in
program is designed to train weld- Appleton, WI, Philip W. Pratt, pres-
ing engineers, supervisors, inspec- ident of Hobart Institute. Contact:
tors, production design engineers, Ph (800) 332-9448, Fax (937) 332-
and technical sales representatives, 5200, Web www.welding.org.
who need to understand the unique Lincoln Electric Co., 22801 St.
characteristics of aluminum weld- Clair Ave., Cleveland, OH 44117,
ing. The next sessions are June 7-10 also offers courses related to weld-
and October 25-28, l999. The fee ing. Contact: Ph (216) 481-8100,
for the course is $1,000, which Fax (216) 486-1751, E-mail
includes lunch, transportation to weldschool@lincolnelectric.com.
and from classrooms, and a library Where can you get a book on
of technical literature. AlcoTec pro- the subject? The Aluminum
vides participants with safety gear Association of America, 900 19th
and protective clothing. For more St. N. W., Washington, D. C. 20006,
information, Contact: Tony Ander- publishes an excellent booklet
son between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. titled Welding Aluminum Theory
E.S.T. Ph (616) 941-4111, ext. 3237, and Practice, by H. L. Saunders,
Fax (616)941-9154, E-mail ISBN 89-080539. The booklet can
alcotec@ traverse.com. be ordered for $70 by calling (301)
Hobart Institute of Welding 645-0756 or on the Web www.
Technology, 400 Trade Square, East aluminum.org.

4 Fabricator „ May-June 1999