Advanced gas tungsten arc welding (surfacing) current status and application

Abstract

Gas Shielded Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) -a process well-known providing highest quality weld results joined though by lower performance. Gas metal arc welding is frequently chosen to increase productivity along with broadly accepted quality. Those industry segments, especially required to produce high quality corrosion-resistant surfacing, e.g. applying nickel-based filler materials, are regularly in consistent demand to comply with «zero defect» criteria. In this conjunction weld performance limitations are overcome employing advanced «hot-wire» GTAW systems. This paper, from a welding automation perspective, describes the technology of such devices and deals with the current status is this field, namely the application of dual-cathode hot-wire electrode GTAW cladding, considerably broadening achievable limits.