Welding Process

WELDING PROCESSES

Welding is not new. The earliest known form of welding, called forge welding, dates back to the year 2000 B.C.
Forge welding is a primitive process of joining metals by heating and hammering until the metals are fused (mixed) together. Although forge welding still exists, it is mainly limited to the blacksmith trade. Today, there are many welding processes available.
Figure 1 provides a list of processes used in modern metal fabrication and repair.
This list, published by the American Welding Society (AWS), shows the official abbreviations for each process. For example, RSW stands for resistance spot welding.
Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) is an arc-welding process that fuses (melts) metal by heating it with an electric arc created between a covered metal electrode and the metals being joined.
Of the welding processes listed in figure 1, shielded metal arc welding, called stick welding, is the most common welding process.
The primary differences between the various welding processes are the methods by which heat is generated to melt the metal.
Once you understand the theory of welding, you can apply it to most welding processes.
 The most common types of welding are oxyfuel gas welding (OFW), arc welding (AW), and resistance welding (RW).
As a Steelworker, your primary concern is gas and arc welding. The primary difference between these two processes is the method used to generate the heat.