As technology in general has improved over the years, so it has within the steel welding industry. The industry standard in many circles is now considered to be gas metal arc welding, commonly abbreviated MIG welding.

At Wasatch Steel, we provide steel services including numerous products used in a MIG welding process, from welding rods to nozzle gel to MIG wire. What makes MIG welding such an attractive welding process for so many people? Let’s find out.

What is MIG Welding?

MIG welding is a process using a spool of continuously fed wire, and can be used to join long stretches of metal. A wire electrode is fed into a weld while inert argon gas provides a blanket against contamination. The process causes an electric arc to form between the electrode and the metals, which heats the metals and causes them to join together.

Quality and Versatility

MIG welding can be used on numerous metals, from the high quality steel you’ll find at Wasatch Steel to metals like aluminum, nickel and more. Welds are produced at a very high quality, with only minor weld spatter produced.

You can purchase MIG guns for manual welding, semi-automatic welding or for automatic or machine welding. Most are operated using a simple electrical switch to toggle on and off, meaning safety and ease of operation are both benefits as well.

Speed

The MIG welding process has improved upon older welding processes in the speed department, part of the reason it’s now the most popular form of welding out there. The availability of semi-inert gasses like carbon dioxide, which used to be tougher to find, has made its usage with steel products far more common.

Little Loss of Alloys

One of the primary benefits of the gas blanket used in MIG welding is that it causes very few alloying elements to be lost in the process, a major drawback of certain other forms of welding. Retention of all these elements makes the process more efficient and cost-effective.

For more information on MIG welding equipment or any other steel services you may be in need of, our professional Wasatch Steel staff is standing by.