Tungsten Electrode Production and Grinding Process

Tungsten electrode is an important part in welding field. So produce high quality tungsten electrode can not only improve electrode’s life, but also can improve welding performance. In the production process, manufacturers should well control production parameters, properly grinding and cutting electrode also will influence electrode’s performance. As we knew, improperly produced electrode will leads to arc wander, splitting, shedding, inconsistencies, or expensive mistakes and other problems happening in the welding process. Properly produced, ground and cutting and processing electrodes can improve arc starting and stability.

To produce tungsten electrode manufacturers usually uses powder metallurgic method. The detailed production processes are as follow: doping-mixing-pressing-pre-sintered-sintered- multistage swaging process -recrystallization annealing-drawing straightening and polishing. In the production process, every parameter will influence electrode’s performance, so we should continue to improve production technology for improving its welding performance.

On the other hand, tungsten electrode grinding and cutting is another factor influence electrode’s welding performance. And during grinding and cutting diamond wheels are recommended for all tungsten electrodes. While tungsten is a very hard material, the surface of a diamond wheel is harder, which makes for a smooth grind. Grinding with other types of wheels can create jagged edges, imperfections, or invisible poor surface finishes that contribute to weld inconsistency and defects.

There is electrons flow at a greater density on the surface of the electrode. So during grinding, there are some tips should follow. Firstly, electrodes can not grind or polish by crosswise, because the electrons on the surface will jump across the grinding marks. During the welding, the arc begins before the tip, spreads out, and usually wanders, and then tungsten electrode becomes overheated and wears out more quickly. Secondly, if electrodes longitudinal grinding with the grain, the electrons are led steadily to the extreme tip of the tungsten electrode. The arc starts straight and remains narrow, concentrated, and stable.

• < Prev
• Next >