MicroMIG Welding Processs

MicroMIG is unconventional in many ways. In other ways, however, MicroMIG is very conventional. Like other modern welding processes, there are three components to the system. These are the power supply, the controls, and the welding torch or gun. Like other modern processes, inert gas fed through the gun's gas cup keeps the welds away from the contaminating atmosphere. Like other conventional welding processes, our filler material is fed through the torch making the manual version of our process a one-handed operation.

Like other processes that are true welding processes, MicroMIG produces it's excellent results through true metallurgical fusion of a weld filler material and the parent base material. MicroMIG is not a spray process that relies on secondary bonding mechanisms to "stick" metal to the surface. Unlike conventional processes like plasma-arc spray, thermal spray, oxy-fuel spray, D-gun, high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray, etc. our welds exhibit true metallurgical fusion.

MicroMIG produces conventional welds, albeit very small. We use a pulsed direct current to locally melt the surface of the base metal. We use that same pulsed direct current to melt filler material that is fed in to the weld through a welding torch or gun. That melted filler material mixes with the locally melted surface of the part being welded. Together, both metals solidify and become a single alloy. This is how we achieve our true metallurgical bond. Multiple passes are required to provide thickness, because each of the weld passes is measured in thousandths, not sixteenths of an inch.

When you scale down the weld nugget size, you also scale down the heat affected zone. If our weld beads are measured in thousandths, then are heat affected zones (HAZ) are measured in millionths of an inch. This is how we weld on "unweldable" alloys with complete success, because the HAZ's are so small. However, with weld beads that small, it also means that welds considered usual in size require a much longer time to produce. For this reason, applications must be chosen carefully because what could be done in ten minutes with a TIG torch may require several hours with MicroMIG.

However, it is exactly because our welds are so small, that the ambient temperature of a component part remains very close to room temperature. Only very locally, does the temperature rise to any extent. If we can do what a TIG torch does, but we take 50 or more times longer to do it, then the heat from welding has time to dissipate. The end result is that we do not distort parts from our welding heat. Therefore, although some parts and assembles we weld are made of very easily welded metals, these are finish machined to tight tolerances. We repair them with MicroMIG because a conventional welding process like TIG would distort them out of tolerance.

Lastly, because our MicroMIG welds melt only the surface of a part, we are able to weld different fillers metals on different base metals. We can weld a nickel or cobalt matrix mixed with a variety of different carbides on almost any metal surface for excellent wear resistance. We can weld nickel alloys or stainless steels on mild steels for corrosion resistance. We can weld easy to braze metals (or even braze alloys themselves) on the surface of very hard to braze materials, thus almost guaranteeing perfect braze assemblies on tough brazing applications.

We've even welded carbide on the playing surfaces of golf clubs (in the sweet spots) which dramatically lengthens the life of a wedge, and gives a unique level of control over the ball on a driver. By the way, the USGA has approved this welded carbide surface for use in tournament play!

What makes MicroMIG unique are the wire diameters we use, the way we pulse the currents, and the way we control the currents and voltages. Our process is proprietary in the sense that we do not sell our equipment. We offer our MicroMIG welding process to our customers through offering our welding services. We use our process, primarily in our facility, to repair and help fabricate parts for our customers everyday. We strive to have very short turn-around times and our weld quality is excellent.

If you've got a tough application such as a finished machined part that needs weld repaired, an "unweldable" alloy that needs welded, or need to weld a different metal on a part, call us. We'd love to help!