INTRODUCTION TO GMAW

OBJECTIVES
• TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE DIFFERENT
PARTS OF GMAW.
• TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THE STEPS IN
OPERATING GMAW.
• TO BE ABLE TO ENCOURAGE OTHER
STUDENTS TO ALWAYS OBSERVE SAFETY
MEASURES IN GMAW.
 What is GMAW?
• GMAW is an arc welding process that
uses a continuous, consumable solid
wire or composite shielding gas to
protect the weld zone. The GMAW
process is commonly used to make
welds on carbon, low-alloy and
stainless steel, as well as aluminum
and other metals.
HISTORY OF GMAW
GMAW SYSTEM PARTS
 DIFFERENT PARTS OF GMAW AND ITS
FUNCTION
• Cylinder Valve - A valve to control the
flow of gas into or out of a storage
cylinder.
• Safety nut - supplementary nut that is
screwed down on a primary nut to prevent it
from loosening.
• Gas Cylinder- A tall tank which used to
store gas.
• Oxygen Regulator- Control the inflow and
outflow of gas to the machine.
 Protective clothing and
Equipment
• Welding work creates flying debris,
such as sparks or small chunks of hot
metal. Anyone welding or assisting a
welder must use the proper protective
clothing and equipment. The following
list provide clothing and equipment
guidelines;
• Always use safety glasses with a full face
shield or a helmet. The glasses, face
shield or helmet lens must have the proper
light-reducing tint for type of welding being
performed.
• Wear proper protective leather and/or
flame retardant clothing and welding
gloves. They will protect you from flying
sparks, molten metal and heat.
• Wear Steel toe/ Safety shoes is a durables
boot or shoe that has a protective
reinforcement in the toe which protects the
foot from falling objects or compression,
usually combined with a mid sole plate to
protect against punctures from below.
• Earplugs/Earmuffs - a piece of wax,
rubber, or cotton placed in the ear as
protection against noise or water.
Advantage of GMAW over SMAW
• Better arc time because of continuous wire
electrode.
• Stick must be change periodically change in
SMAW.
• No slag to chip compared to SMAW and
FCAW
• The GMAW process is a Low-Hydrogen
process that makes it good for welding on
materials that are susceptible to hydrogen
cracking.
• GMAW can have high travel speeds and
deposition rates if it is compared to
Shielded Metal Arc Welding (Stick/SMAW),
which can save money on down time.
• Being that the electrode is a continuous
wire it allows for long welds without the
need to stop.
• Can be readily automated.
 WELDING PREPARATION
• Step 1: Make sure that the Area is properly
ventilate. Make use of doors, windows,
and fans.

• Step 2: Check the area for fire hazards.

Remove any flammable materials before
proceeding.
• Step 3: Locate the nearest extinguisher
and make sure you know how to use it in
case of emergency.

• Step 4: Clean the Area

• Step 5: Always wear PPE

 STEPS IN GMAW
• Step 1: Move Fume Extractor Over Welding
Area.
– Move the fume extractor, if available, over
your welding area and turn on. It will
automatically start when it detects fumes to
extract. There is also a light that can be
independently used.
Step 2: Attach Ground Clamp
The ground clamp is required and can
be attached to any metal surface that
can provide an adequate ground. In
this case, the welding setup table is
used.
Step 3: Ensure Adjusting Screw is not Loose
It is very important to avoid of leakage
in the cylinder since it is connected to
the welding unit.
Step 4: Open Cylinder Using Hand wheel
Open the cylinder hand wheel ensuring that
your hand is around the wheel and not above it.
When you fully open the cylinder hand
wheel you will notice that the cylinder
pressure gauge changes from 0 to a value, the
maximum of which is 2500 PSI.
Step 5: Turn Adjusting Screw

Gently turn the adjusting screw

clockwise until the needle on the gauge
reaches 10-15 CFH.
 Step 6: Determine Welding Settings
In this case the welding settings are in a panel to
the side of the welding unit. The chart is to be used to
determine the Voltage and wire speed. The gas
composition can be viewed on the cylinder - 75% Ar / 25%
CO2.
The thickness of the material you are welding is the last
parameter you need to determine the Voltage and wire
speed.
Step 7: Turn on Welder
Once you know the settings to apply and have a
safe area, turn on the welder using the switch circled
in the image. Note, for this particular unit the slowest
wire speed is 50 meaning that pulling the trigger on
the gun will always feed the wire. This is important
to note in case you have to release pressure, for
example, you went above 15 CFH in Step 5.
Step 8: Adjust Wire Speed and Voltage

Using the chart we referenced in Step 6, adjust Wire

Feed Speed and Volts to appropriate values. In this
case, 18 ga material leads to 120 and 16
respectively.
Step 9: Ensure Welding Torch Has Appropriate Amount
of Wire

The image shows the appropriate amount

of wire. In order to weld the metal effectively it
should be in proper amount of wire.
Step 10: Weld the Components
Step 11: Turn Wire Feed to Lowest Setting
When you are finished, turn the wire speed to
the lowest setting, in this case 50.
Step 12: Close Gas Cylinder Valve
Close the hand wheel until it is tight.
Step 13: Dislodge
Dislodge the regulator by depressing trigger
on gun until the CFH drops to the lowest level. Note
that wire will feed since the lowest wire speed (50) is
not 0.
Step 14: Unscrew Adjusting Screw

Unscrew adjusting screw until it is completely loose.

Step 15: Turn off Welder

Turn the welding unit off using the ON/OFF switch

Step 16: Remove Ground Clamp

Remove your ground clamp from the welding table.

Step 17: Coil Wires

Neatly coil all the wires and put the machine into its
place to avoid accident.