Mig Welding Aluminum Wire Size

Assemble your wire welder using a wire tip larger than the wire size you will be using.

Mig welding aluminum wire size. Obtain wire that is 3 64 or 1 16 inch diameter. How to mig weld aluminum. Recess the contact tip of your welder approximately 1 8 inch inside the nozzle of the welding tip. The most common wire type is er4043 for all purpose work.

A quality mig wire is critical in robotic welding applications. If you are having feeding problems one thing you can try is a contact tip that is one size bigger than your wire. Double click on chart to view quick guide for selecting mig wire size and welder amperage for your application. The larger the wire diameter the easier it feeds.

To mig weld aluminum thinner than 14 gauge 074 inch it may be necessary to use specialized pulsed mig or ac tig welding equipment. Material thicknesses of aluminum that can be mig welded are 14 gauge and heavier. 05 08 19metal inert gas mig welding uses a consumable wire electrode and shielding gas which is continuously fed through a welding gun. Er70s 6 wire can provide better wetting at the weld toe when compared to an er70s 3 wire.

The more the operator can narrow down the melting range of the metal the easier it will be to weld the alloy. Better wash in may be a requirement in applications subject to fatigue. Aluminum requires some specific changes for welders who are accustomed to. If you search for aluminum mig wire online you will find that many of the er4043 and er5356 filler metals come in either the 0 030 or 0 035 inch sizes as is the case with this hobart er5356 aluminum welding wire.

Er70s 6 is also better for creating a smooth transition from the weld to the base metal also known as wash in or tie in. Only use a push gun technique when welding aluminum. Select an aluminum filler wire that has a melting temperature similar to the base material. Diameter size of aluminum wire 0 030 or 0 035 for example hobart recommends 0 035 to be used with 1 16 to 1 4 inch thick base metal.

If your welder has a steel wire liner remove it and replace it with a plastic or teflon liner so that the aluminum wire won t bind up. The requirement to use shielding gas with aluminum welding wire means that you will need a mig welder capable of using shielding gas.