Fascinating facts about welding
In the USA, April is National Welding Month. In tribute to our welding friends across the pond and to the unsung, hardworking welders here in the UK, today we’re going to shine a light on this fascinating fabrication process.
What do welders do?
Welders create or repair metal structures, goods and equipment by fusing metals such as stainless steel, aluminium, iron and brass using an extremely high heat.
Welding has been in existence for thousands of years. The history of joining metals via hammering and heating dates back millennia to the Bronze and Iron Ages. There are even hieroglyphics depicting welders at work.
Today there are currently more than 30 different welding techniques. One of the most popular and widely used is arc welding, which is a technique that uses an electric arc to melt the metal and fuse it together. Arc welding includes metal-inert gas (MIG) welding and Tungsten-inert gas (TIG) welding.
Welders have a variety of different tools at their disposal depending on which metals and structures they are working with, including TIG welders, MIG welders, stick welders, core flux welders and multi-process welders.
More than 50% of all man-made objects have undergone some form of welding procedure. Almost anything that contains metal will have been welded at some point – cars, buildings, bridges, ships, computers, garden furniture, you name it, it’s probably been welded!
Welding is a highly skilled profession and spans many industries, including construction, manufacturing, marine and automotive. Welding can be a manual, semi-automatic or fully-automated process, depending on the requirements of the job in hand. Welding is a vital part of the fabrication of steel structures, and as such it’s an integral part of our business here at Blue Cube Fabrications.
Welding as an art form
Although welding is primarily associated with industry, it can be an artistic, highly creative practice too. Famous artists who have worked in metalwork and embraced welding as part of the artistic process include Henry Moore, Antony Gormley, Pablo Picasso and Anthony Caro.
Types of welding services
Welding services include bespoke metalwork designs, sculptures and constructions and the repair of existing metalwork. Welders often have an extremely varied workload thanks to the many different types of industries and structures that require welding. In the construction sector welders fabricate
