Types of Arc Welding Electrodes

• Electrodes play an integral part in arc welding. welding project image by leemarusa from Fotolia.com

  Arc welding is one of the most common forms of welding. The process gets its name from the fact that its primary component is a heated metal arc that not only melts the two sides of the pieces it is joining, but also adds material from another metal source for extra binding. This other source of metal is called the electrode. In arc welding, several different types of consumable electrodes are used. If you are interested in learning more about welding, you would do well to familiarize yourself with these.

Nonconsumable Electrodes

• Sometimes, an arc welding electrode will just be a rod-like protrusion that carries the electric current from the electric arc to the work piece. In this case, the electrode does not contribute any material to the weld. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is a common form of welding that employs a nonconsumable electrode.

Consumable Electrodes

• Consumable electrodes are pieces of metal rod or wire that are melted and added to the weld in order to provide a stronger bond. The wire or rod feeds beneath the arc and melts, and the arc transports the droplets of melted material through the arc column and into the weld. Any system that does this is called a metal-arc system.

Low Hydrogen Electrodes

• Low hydrogen electrodes can be used with either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). It comes with a coating that has a low level of moisture content. This low moisture content reduces the amount of hydrogen in the weld. This type of arc welding electrode must be completely dry when used.

Bare Electrodes

• Bare electrodes are consumable electrodes without any type of a coating. They have no coating around them, and therefore do not create any type of a shield for the weld.

Light-Coated Consumable Electrodes

• Light-coated arc welding electrodes have a small amount of coating, or flux, around them. Welding flux assists in the welding process in a few ways. Sometimes, it will create a smoke that will shield the area around the weld while working. It can also cause impurities in the metal to float the the surface, therefore ensuring a stronger weld.

Heavy-Coated Electrodes

• Heavy-coated arc welding electrodes, also known as shielded arc electrodes, come with a high amount of flux coating on them. Flux coatings can have a wide variety of effects on the final weld, including reducing corrosion and increasing strength.