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Our highly trained and experienced weld team are some of the best in the industry and our quality is second to none. We produce high quality fabrications in various sizes and levels of complexity, for a range of applications and sectors. We work with businesses in a wide variety of sectors with capabilities to offer short and long runs of metal products.

What is sheet metal welding?

Welding is a fabrication process of joining together two pieces of metal by applying extreme heat which melts one or both pieces, causing fusion between the two. Welding can be further broken down into different techniques, depending on the requirements and application of the product.

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What types of welding services do we offer?

MIG welding

MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding is a welding process whereby a consumable wire electrode is continuously fed through a welding gun and an electric arc is formed between the wire and the metal workpiece. This high temperature arc causes the metal to melt and fuse. Around this electrode, a gas is applied to shield the weld area and remove any air, helping the weld to fuse. MIG welding can be used on almost any metal and has the advantage of being fast and cost efficient. However, MIG welding does not always produce the highest quality finish.

TIG welding

TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding is the process of using a non-consumable Tungsten electrode to deliver a current to the welding arc. This current causes extreme heat which melts and fuses the metal workpiece(s). The Tungsten electrode and weld area are shielded from air by a flow of inert gas (usually Argon) This helps the weld to fuse.

Robotic Welding

Robotic welding is the process of using a CNC robotic arm and automated workpiece manipulator to weld large or unwieldy parts quickly and accurately. A robotic welder is capable of repeat welding large volumes of parts with no loss of quality. We operate a Yaskawa robotic welding cell which uses cold metal transfer technology to weld parts. Cold metal transfer welding is similar to MIG welding in that it uses an electrode to create a weld current between the arc and workpiece.

Manual Welding

Manual welding is a process during which the entire welding is being performed by a human operator. It requires significant skill, therefore our welders are qualified to a minimum standard of BS4872.

What are the differences between MIG & TIG welding?

The major difference between MIG & TIG welding is that the electrode used in TIG welding is non-consumable, whereas in MIG welding, it is continuously used up in the process.

Where cold metal technology differs from MIG is that it repeatedly and rapidly retracts the current, which in turn reduces the heat in the weld area. This creates a “drop by drop” deposit of weld material.

If you need more information about different types of welding services available and their application, contact us to discuss your requirements.

What is spot welding?

Spot welding, also sometimes referred to as resistance welding, is the process of joining two metal workpieces by creating heat through resistance from an electric current applied between two electrodes. We offer spot welding for aluminium, mild steel and stainless steels.

What is projection welding?

Projection welding uses the same process as spot welding whereby two electrodes create resistance and generate heat. However, in projection welding, the electrodes are flat and the weld area is localised by projections (raised areas) in the workpiece. These areas become the focus of the current and therefore heart, meaning that the workpieces then join at these areas. Watch a video of a projection weld machine applying weld nuts.

Robotic Welding

Alpha Manufacturing’s installation of a robotic welding has increased our capacity to offer high accuracy weld detail in volume as well as 100% product repeatability. Robotic Welding is the perfect solution for customers who require high volume, highly accurate, repeatable products.

Our robot welder boasts high-end features such as Cold Metal Transfer technology to eradicate spatter and reduce burn-through and distortion. The Robot also comes equipped with Seam Finding technology to ensure the robot always welds true to joining parts.

With interchanging fixture manipulators, we can ensure fast paced production, ensuring jigging time is within weld cycle using state of the art pneumatic clamping fixtures.

Robotic Welding Capabilities at Alpha Manufacturing

Maximum Component Length:

2000mm

Maximum Component Diameter:

1600mm

Maximum Component Weight:

500kg

Manual Welding

Manual MIG TIG Welding

We have 10 dedicated MIG & TIG welding stations that are flexible enough to handle components up to 6 metres long.

In addition, we have 2 spot welding facilities with the ability to apply spot welds to assemblies up to 6mm thick.

To offer a fully finished welded assembly we also have 2 finishing stations with full table extraction and welds can be either simple dressed or barrel finished for a fine finish.

If you have a question regarding welding or any other sheet metal processes, or are interested in quality welds, please get in touch.

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We work with businesses in a wide variety of sectors with capabilities to offer short and long runs of metal products.

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