How to Weld Titanium with TIP TIG
TIP TIG, Titanium welding made simple. A welding process can be judged by the weld results attained with complex alloys, and there is no alloy more complex than Titanium.
When welding any alloys, especially titanium welding with the manual TIG or the automated Hot Wire TIG process, there is always concern about the weld oxidation. Weld shops evaluate the finished titanium weld quality by the untouched color of the completed weld. Silver color with an untouched titanium weld is the first choice. Regular manual TIG welds on Titanium parts >3 mm are carried out at typical TIG weld speeds in the 2 to 5 inch/min (5 cm/min to 12.7 cm/min). The slow TIG weld speeds will create high temperatures, and the solidified weld that trails the gas cup may be at temperatures that exceed 700°F (371°C). Once above this temperature, the titanium welds can result in oxidation reactions with the atmosphere. Those reactions will ruin the titanium properties creating costly scrap.
For decades, welders have had to use extra-large shielding nozzles and a cumbersome, argon trailing shield attached to their TIG or MIG torches and the backside to protect the titanium welding of the welds. With a single pass, titanium TIP TIG welds made on parts over 4 mm, the weld heat measured within 3 mm of a fillet weld edge immediately at the weld completion is typically in the range of 300°F to 380°F (150°C to 195°C). This temperature range is too low for weld oxidation to occur with any alloys. When you can produce the highest weld quality with the lowest weld heat with any alloy welds, you not only have the cleanest welds with the lowest weld pore content, you eliminate weld cracks, weld distortion, weld stress issues, and you should enable the highest possible weld – clad metallurgical properties. You will be pleased to know that with the TIP TIG process, most manual or automated titanium welds will typically be done 100% to 300% faster, and the most significant impact on weld heat is weld speed.
TIP TIG is the world’s best process for titanium welding is with most single-pass welds, the titanium temperature within 3 mm of the weld edge is typically 280°F – 380°F (138°C – 195°C).
TIP TIG titanium welds produce much lower weld heat resulting in untouched, 100% silver welds. The weld agitation also enables the lowest titanium weld porosity content.
