Experienced welders know that without the right information, it's easy to sacrifice quality, lose time, and become frustrated with gas-tungsten-arc welding (GTAW), also known as tungsten-inert-gas (TIG) welding. For novices, that statement is even truer. While there's merit in learning to weld by trial and error, if you want to move toward precision GTAW or TIG welding, an introduction and starting off with the basics is a must. Of course, as with anything, practice is the key to fully developing these techniques. Follow along and learn how you, too, can get the most out of your TIG machine and exactly what TIG welding is all about. For more information, contact the companies listed in the source box.
1. TIG Welding Defined
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode. Filler metal is added by hand, or by a cold wire feeder, while inert gas protects the weld and the non-consumable tungsten. | 
2. TIG-Weld Process Advantages
-High quality and a precision weld
-Pin-point control
-Aesthetic weld beads
-No spark or weld spatter
-No flux or slag
-Ability to weld more metals and alloys
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3. TIG-Weld System Setup
At first, a TIG-weld setup might look a little more complicated than a general metal inert gas (MIG) setup, but that's because it is. But once you know your way around the machine, it's not that bad at all. |
4. Power Source Basics
Conventional power source setup defined. | 
Inverter Power Sources | 
6. Inverter Advantages
-Size and weight
-Electrical versatility
-Arc shaping
-Process control |
7. Size And Weight
As shown here, the inverter greatly reduces the size and weight of the TIG machine. | 
8. Current and Polarity Characteristics | 
9. The problem with welding aluminum is the high melting point of the aluminum-oxide layer. |
10. Zero Crossover Area
The percentage of time spent in the "zero crossover area" affects the quality of the welding arc. | 
11. Balance AC Wave
Here's a look at a weld with a balanced AC wave. It is balanced with both cleaning and penetration. | 
12. Balance Control
Here, you can see the difference in welds between maximum cleaning and maximum penetration. |
13. Advanced Squarewave
The introduction of Squarewave technology brings a new level of TIG-welding performance to the market. | 
14. Extended Balance Control
This controls the amount of arc-cleaning action and width of the arc-etching zone around the weld. | 
15. Frequency Adjustment at 60 Hz
At 60 Hz, you can see the bead doesn't quite penetrate the thick aluminum. |
16. Frequency Adjustment at 200 Hz
At 200 Hz, the bead is much tighter and penetrated the thicker metal. | 
17. AC Frequency Control
The AC frequency controls the width of the arc cone. | 
18. Arc shaping Capabilities
Arc shaping capabilities are enhanced by improved balance control. On the left is the tungsten with a balled end, due to more time spent in the electrode positive (EP ) part of the cycle, which creates shallower penetration. On the right is the tungsten with a sharp end, due to more time spent in the electrode negative (EN) part of the cycle, which creates deeper penetration and allows faster travel speeds. |