Applications

Transfer of the metal from the weld wire to the weld puddle can take place in a number of ways depending both on the electrical parameters and the protective gas or gas mixture used: 

1. Short-arc, or short circuit transfer, is a process based on a low influx of heat and low penetration. The short-arc process gives good results on thin materials and sheet metal, and is used successfully to carry out welds which are out of position or where there is a wide gap between the pieces to be welded. Short-arc can be used with all protective gases and gas mixtures but has low productivity if used solely with Carbon Dioxide. 

2. Bead transfer is not usually the best method for depositing weld metal given the low efficiency which characterises this process. 

3. Spray-arc transfer is an extremely clean and highly efficient process in which the complete absence of scattered droplets means all the material introduced is deposited into the weld pool. Spray-arc welding gives better results if performed using gas mixtures with low Carbon Dioxide content or ternary mixtures from the Stargas range. 

4. Pulsed arc transfer combines the benefits obtainable from short-arc (low heat transfer) and spray-arc (greater productivity). This transfer method is useful for both out of position welds or small-medium thicknesses and both for filling hollows or welding extremely thick materials. Pulsed arc is optimised using mixtures from the Stargas line, such as Stargon PB for carbon steels, for example, and Hydrostar PB SS. for stainless steels.