An Ultimate Guide To MIG Welding Wire Selection Process

MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas, and MIG Welding is a process that is followed to join two pieces of metal together. In this technique, a solid wire is passed through a welding gun and onto the point where the two metals are put together. The two pieces of metal are then allowed to rest, after which, they become one permanently.

MIG Welding has gained immense popularity in the past few years, as it is a process that is easy to learn, less time-consuming to follow than other welding processes, and most importantly, it’s light on the wallet of the ones looking to weld. Now, though MIG Welding is an easy and affordable process to follow.

One thing that you must keep in mind is the quality and kind of the MIG Welding Wire. This wire plays the most important role in the welding process, as it is the same thing that keeps the two pieces of metal stuck together. The longevity of the weld depends on this welding Wire.

It is therefore quite significant for you to pay attention to the kind and quality of MIG Welding Wire before buying it and using it to weld the metals together. Negligence could degrade the quality of the weld.

What is MIG Welding Wire Made Of?

For anyone who is looking to be involved in MIG Welding, it is crucial that they know about filler metals. Basically, the metal, in this case, the MIG Welding Wire, used to join two other pieces of metal together is known as filler metal.

It is obvious for the filler metal to be the same as the metal about to be joined together. For instance, steel must be used to join steel together. Since MIG Welding Wire acts as filler metal, they are made using a wide range of metals going from Steel rebar, manganese, aluminum, silicon, and so on.

Depending on the metal that is meant to be joined, the welder could choose the right MIG Welding Wire. There is also a weld filler metal selection chart available that the welders could consider before choosing the filler metal.

Types Of MIG Wire

When it comes to the types of MIG Welding Wire, well, they can be divided on the basis of the metal that has been used to create them. This is quite a huge range. In the same way, MIG Welding wire types can also be divided on the basis of their thickness. For common use, the wires between the thickness of 0.23 inch and 0.45 inch are produced.

For use in industries, or areas where higher tensile strength is required, MIG wires of higher thickness are produced. In the context of mild steel, there are two major types of MIG Wires available. They are ER70S-3 and ER70S-6.

These are manufactured as per the classification stated by the American Welding Society (AWS), and to meet the tensile strength of a minimum of 70000 psi. This means that a pressure of 70000 psi would be required to break apart the weld that is done using these Welding Wires. Since the two welding wires are different in build, they are used for specific purposes.

ER70S-3 is considered the best type of MIG Welding Wire to be used to weld clean steel that is rust-free and oil-free. The use of this type of wire also ensures that no silicon island forms on the welded surface. Paint doesn’t stick well over Silicon Island, and it is just a hindrance and troublesome feature to get rid of.

On the other hand, ER70S-6 is used to join steel that is slightly layered or scaled and has rust formed over it to some capacity. This type of wire has deoxidizing properties which are ideal to fight off problems as such. The wire is also the right option for a wash-in or a tie-in. In this process, the filler metal slowly transitions into the base metal.

Selection Criteria For Choosing The Best Welding Wire

MIG Welding Wire selection depends highly on which metal you are looking to weld together. In the case of steel, there are two main wire types – AWS classification ER70S-3 and ER70S-6. The former one can be used in all situations, whereas the latter one is used to weld steel that is dirty or rusty.

MIG Wire Selection is also based on MIG Wire sizes. Generally, a 0.3-inch diameter MIG Welding Wire is used as an all-purpose thing, mainly for home appliances and motors. If you’re looking to join metal that is thinner, you could use MIG Welding Wire that is 0.23 inches in diameter. You could use the wire size chart to make the selection easy.

Discussing more of size, if the metal that you’re welding together is thick, you could use MIG wire that is between 0.35 inches and 0.45 inches in diameter. But before you do that, make sure that your welding gun can easily melt the wire this thick.

Despite all this, you might also want to keep the welding wire manufacturer in mind during MIG Wire selection. It goes without saying that there are certain companies that produce better welding wires than others.

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