Arc Welding

Arc Welding is one of the oldest of the welding processes. Officially called Manual Metal Arc Welding (or MMA) the process is also known as Arc Welding, Stick Welding or Rod Welding.

The principle is fairly simple - an arc is struck between the Welding Electrode and the job - at the same time as the metal core of the Welding Electrode melts, a flux around the Welding Electrode burns to create a gas shield around the Welding Arc.

An Arc Welder can be used to Arc Weld most metals and is particularly suitable for Arc Welding Cast Iron. Arc Welding is also used extensively for "on site" welding, as the modern Arc Welder is light and portable.

The modern Arc Welder is usually an Inverter Arc Welder - this means they use electronics to convert mains electricity into Arc Welding current. Older type Arc Welders use a transfomer to do this, however, transformers are heavy and electrically inefficient. Inverter Arc Welders are light and powerful and so lend themselves very well to on site Arc Welding, or any situation where the Arc Welder needs to be moved around.

Choosing an Arc Welder - Which Arc Welder to choose is a balance between how much you want to spend and what you want the Arc Welder to do. There is little point in buying a 120amp Arc Welder if you want to weld 10mm steel as it will simply not be powerful enough. All the Arc Welders featured on this website have a guide to capability to help you choose the right Arc Welder for you, but if you would like to discuss your needs in more detail and ask for advice on which Arc Welder would be suitable, please do not hesitate to phone and ask to speak to our Technical Department.

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