The welding of titanium appears to be a fairly simple operation, apparently appearance, but which requires meticulous preparation and cleaning. Let’s discover together all the qualities of this metal and if, really, welding it is as simple as it seems.
The working environment: where to weld titanium
To weld titanium, great care must be taken when cleaning the work area. Guaranteeing a space reserved for this process is now the norm for all welding professionals: the working environment must be free of draughts, humidity, dust and any other type of contaminant.
Nevertheless, an open manufacturing site is preferred: the use of closed chambers is an obsolete practice and, thanks to modern technologies, welding in the field is also becoming increasingly common.
Another fundamental factor is to avoid carrying out other operations at too close a distance, such as grinding or cutting the material: the slag produced could affect the titanium and deprive it of its main characteristics.
How to weld titanium?
But how to weld titanium? Is it possible to use all the techniques? Or does it need specific processing?
The most commonly used welding method for machining titanium is TIG welding and, thanks to this, it is possible to perform very precise treatments with surprising results. Titanium and its alloys are easily weldable and, in most environments, are very resistant to corrosion.
In the molten state, titanium is very liquid and requires constant control of the weld pool, despite a very small and thin weld seam derailment. In this state, the absorption of external gases is very high, resulting in an evident embrittlement of the material. For this reason, welding in places subject to draughts should be avoided.
For this reason, TIG welding is preferred: Argon, chosen 99.999% pure to avoid the presence of imperfections, creates a layer of high protection for the weld pool.
Titanium welding: conclusions
The welding of titanium is not complex in itself, as it is similar to that of other metals, especially in the preparation and cleaning of the working environment.
Since it is a high quality metal, it has a particularly high cost: to avoid unnecessary waste of time and money, it is necessary to be meticulous in cleaning.
