In order to understand what spot welders do, the first thing one needs to take a look at is what spot welding is.
Following is an overview.
Spot welding is a form of resistance welding. It is a process by which various sheet metal products are welded together.
These metal sheets commonly range in thickness from .5 to 3 mm.In the process, spot welders take two formed copper alloy electrodes, which allow them to concentrate their welding efforts in a small “spot”, which clamps the sheets together. A Spot welder will then power a large current through this spot, which melts the metal sheets, forming the weld.
The Value of Spot Welders
The advantage of spot welding is that a large amount of energy can be brought to one spot in a very short period of time – literally in milliseconds. Spot welders, in essence, weld without bringing unnecessary heat to the rest of the metal sheets.
What determines how much heat is brought to the pre-determined spot? This is where the real skill of spot welders come in. For, the amount of heat brought to bear to a particular spot is determined by the resistance between the electrodes and the amplitude and duration of the current.
Professional spot welders know how to match such tangibles as the sheet metal’s properties, its thickness and the type of electrodes. All of this is important because if not heat is given, then the metal won’t melt. If too much heat is applied to a spot, then a hole can result, instead of a weld.
Skilled spot welders know how to aggregate all of the factors to prevent overheating or underheating a spot. Their expertise is in judging exactly how much heat needs to be applied to create the perfect weld.
A Fertile Market for Spot Welders
Many spot welders work in the automotive industry, because to make cares, sheets of metal must be welded together.