{"id":802,"date":"2018-01-10T16:12:48","date_gmt":"2018-01-10T21:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/?p=802"},"modified":"2022-06-06T18:08:55","modified_gmt":"2022-06-06T22:08:55","slug":"mig-busters-are-you-using-the-wrong-size-mig-wire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/mig-busters-are-you-using-the-wrong-size-mig-wire\/","title":{"rendered":"MIG Busters: Are You Using the Wrong Size MIG Wire?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"m-entry__feedback\"><div class=\"m-feedback-prompt\">\n\t\t  <h4 class=\"m-feedback-prompt__header\">Was this article helpful?<\/h4>\n\t\t  <a href=\"#\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__social m-feedback-prompt__social_thumbsup yes\" data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:yes\">\n\t\t    <i class=\"fa fa-thumbs-up\">&nbsp;<\/i>\n\t\t  <\/a>\n\t\t  <a href=\"#\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt_form no\" data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:no\">\n\t\t    <i class=\"fa fa-thumbs-down\">&nbsp;<\/i>\n\t\t  <\/a><br>\n\t\t  <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__display m-feedback-prompt__social yes\">\n\t\t    <p class=\"m-feedback-prompt__text\">Awesome, share it:<\/p>\n\t\t    <a class=\"m-feedback-prompt__social--button p-button-social has-icon facebook fa fa-facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/mig-busters-are-you-using-the-wrong-size-mig-wire\/\" onclick=\"javascript:window.open(this.href,\n  '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\">\n\t\t      <span class=\"p-button-social__social-text\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t    <\/a>\n\t\t    <a class=\"m-feedback-prompt__social--button p-button-social has-icon twitter fa fa-twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/mig-busters-are-you-using-the-wrong-size-mig-wire\/&text=MIG Busters: Are You Using the Wrong Size MIG Wire?\" onclick=\"javascript:window.open(this.href,\n  '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\">\n\t\t      <span class=\"p-button-social__social-text\">Tweet<\/span>\n\t\t    <\/a>\n\t\t    <a class=\"m-feedback-prompt__social--button p-button-social has-icon googleplus fa fa-google-plus\" href=\"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/share?url=http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/mig-busters-are-you-using-the-wrong-size-mig-wire\/\" onclick=\"javascript:window.open(this.href,\n  '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\">\n\t\t      <span class=\"p-button-social__social-text\">Google Plus<\/span>\n\t\t    <\/a>\n\t\t    <a class=\"m-feedback-prompt__social--button p-button-social has-icon linkedin fa fa-linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/mig-busters-are-you-using-the-wrong-size-mig-wire\/&title=MIG Busters: Are You Using the Wrong Size MIG Wire?\" onclick=\"javascript:window.open(this.href,\n  '', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600');return false;\">\n\t\t      <span class=\"p-button-social__social-text\">LinkedIn<\/span>\n\t\t    <\/a>\n\t\t  <\/div>\n\t\t  \t<div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__display m-feedback-prompt__form no\">\n\t\t  \t<div class=\"thanks feedback-nodisplayall\"><h2>Thanks!<h2><div class=\"m-contact\"><p>Thanks for getting in touch with us.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t    <form id=\"contact-form\" class=\"new_support_request\" action=\"\" accept-charset=\"UTF-8\" method=\"post\">\n\t\t    <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"authenticity_token\" name=\"authenticity_token\" value=\"659de24d36\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\" \/>\n\t\t      <input value=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/mig-busters-are-you-using-the-wrong-size-mig-wire\/\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenturl\" id=\"currenturl\">\n\t\t      <input value=\"MIG Busters: Are You Using the Wrong Size MIG Wire?\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenttitle\" id=\"currenttitle\">\n\t\t      <label class=\"is-required\">Help us improve. Give us your feedback:<\/label>\n\t\t      <textarea class=\"p-input__textarea\" name=\"feedbackmessage\" id=\"feedbackmessage\"><\/textarea>\n\t\t      <label class=\"is-required\">Your Full Name:<\/label>\n\t\t      <input class=\"p-input__text\" type=\"text\" name=\"feedbackfullname\" id=\"feedbackfullname\">\n\t\t      <label class=\"is-required\">Your email address:<\/label>\n\t\t      <input class=\"p-input__text\" type=\"text\" name=\"mailinglistemail\" id=\"mailinglistemail\">\n\t\t      <div class=\"feedback-message\" id=\"feedback-message\"><\/div>\n\t\t      <div class=\"__submit\">\n\t\t        <input type=\"submit\" name=\"commit\" value=\"Submit\" class=\"p-button\" id=\"submit-contact-form\" data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:submit\">\n\t\t      <\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/form>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><p><strong><em>Bigger is almost always better\u2014at least when you\u2019re talking about MIG wire diameter\u2014according to Fred Schweighardt, Advanced Fabrication Project Leader at Airgas. Read his detailed breakdown below to find out why you want to consider using thicker wire, even when welding thinner materials.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the many things to choose in MIG welding is the size of MIG wire you want to use. There is a widely accepted point of view that \u201cthin\u201d metal should be welded with \u201csmall\u201d diameter wire. But really, shouldn\u2019t we first define what is thick or thin, big or small?<\/p>\n<p>One way to break up metal thicknesses is as follows: Thin is everything 1\/8\u201d and below; everything else is thick. And when it comes to wire diameter, generally speaking, anything less than .045\u201d can be considered small, and all others as big. Certainly, these may seem like oversimplifications, but there\u2019s sound reasoning behind it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MIG-Wire-Chart-01.svg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-851\" src=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MIG-Wire-Chart-01.svg\" alt=\"Chart Showing How Diameter Affects Current Density\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s assume we want a ~1\/8 fillet weld on a tee joint of 1\/8\u201d base metal. We can run .045\u201d wire at 200 inches per minute (IPM), which will deposit about 5.4 pounds per hour of weld at about 24 IPM of travel speed. To make the same weld (at same travel speed, same deposition), we need 325 IPM of MIG wire when using .035\u201d. All seems well, until we look at current density. The .045 wire is about 120,000 amps per square inch, and the .035\u201d is over 50% higher\u2014about 195,000. And what if we go up to .052\u201d wire? We end up with 140 IPM wire speed, 24 IPM travel speed and a current density of 89,500 amps per square inch.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-035.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-826\" style=\"margin: 0 4px 10px 4px;\" src=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-035-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"Welding with 0.035&quot; wire\" width=\"210\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-035-300x234.jpg 300w, http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-035.jpg 410w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-045.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-827\" style=\"margin: 0 4px 10px 4px;\" src=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-045-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"Welding with 0.045&quot; wire\" width=\"210\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-045-300x234.jpg 300w, http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-045.jpg 410w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-052.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-828\" style=\"margin: 0 4px 10px 4px;\" src=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-052-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"Welding with 0.052&quot; wire\" width=\"210\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-052-300x234.jpg 300w, http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wire-052.jpg 410w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>What is the big deal with current density?<\/h3>\n<p>If the joint fits properly, and there are no gaps, it isn\u2019t a big deal. However, reality tells us that the joints don\u2019t always fit right, and gaps are the rule, rather than the exception. When we have a higher current density, and we encounter a gap while welding, the higher density tends to blow through the joint and over-penetrate. This results in massive repair and rework costs.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, we can always lower the current density to match that of larger wires by reducing wire feed speed. Then, however, we run into another problem. If we set the wire speed at 250 IPM for .035\u201d wire, we will only be depositing 4.1 pounds per hour of weld metal. This represents a 30% reduction in productivity. Now the job takes 30% longer and uses 30% more gas and electricity.<\/p>\n<p>If all that isn\u2019t enough, there&#8217;s one more thing to keep in mind. Many fabrication operations have multiple instances of all possible combinations of thinner and thicker base metals. Wouldn\u2019t it make sense to use a single wire that can effectively develop a quality weld on all of these materials? You could eliminate operations or wire changes\u2014or even reduce capital costs\u2014by purchasing simpler welding machines that only need to run one size of wire.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, it goes against commonly accepted logic, but it\u2019s worth a shot. Try your \u201cthin\u201d base metal with some \u201cbig\u201d wire. If you consistently weld thinner material, you may also want to consider trying some lower energy shielding gases like 95% argon\/5% O<sup>2<\/sup>. Put conventional wisdom to the test and see how much more stable and easy to use these filler materials can be.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for more welding-related insights? Try these other <em>Airgas Thinks<\/em> posts:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/welding-efficiency-programs\/\">Welding Efficiency Programs: Do or Do Not. There Is No &#8220;Try.&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/whats-the-spatter\/\">What&#8217;s the Spatter?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Was this article helpful? &nbsp; &nbsp; Awesome, share it: Share Tweet Google Plus LinkedIn Thanks!Thanks for getting in touch with &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/mig-busters-are-you-using-the-wrong-size-mig-wire\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[528,526,521,527,535,523,534,532,297,540,546,533,529,536,537,524,531,134,522,530],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2185,"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions\/2185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jschaeffer.us\/sandbox\/airgasthinks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}