TIG welding vs MIG Welding: What Is The Difference?

 There exist a plethora of ways to go about welding now. There are many different kinds of welding in the modern world, with each of them having its own set of pros and cons. For this blog article, let’s focus on two popular ways of welding: TIG and MIG welding. To get started, let’s briefly discuss the two.

 

MIG Welding

MIG welding is Metal Inert Gas welding, which is also commonly known as GMAW or Gas Metal Arc Welding. Technological advancements in the time of war are a common narrative throughout history. The MIG welding process is one of those and was developed during World War II as a means to create weapons, etc. in a quicker and more efficient fashion.

 

The MIG welding process uses an arc of electricity that produces heat in the MIG wire as well as produces a non-reactive gas. With that, the metal melts and thus, successfully finishes the weld. This can be done by the MIG welder semi-automatically and automatically - the welder just needs to guide the electrode.

 

TIG Welding

TIG welding stands for Tungsten Inert Gas welding. TIG welding has a different procedure as opposed to the MIG welding process, of course. TIG welding uses non-consumable tungsten electrodes which then produce an electric arc for the final weld. This process does not need any additional metal and it can be performed manually or automatically. The electricity is passed through the metal tip of the electrode.

 

What are the different uses?

The common misconception of their interchangeability arises from the term ‘inert gas’ being present in both. However, MIG welding and TIG welding are not just different processes, but the kind of implementation and usage they have are also different and varied.

 

TIG welding is ideal for smaller-scale projects like welding a lawn mower, a bicycle frame, etc. It works well on metals like nickel, brass, gold, and alloys of these metals. MIG welding, as opposed to this, works well for projects on a larger scale. This includes welding requirements for motor vehicles as well as bodywork on them. This difference exists as TIG welding is a slower process that requires more patience and it pays more attention to the details and intricacies of the welding process. And because the MIG welding process has a continuous feed, it is faster. MIG welding is considered to be simpler and easier to master than TIG welding due to the same detail.

 

What are the different benefits?
Both types have their own lists of pros and cons. By now we have learned two of these already,

1. The MIG welding process requires a MIG wire, whereas TIG welding does not require an additional metal.
2. TIG welding is more apt for smaller sections whereas MIG welding is commonly used on bigger surfaces.

 

Here are a few more pointers of the varied pros and cons for both types:

●     MIG welding can be used on a variety of metals from thin to medium and thick metals.

●     TIG welding creates more accurate and cleaner welds as opposed to MIG welding.

●     TIG welding does not produce any sparks and splatter.

 

With all of this said, the choice of the kind of welding for a project is entirely contextual. It depends on the scale of the project, the metals that are in play as well as the budget! We hope this article has helped you in understanding MIG and TIG welding better!