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==General Welding Knowledge==

==General Welding Knowledge==

Welding is the process of joining metals together. It is a form of additive manufacturing. There are several different types of welding, and the Welding Lab uses most of these including Spot, TIG, and MIG.  

Welding is the process of joining metals together. It is a form of additive manufacturing. There are several different types of welding, and the Welding Lab uses most of these including spot welding.  

In the Prototype Lab, objects are most commonly printed from an STL file. This means if you create a part in SolidWorks that you must save the file as a .stl instead of a .sldprt . Once the file is in STL form, it can then be processed by a slicer software. The slicer software converts the 3D model into thin layers and produces a G-code file. G-codes communicate with the chosen 3D printer, giving it directions on how to print the object.  

In the Welding Lab, metals are joined together using MIG (Metal Inert Gas), TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas), Stick and spot welding.  

Different 3D printers will run with different slicer programs. Typically a program will allow you to edit various parts of the process. One common consideration will be the layer thickness. This is the resolution at which the printer will print at. Each printer will have its own range of resolution. The thinner the layer thickness (higher resolution), the more detail you will get, but the print will be created more slowly. The thicker the layers (lower resolution), the less detail you will receive, but the object will be printed more quickly. Another consideration is support. For objects with overhangs, holes, etc., support will be needed. This will give the printer a surface to print on so that it can continue to build the print layer by layer. Each printer uses supports differently. Some printers have break away support while other have dissolvable support material.

Each welder has its own special purpose and benefits. MIG is fast and much easier to learn than TIG welding. Spot welding is only used with sheet metal. TIG welding produces very clean welds and the heat is more confined to a smaller area.  TIG will also allow you to weld very thin metals.

 

Keep in mind that '''every print should be recorded in the Job Log'''. This allows the Lab to track the material usages and success rates of the printers, as well as recording the prices of every print. To record your print in the job log, go to the [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16fEdNcuvR_GSNV2Emy1P7SpJdetXU7ts9uQy-Ok7dRk/edit?usp=sharing Job Log spreadsheet] and fill out the required fields. A good time to fill it out is right after you have finished setting up a print.   

[[File:3Dsupports.png|250px|thumb|right|Example of an object (blue) printed with supports (white)]]

There are common places of potential failure which you should watch for every print. The following points of failure specifically apply to FDM prints.

There are common places of potential failure which you should watch for every print. The following points of failure specifically apply to FDM prints.