Micro Plasma Arc Welding

The plasma welding process was introduced to the welding industry as a method of bringing
better control to the arc welding process in lower current ranges. Today, plasma retains the
original advantages it brought to industry by providing an advanced level of control and
accuracy to produce high quality welds in miniature or precision applications and to provide
long electrode life for high production requirements.
The plasma process is equally suited to manual and automatic applications. It has been used
in a variety of operations ranging from high volume welding of strip metal, to precision
welding of surgical instruments, to automatic repair of jet engine blades, to the manual
welding of kitchen equipment for the food and dairy industry.
How Plasma Welding Works
Plasma is a gas which is heated to an extremely high temperature and
ionized so that it becomes electrically conductive. Similar to GTAW
(Tig), the plasma arc welding process uses this plasma to transfer an
electric arc to a work piece. The metal to be welded is melted by the
intense heat of the arc and fuses together.
In the plasma welding torch a Tungsten electrode is located within a
copper nozzle having a small opening at the tip. A pilot arc is initiated between the torch
electrode and nozzle tip. This arc is then transferred to the metal to be welded.
By forcing the plasma gas and arc through a constricted orifice, the torch delivers a high
concentration of heat to a small area. With high performance welding equipment, the
plasma process produces exceptionally high quality welds.
Plasma gases are normally argon. The torch also uses a secondary gas, argon,
argon/hydrogen or helium which assists in shielding the molten weld puddle thus
minimizing oxidation of the weld.
Equipment Required List
Power Supply
Plasma Console (sometimes external, sometimes built in)
Water re-circulator (sometimes external, sometimes built in)
Plasma Welding Torch
Torch Accessory Kit (Tips, ceramics, collets, electrodes set-up gages)
List of Plasma Welding Features and Benefits
Features Benefit
Protected
electrode
Protected electrode allows for less electrode contamination. This is
especially advantageous in welding materials that out gas when
welded and contaminate the unprotected GTAW electrode
Length of arc
benefit due to arc
shape and even
heat distribution
Arc stand off distance is not as critical as in GTAW. Gives good weld
consistency. No AVC needed in 99% of applications, sometimes even
with wirefeed
Arc transfer is
gentle and
consistent
Provides for welding of thin sheet, fine wires, and miniature
components where the harsh GTAW arc start would damage the part
to be welded
Stable arc in
welding
Reduces arc wander. Arc welds where it is aimed. Allows and arc
starting tooling in close proximity to weld joint for optimum heat
sinking
Minimal high
frequency noise in
welding
Minimal high frequency noise once pilot arc started, thus plasma can
be used with NC controls. Another benefit lies in welding applications
involving hermetic sealing of electronic components where the GTAW
arc start would cause electrical disturbances possibly damaging the
electronic internals of the component to be welded.
Arc energy density
reaches 3 times
that of Tig
Causes less weld distortion and smaller welds. Gives high welding
speeds

Features, Benefits, and Applications
Features
P Protected electrode, offers long times before electrode maintenance (usually one 8 Hr
Shift)
L Low amperage welding capability (as low as 0.05 amp)
A Arc consistency and gentle arc starting produce consistent welds, time after time
S Stable arc in arc starting and low amperage welding
M Minimal high frequency noise issues, HF only in pilot arc start, not for each weld
A Arc energy density reaches 3 times that of GTAW. Higher weld speeds possible

W Weld times as short as 5 msecs (.005 secs)
E Energy density reduces heat affected zone, improves weld quality
L Length of arc benefit due to arc shape and even heat distribution
D Diameter of arc chosen via nozzle orifice

Benefits
The full list of reasons for using the plasma welding process is lengthy but can be
summarized into three main features where customers desire the advantages of at least one
feature.
Precision: The plasma process is generally more precise than conventional Tig
(remember that enhanced power supplies can create an arc that is different to a
conventional Tig arc) Plasma offers the following advantages over conventional Tig:
o Stable, concentrated arc
o Forgiveness in arc length variations (Tig +/- 5%, Plasma +/- 15%)
Small Part Welding:
o Low amperage capability (many plasma power supplies go down to .1 amps)
o Stable at low amps
o Gentle arc transfer (arc start) with no high frequency noise.
o Short weld times possible (for spot welds - guidewires, tubes etc.)
High Production Welding:
o Long electrode life offers many more hours of welding than Tig before
electrode contamination occurs.
In many applications, many of the unique advantages of plasma combine to benefit the
overall welding process.
Applications
Small Part Welding: The plasma process can gently yet consistently start an arc to the tip of
wires or other small components and make repeatable welds with very short weld time
periods. This is advantageous when welding components such as needles, wires, light bulb
filaments, thermocouples, probes and some surgical instruments.
Sealed Components: Medical and electronic components are often hermetically sealed via
welding. The plasma process provides the ability to:
1. Reduce the heat input to the part
2. Weld near delicate insulating seals
3. Start the arc without high frequency electrical noise which could be damaging to the
electrical internals
Applications include Pressure and Electrical Sensors, Bellows, Seals, Cans, Enclosures,
Microswitches, Valves, Electronic Components, Motors, Batteries, Miniature Tube to
Fitting/Flange, Food and Dairy Equipment,
Tool Die & Mold Repair: A whole repair industry has sprung up to assist companies wishing
to re-use components with slight nicks and dents from misuse or wear. The ability of
modern micro-arc power supplies to gently start a low amperage arc and make repairs has
provided users with a unique alternative to conventional repair and heat treatment. Both
the Micro-Tig and micro-plasma welding processes are used for tool, die and mold repair.
For outside edges the Plasma process offers great arc stability and requires less skill to
control the weld puddle. To reach inside corners and crevices the TIG process allows the
tungsten welding electrode to be extended in order to improve access.
Strip Metal Welding: The plasma process provides the ability to consistently transfer the arc
to the workpiece and weld up to the edges of the weld joint. In automatic applications no
Arc Distance Control is necessary for long welds and the process requires less maintenance
to the torch components. This is especially advantageous in high volume applications where
the material outgases or has surface contaminants.
Tube Mill Welding: Tube mills produce tube and pipe by taking a continuous strip of
material and rollforming the edges upwards until the edges of the strip meet together at a
weld station. At this point the welding process melts and fuses the edges of the tube
together and the material exits the weld station as welded tube.
The output of the tube mill depends on the arc welding speed and total time spent welding.
Each time the mill shuts down and starts up again there is a certain amount of scrap
produced. Thus the most important issues to the tube mill user are:
1. Maximum tube mill weld speed obtainable.
2. Arc stability for optimum weld quality and consistency.
3. Maximum number of hours of welding electrode tip life.
Some tube mills employ plasma welding in order to get a combination of increased weld
speed, improved weld penetration and maximum electrode life .
Comparison of GTAW and Plasma Welding Energy Input
The following is from a test made with the GTAW (Tig) and Plasma welding processes on a
specific strip of test material in order to establish a comparison of the energy input of both
processes. The test results should be used as a general guideline comparison only as welding
engineers can change any of the parameters noted below to achieve a different result.
Test Parameters: Manual welding, no clamping device, Cr/Ni steel, 0.102" thicknes. All values
determined with measuring instruments.
GTAW: 125 Amps, 12 Volts, 10.24 I.P.M. (26 cm/min)
Plasma: 75 Amps, 18 Volts, 13.38 I.P.M. (34 cm/min)
Heat Input:
V x A x 60
-----------------
Speed in cm/min
GTAW:
12 x 125 x 60
----------------- = 3.46 KJ
26 cm/min
Heat Input:
18 x 75 x 60
---------------- = 2.38 KJ
34 cm/min
In addition to the fact that a higher weld speed is possible, the lower heat input brings the
following advantages:
More consistency
Less distortion.
Less stress in welded component.
Lower risk of damaging any heat sensitive parts adjacent to the weld joint