Tungsten Inert Gas, or TIG welding is a welding process which uses an electric welding torch shielded by an inert gas such as argon. The torch contains an electrode made from tungsten which is used to melt the parent material while the shielding gas prevents oxidation of the molten metal. For TIG welding a filler wire must be applied manually to provide the additional material for the weld.
The TIG welding process is very similar to traditional oxy-acetylene welding but using an electric current to melt the material. Most metals can be TIG welded including steels, stainless steels, aluminium, copper, cast iron and alloy steels for which it may not be possible to weld by any other process.
TIG welding gives the welder outstanding control over the molten pool making ideal for welding thin gauge metals, or delicate welding tasks.
Some typical applications for TIG welding are the welding of airframe members, thin gauge stainless steel welding, sheet metal assembly, welding of aluminium plates and extruded sections.