Why should we use pulse welding?

Pulse welding focuses the arc and makes the weld path smaller, so it stays in place. It's not only easier to control, but you still have full penetration.

The puddle freezes as you enter the basic amp portion of the pulse cycle, and the cooling at that moment helps the weld to level out. The longer you spend on the background amplifier, the better the "puddle freeze" effect, which is what creates the appearance of a stacked dime.

Pulse welding also completely eliminates spatter, so you don't have to do any post-weld cleanup.

 

When should we pulse weld?

❉ Stainless steel, aluminum and other highly thermally conductive metals

Pulse not only helps prevent sheet metal distortion, but is often used with known heat sink metals. Cooler welds provide all the penetration needed without exploding the metal with excessive heat.

❉ Misalignment Welding

The cooling of the puddle makes it smaller meaning it is less likely to drip. If you weld misaligned, the use of pulses will keep the weld where it should be, not on you.

❉ Sheet Metal

Pulse welding is cooler than standard welding due to the low current intensity. The less heat there is in the metal, the less distortion there is, which is perfect for thin materials.

❉ Hole Filling

The ability to weld without applying too much heat to the metal makes filling holes much easier. At lower heat levels, there is much less chance of blowing farther through the hole (or usually through the metal).

❉ Different metal thicknesses

Just like welding mismatches, pulses help hold the weld pool exactly where you want it, which makes it easier to weld thin parts to thick parts. This is especially true when welding lap joints consisting of two different sizes. You don't have to worry about the pool spilling over the top edge.

❉ No Spatter

By all means, this isn't really an issue when you're TIG welding, but when you're MIG welding, less spatter means less cleanup after the weld is done.

Pulse welding isn't the only method that works for any of these applications, but it does make some of the more difficult welds much easier.