GMAW machines are manufactured in
Single Phase – 240 volts Australian standard voltage – which power our home level machines
3 Phase – These are the industry standard high duty cycle. As such we won’t discuss them very much.

MIG is an incorrect description applied by many who broadly apply it to the generic type of type of process. MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas which was the very first of this type of machine invented around the second world war. The inert gas was ARGON, a gas extracted during the production of high pressure cutting and welding oxygen. Argon is purified, pressurised and stored in cylinders for the welding industry. Only a few applications such as Aluminium currently require pure welding grade Argon .Most GMAW processes use a mix of Argon, Oxygen and Co2 which are ACTIVE gases and are deliberately used to affect the characteristics of the welding arc such as penetration and welding bead profile.

Slightly different again is the FCAW - Flux Core Arc Welding process. The difference is in the electrode filler wire which is a hollow tube that contains flux and sometimes alloying metal. There are a few distinct grades of wire, some that require gas and some that don’t. FCAW application is quite useful to farmers as a group who find it a means to achieve high strength welds on agricultural machinery fabrication and repair.


FCAW is a derivative of another similar process, Submerged Arc, which involves wire and flux, loose flux like granules. Some on the Forum confused it with the above. This process , Submerged Arc is capable of huge deposition rate but only in the flat position and has no gas shielding. It is strictly industrial only. It is 3 phase.

Some FCAW machines can be used as a normal GMAW and can be changed back by swapping cables on output terminals and attaching a gas cylinder, gas regulator, gas flowmeter and the correct pattern drive wheels and the correct wire of course. A buyer seeking a versatile home (read 15 amp 240 volt ) unit could not do much better.

Brands of GMAW machines
While not seeking to deride anyone’s choice of GMA welding machine it only stands to reason that best value must be found in a unit from a company whose core business is making welding machines. I have found Lincoln and WIA to be exceptional machines in terms of reliability, quality service and parts. Should you be unlikely enough to be in a situation where you machine has to go in to the repair shop a well known unit will be repaired with little problems. My wife works in a business that repairs electrical tools and machinery. Most difficulties are caused by unavailability of common spares and circuit diagrams for “cheapy” equipment.

I will do the glossary as the last submission of the series.

May Santy bring you a good quality GMAW machine if you have been looking for one.
I"ll catch you lot after boxing day
Have a good one
Grahame