Last Updated on October 19, 2021 by Antonio H. Johnson
What is welding and welding positions? Why are there different welding positions? And how do you know which position to use? We got you covered! Keep reading to know more!
Whenever we think of welding, we rarely consider how this sector affects the society around us. Welding is used in a variety of sectors, including construction, automotive, and more. Far too many things just wouldn’t exist without this type of metalwork, including numerous structures, gates, and fences, tiny kitchen appliances, automobiles, and even space flight.
Welding is a physically demanding and hard profession that is not for everyone. It is, nevertheless, a task that is necessary for a wide range of goods and infrastructures, as well as one that is vital in many parts of daily life. Keep on reading if you want to learn more about the welding industry. Welding could be for you if you enjoy working with your hands and are looking for a distinct feeling of community. It’s both a science and an art.
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Modern welders combine technical competence with technology and efficient smarter, not harder, on everything from basic fabrication to sophisticated robots. As a welder, you’ll gain skills that are both portable and recession-proof. There are several chances for profitable and satisfying employment in a number of areas. The demand for welders is at an all-time high since welding is such an important part of so many businesses and creative forms. This implies you have the option to specialize.
Contents
What are the Welding Symbols for the Different Types of Welding Positions?
Let’s bring all of these concepts together so you know which welding positions to use when reading the welding symbols on an architect’s blueprints:
| Welding Symbol | Welding Position | Weld Type |
| 1F | Flat Position | Fillet Weld |
| 1G | Flat Position | Groove Weld |
| 2F | Horizontal Position | Fillet Weld |
| 2G | Horizontal Position | Groove Weld |
| 3F | Vertical Position | Fillet Weld |
| 3G | Vertical Position | Groove Weld |
| 4F | Overhead Position | Fillet Weld |
| 4G | Overhead Position | Groove Weld |
What Are The 4 Recognized Welding Positions?
Welding is frequently done on buildings at the location where they are discovered and where the part will be utilized. Techniques for welding in any posture have been developed. Various welding techniques can be utilized in every position, whereas others can only be used in one or two. The placement of the workpiece or the welded connection on the plates or sections being welded can be used to categorize all welding. The four fundamental welding positions are depicted here, as specified by the American Welding Society.
1. FLAT WELD (1F OR 1G Welding)
This sort of welding is done from the joint’s top side. The weld’s face is nearly horizontal. Flat welding is the conventional phrase, however the same posture is also known as down hand welding. Note: A weld’s axis is a line that runs the length of the weld and is perpendicular to the cross-section just at weld’s center of gravity.
2. VERTICAL WELD (2F OR 2G Weld Position)
The weld axis in horizontal welding is now almost horizontal, although the type of weld determines the final definition. Welding is done on the top side of a roughly horizontal surface and against a roughly vertical surface for a fillet weld. The surface of a groove weld is almost vertical.
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But welding takes a little more practice than flat positioning welding. Because molten metal tends to flow to the lower side of the joint, this is the case. The torch’s temperature rises to the joint’s top surface. It’s tough to apply a consistent deposit to this joint because of the conflicting elements.
3. HORIZONTAL WELD (3F OR 3G Weld Position)
The axis of the weld in vertical position welding is almost vertical. The molten material tends to flow downward and build up while welding on a vertical surface. The flow of metal may be regulated by holding the rod between both the flame and the molten puddle and directing the flame upward at a 45-degree angle to the plate.
The torch with filler rod manipulation prevents the metal from drooping or dropping, ensuring excellent penetration and fusion at the junction. To deposit a homogeneous bead, both the flame and the welding rod should always be oscillated. The welding rod must be kept slightly just above joint’s centerline, and the molten metal should be swept over the joint uniformly by the welding flame.
4. OVERHEAD WELD (4F OR 4G Weld Position)
Overhead welding is done from the joint’s bottom. The metal deposited on the plate tends to droop or sag during overhead welding, giving the bead a high crown. To solve this challenge, the molten puddle must be maintained small, and just enough filler metal should indeed be supplied to provide excellent fusion with some strengthening at the bead.
If the puddle grows too large, turn off the flame for a moment to allow the weld metal to cool. The size of the puddle may be regulated while welding light sheets by evenly applying heat towards the base metal and filler rod.
What Are The 5 Welding Positions?
FLAT WELD
It’s a dream come true to work in the flat welding positions. Since the weld pool may lay flat and be adjusted in whatever direction you wish to go, it’s the easiest position to understand and work with. You’ll be welding first from joint’s top side, with the joint’s face horizontal. This method allows you to lower your molten metal pool into the joint, allowing it to fill it. This weld is quick, easy, and extremely effective.
VERTICAL WELD
The axis of your weld will usually be vertical or up are more likely with vertical welding. Instead of vertical welding, you’ll have to conduct horizontal welding. This weld location will be 3G and 3F, which are a vertical groove as well as vertical fillet weld, respectively.
Gravity will try to drive your molten metal downwards when you utilize these settings, causing it to pile up in one region of your point instead of being uniformly dispersed throughout the whole weld. You may avoid this by welding in a downhill or uphill vertical posture.
HORIZONTAL WELD
Horizontal welding is more harder to learn than vertical welding. You will have a nearly horizontal axis in this position. Positions are determined by the type of weld. Proceed to the welding symbol part of this page and read the sections for 2F and 2G positions for additional information on this position.
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The first thing you’ll need to do is make sure your bottom metal plates are flat and lined up correctly. To hold them in place, you’ll need to clip them down at both ends. Your flame should move up and down slightly while you weld. This ensures that the heat is spread evenly from one side of the joint to another. Maintaining a uniform distribution will minimize your plates from sliding about too much, and your hot molten metal from sliding toward the bottom of the joint.
This will speed up the solidification of the metal. This job will need a high level of expertise. Before you utilize this stance on anything critical, you should practice a lot. Since the vertical and above positions are much more challenging, you’ll need to grasp this position before moving on to the others.
OVERHEAD WELD
You conduct your weld form beneath the junction in the overhead welding position. This is the most difficult position to weld from, and the method is difficult. Prior to actually attempting to weld from this position, you should absolutely practice and have a firm grasp on the other approaches. Your metal will start to fall onto your base plate in this position. This results in a bead with a crown that is too high to be robust.
To avoid this situation, you should maintain your welding puddles as tiny as possible. This guideline is especially important when welding thin or light metal sheets. To do so, use a method that ensures uniform heat distribution between both the filling rod and the base metal to keep a tight grip over the width of your weld puddle.
PIPE AND GROOVE
Welding with pipes is a little different. The horizontal rolling, horizontal fixed, vertical, and inclined postures are all distinct from one another. Because pipe welding may be done in a wide range of situations, the four basic kinds weren’t quite adequate to cover it, therefore it was given its own fifth category as the last fundamental welding position. Your position will be dictated by your employment at Pipe Welding. It’s generally fixed, but if you need to work in a lying position on occasion, you may roll it.
What Are The 7 Basic Types of Welding?
GAS METAL WELDING
MIG welding is another name for it. The method entails melting metal with a consumable electrode and creating an electric arc from the metal. Before even being put into the welding pool, an electrode is a solid wire. It is continually supplied through the welding arc, resulting in a filler metal for the weld.
TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING
The welding process here uses a non-consumable electrode that is capable of generating a weld. Filler metal is obtained from a third-party source, generally a bare metal rod. A filler rod is not needed for autogenous welding. To protect the weld pool from infiltration by the environment, inert gas is employed.
SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDING
Because it is not impacted by wind, the approach is simple and appropriate for erecting buildings and other outdoor activities. Shielded metal welding is time-consuming since it requires replacing the electrode after it has been used and breaking off the slag after welding.
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FLUX-CORDED WELDING
It employs a helpful and effective continuous wire technique. When compared to shield metal arc welding, this approach is less expensive. Because of its inherent heavy-duty cycle, it may attain a high deposition rate. The welding method is suitable for both vertical downhill as well as vertical uphill welding applications. Metal coalescence is done here by warming the metals using an arc that continually provides a consumable electrode between both the metals. Deoxidizers offer shielding in a flux found in the electrode, or it can be derived from externally supplied inertia gas.
PLASMA ARC WELDING
Plasma arc welding generates heat in the same way that other types of welding do, but it disperses differently because it is forced through a narrower aperture. To augment the plasma gas, you can employ an additional shielding gas source. Welding quality and speed will be improved with the auxiliary source application.
ENERGY BEAM WELDING
It works with the assistance of an energy beam, which might be a laser or perhaps an electron beam. Energy beam welding is a novel type of welding that has gained popularity due to its great efficiency and the fact that it takes less time to complete.
ATOM HYDROGEN WELDING
Welding takes place in a hydrogen-shielded environment. The method use two tungsten electrodes but also hydrogen gas breaks to produce great heat, which breaks the hydrogen molecules involved, which also will later recombine to release enormous energy. The generated energy is subsequently put to use in the welding process.
Ultimately, give yourself time to enjoy and learn about welding. Consider how welding affects your everyday life and how you might assist to change unfavorable attitudes and misconceptions about the craft. So many things, from simple kitchen appliances to space flight, would be impossible to do without it.
Hi, this is Antonio. I’m a welder. I Love welding and writing blogs about welding. I know, choosing the best welding tools is very difficult. That’s why I have created this blog to teach people the basics of welding, what the best welding tools are, and where they can find it at a cheaper price.