The importance of perfect wire feeding in MIG welding of aluminium

For materials such as steel and stainless steel, using wire in drums has become a common solution to this issue. However, this practice is not yet widespread for aluminium welding. The primary challenge lies in the unique properties of aluminium welding wire. Unlike steel, aluminium wire lacks “memory” and adapts itself over time to the shape of the drum. This can cause the wire to twist and resist movement through the cable assembly and torch, leading to difficult wire feeding and instability in the welding arc, ultimately resulting in welding defects.

Recognising this challenge, Valk Welding has developed an innovative solution to enable the use of aluminium welding wire in drums. This advancement addresses the specific issues associated with aluminium wire, ensuring smooth and consistent wire feeding.

The vast majority of existing solutions are based on mechanically straightening the wire which can solve one problem but create others down the line(r). These solutions often require heavy bi-axial straightening, which increases the load on the wire-feed motor and extend wire change-over times. Or they involve sensitive mechanical equipment being less robust in production environments. On top of that there is no “best practice” and a lot of “trial and error”

To achieve perfect aluminium welding from drums, Valk Welding has developed an effective solution to combat the persistent issues without “touching” the wire while highly robust for manufacturing environments. A truly innovative solution where the companies leading welding robot technology and welding wire knowledge are seamlessly coming together.

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