Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Spot Welding shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Spot Welding offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Spot Welding at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Spot Welding? Wrong! If the Spot Welding is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Spot Welding then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Spot Welding? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Spot Welding and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Spot Welding wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Spot Welding then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Spot Welding site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Spot Welding, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Spot Welding, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

Spot welding is a type of resistance welding used to weld various sheet metals. Typically the sheets are in the 0.5-3.0 mm thickness range. The process uses two shaped copper alloy electrodes to concentrate welding current and force between the materials to be welded. The result is a small "spot" that is quickly heated to the melting point, this forms a nugget of welded metal after the current is removed. The amount of heat released in the spot is determined by the amplitude and duration of the current. The current and duration are chosen to match the material, the sheet thickness and type of electrodes. Applying the current for too long can result in molten metal being expelled as weld splash, or can even burn a hole right through the materials being welded.

Applications Spot welding is typically used when welding particular types of metal steel sheet metal. Thicker Stock (disambiguation) is difficult to heat up from a single spot, as the heat can flow into the surrounding metal too easily. Spot welding can be easily identified on many sheet metal goods, such as metal buckets. Aluminum alloys can also be spot welded. However, their much higher thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity mean that up to three times higher welding currents are needed. This requires larger, more powerful, and more expensive welding transformers.

industrial robots welding a car body in the white section of a production line.

Perhaps the most common application of spot welding is in the automotive industry manufacturing industry, where it is used almost universally to weld the sheet metal to form a car. Spot welders can also be Robot welding, and many of the industrial robots found on assembly lines are spot welders (the other major use for robots being painting).

A further place where spot welding is used is in the orthodontist's clinic, where small scale spot welding equipment is used when resizing metal "molar bands" used in orthodontics.

Electrical notes The voltage needed for the welding depends on the resistance of the material to be welded, the sheet thickness and desired size of the nugget. When welding a common combination like 1.0 + 1.0 mm sheet steel, the voltage between the electrodes is only about 1.5 V at the start of the weld but can fall as low as 1 V at the end of the weld. This drop in voltage stems from the resistance reduction caused by the steel melting. The open circuit voltage from the transformer is much higher than this, typically in the 5-10 V range, but there is a very large voltage drop in the electrodes and secondary side of the transformer when the circuit is closed.

Due to changes in the electrical resistance of the metal as it starts to liquefy, the welding process can be monitored in real-time to ensure a perfect weld every time, using the most recent advances in monitoring/feedback control equipment. The resistance is measured indirectly, by measuring the voltage at and current through the electrodes.

See also

• Signature image processing

External links

• hobbyspotwelders.
• http://www.philpem.me.uk/elec/welder/

Spot welding is a type of resistance welding used to weld various sheet metals. Typically the sheets are in the 0.5-3.0 mm thickness range. The process uses two shaped copper alloy electrodes to concentrate welding current and force between the materials to be welded. The result is a small "spot" that is quickly heated to the melting point, this forms a nugget of welded metal after the current is removed. The amount of heat released in the spot is determined by the amplitude and duration of the current. The current and duration are chosen to match the material, the sheet thickness and type of electrodes. Applying the current for too long can result in molten metal being expelled as weld splash, or can even burn a hole right through the materials being welded.

Applications Spot welding is typically used when welding particular types of metal steel sheet metal. Thicker Stock (disambiguation) is difficult to heat up from a single spot, as the heat can flow into the surrounding metal too easily. Spot welding can be easily identified on many sheet metal goods, such as metal buckets. Aluminum alloys can also be spot welded. However, their much higher thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity mean that up to three times higher welding currents are needed. This requires larger, more powerful, and more expensive welding transformers.

industrial robots welding a car body in the white section of a production line.

Perhaps the most common application of spot welding is in the automotive industry manufacturing industry, where it is used almost universally to weld the sheet metal to form a car. Spot welders can also be Robot welding, and many of the industrial robots found on assembly lines are spot welders (the other major use for robots being painting).

A further place where spot welding is used is in the orthodontist's clinic, where small scale spot welding equipment is used when resizing metal "molar bands" used in orthodontics.

Electrical notes The voltage needed for the welding depends on the resistance of the material to be welded, the sheet thickness and desired size of the nugget. When welding a common combination like 1.0 + 1.0 mm sheet steel, the voltage between the electrodes is only about 1.5 V at the start of the weld but can fall as low as 1 V at the end of the weld. This drop in voltage stems from the resistance reduction caused by the steel melting. The open circuit voltage from the transformer is much higher than this, typically in the 5-10 V range, but there is a very large voltage drop in the electrodes and secondary side of the transformer when the circuit is closed.

Due to changes in the electrical resistance of the metal as it starts to liquefy, the welding process can be monitored in real-time to ensure a perfect weld every time, using the most recent advances in monitoring/feedback control equipment. The resistance is measured indirectly, by measuring the voltage at and current through the electrodes.

See also

• Signature image processing

External links

• hobbyspotwelders.
• http://www.philpem.me.uk/elec/welder/