Please help - welding options

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Hey everyone,I am a newbie when it comes to welding but I am currently working on a project to weld a thin-walled (1mm thick Al sheet 6061 T6) Aluminum tank to contain hot oil for high performance race car.I have to gather three feasible welding techniques to perform this operation and select the most promising one. So far I am looking at TIG welding. Can you please suggest me a couple more welding operations which could be used for the same task and provide me a sense of direction as to which one would be the best one.Thanks!!!
Reply:Edit: Oops, Welcome to the site. Questions cause questions:1. Do you intend to buy a welder, learn, and build the tank?2. How much can you spend?Learning to weld is pretty hard, unless you have someone to show you how. Learning to weld on 1mm thick aluminum will cause you nothing but pain.  It's much easier to say "I want to weld aluminum", than to actually do it. If you'd like, you can jump up to User CP and fill in your location. Maybe someone lives close and would help you through the learning curve.I'm thinking you only have two processes to pick from.TIG is my preference, but this doesn't mean a $300 harbor freight welder. The least expensive quality TIG with AC (AC is mandatory for welding alum) is the $1617 msrp Miller Diversion. (Completely irrelevant to this project, but it can't stick weld, a deal breaker for me.)A more versatile unit is the TA-185, many have this welder and love it. (stick capable)The Syncrowave 200 is another well liked welder. (also stick capable)Both of these are somewhere around $2000 +/- and are probably available used.Top of the line is the Miller Dynasty, close to $3400. (stick capable) Since it's such a nice piece of equipment, they don't last very long on the used market.A dying skill is oxy/acetylene, used for decades (and still used), before TIG became available. I understand that it makes very sound welds and is used for making homebuilt aircraft fuel tanks. However, this is quite difficult to learn without a mentor.MIG pretty much won't work for building thin alum tanks.Last edited by Craig in Denver; 07-06-2009 at 09:47 PM.9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Thanks a lot for the reply Craig...Actually, this is the front end design project and at this moment, I am responsible for gathering information regarding different welding techniques to perform the operation and select the best one based on the effectiveness. I will not be responsible for actual welding and budget should not be an issue. TIG welding is the method previously used for it but I am looking for other welding options which can be used for this task and justification for the selection.Any help is much appreciated !!
Reply:What school are you attending? Is this how research is done now? I would use GTAW, and I would not consider any other process.
Reply:1mm is about .035-.040".    Aside from tig, your other viable option is pulsed mig.  For production, pulsed mig is faster and easier to perform, though not as pretty as tig and not as much control over the weld.  Once you have the parameters set though, you can produce alot of parts very fast with descent welds.  I used to weld .060" aluminum with pulsed mig in a production shop and it worked very well.   Thinnest I have ever welded with it was about .040".  We used old Miller CP250TS and PowCon 300SM power supplies with MK and PowCon pulsers and MK Cobramatic feeders and XR feeders with gooseneck and pistol grip push-pull torches, all equipment dating from the 80's.   Later on, we upgraded to all new Millermatic 350P migs with built in pulse and Python push-pull torches.   These are excellent machines.  I bought a new one for myself after the company shut down.  Very happy with it.The machines to investigate for this are-Millermatic 350P mig with Python or AlumaPro push-pull torchMiller XMT 350MPa power source with XR or Cobramatic feeder and Python or AlumaPro push-pull torchMiller Invision 350MPa power source with XR or Cobramatic feeder and Python or AlumaPro push-pull torchLincoln PowerMig 350MP mig with Python push-pull torchLincoln V350Pro power source with pulse option and a Cobramatic feeder with Python push-pull torchLincoln ProWave C300 mig with pulse and Python push-pull torchMiller also has a new one called Alumafeed, which appears to be a package deal of an Invision 350MPa and a special model XR feeder with different interface to the power source, and an AlumaPro push pull torch.  Looks interesting.There are other power sources from Lincoln, Miller and ESAB for running pulsed mig too, I just listed the smaller ones since you're welding such thin material.Last edited by DesertRider33; 07-07-2009 at 08:22 AM.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Well I will throw my thoughts in here as well. A lot of what determines the best technology is the design of the tank, and production volumes. Other times its easier to design a tank around an available technology. Lots of guys jump to Tig, and maybe thats just because its enjoying a "cool" phase in history right now, I dont know. So here would be my suggestions for COMMON technologys used to build engine oil tanks, in no particular order:1-TIG 2-O/F ( lots on aircraft )3-Resistance ( especially seam welding )4-Furnace or Dip brazed Many times you will see a combination such as spot welded in baffles with brazed on tank ends. Flange O/F welds on the skin of a tank with brazed on bungs. Tanks stamped in 2 halves seam welded together. There is no ONE method thats the BEST, everything is a compromise. You gain cleanliness and cleaning economy with Tig over O/F, but lose some mechanical properties of the weld. Seam welding is great for production but has huge start up costs. See where im getting at?
Reply:Axial spray mig can can be used depending on the thickness. Pulsed spray is optional and can be helpful with controlling heat input. GTAW would be the most recommended. with spray and pulse spray you can acheive a very similar appearance as tig with the proper gun manipulation.