Gas brazing processes can be used to join dissimilar metals such as mild steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, cast iron, copper, aluminum and almost any other material including carbides and ceramics. It is a popular welding process if clean, accurate and economical joints are needed. The brazing process relies on molten filler metal being drawn into the gap between closely fitting component parts of a joint by capillary action to form a bond. Gas brazing uses a fuel gas with either oxygen or air to produce a flame that heats the component ready for brazing. Acetylene is the most frequently used fuel gas. Brazing filler metals melt at a brazing temperature greater than 450°C but below the melting point of the parent metal. The gas brazing process can be carried out manually, semi-automatically or automatically - also in a brazing furnace - once the joints or components have been prepared and are ready for brazing. In addition to our customizable acetylene gas supply solutions, we also offer a wide selection of brazing burners that can be adapted to individual needs.
Brazing and Soldering in Metal Fabrication
More Efficiency with Acetylene Supply Schemes and Customized Burner Solutions
Brazing and Soldering to Bond Challenging and Dissimilar Materials
Soldering and brazing are welding processes that involve using a filler material with a lower melting temperature than the components being joined. The molten filler material wets the surfaces of the heated components and is drawn into the narrow gap between them. The filler material always has a different chemical composition to that of the components being joined.
Brazing or Soldering: What's the Difference?
A joining process is referred to as soldering if the filler metal melts at 450°C (842°F) or less. By contrast, the term brazing is used for melting temperatures above 450°C. The soldering or brazing process allows operators to join similar or different materials which would be difficult to bond with metal inert gas (MIG) welding. In addition, thin and heat-sensitive components can be joined.
Bringing You the Productivity Benefits of Acetylene as the Fuel Gas
An oxyfuel flame is used to heat the workpieces in brazing and soldering. Using acetylene as the fuel gas greatly enhances the productivity of brazing and soldering, particularly when applied with best-in-class equipment as acetylene is the most effective way to reach the soldering or brazing temperature quickly. We offer a range of LINDOFLAMM® burners specially designed to help you enhance your soldering and brazing operations. They are engineered to easily adapt to the heating power you require for the job at hand. We support these burners with a range of complementary services, including advice and help on how to design and set up your gas supply system.
Benefits of LINDOFLAMM and acetylene for brazing and soldering:
- Rapid heating of components to be joined
- Exact component temperature to help you achieve best results
- Productivity gains of acetylene as fuel gas
- Wide burner selection adaptable to individual demands
- Customized gas supply solutions
Contact your local Linde representative to check availability of our brazing gases and soldering gases along with matching equipment in your region.
FAQs
What Is Gas Brazing and What Metals Can Be Brazed?
What Is Gas Soldering and What Metals Can Be Soldered?
Gas soldering can be used to join a wide range of dissimilar materials including carbon steels, low-alloy steels, stainless steels, cast irons, copper alloys, nickel alloys, and plated surfaces. Similar to brazing, the soldering process relies on molten filler metal, called solder or soft solder, being drawn into the gap between closely fitting component parts of a joint - often a lap joint - by capillary action to form a bond. It also relies on a fuel gas with either air or oxygen to produce a flame that heats the workpiece, with oxy-acetylene often preferred because of its highly localized heat input.
Solder alloys are low-temperature materials with melting points below 450°C and below the melting point of the parent metal. Standard soft solder compositions are tin-lead alloys. Soldering flux is used to clean the joint and to aid wetting and capillary action. Fluxes can be applied directly or through the fuel gas flame. The gas soldering process can be carried out manually, semi-automatically or automatically once the joints or components have been prepared and are ready for soldering. In addition to soldering gases, we offer a wide selection of adaptable burners for soldering tasks.
What Is MIG Brazing?
MIG brazing is a variation of the metal inert gas (MIG) welding process used for joining mild steels and low-alloy steels. The same equipment is used as for MIG welding. The filler wire is usually a copper-silicon alloy, and the shielding gas is normally an inert gas or a mixture of inert gases. The main benefits of MIG brazing are low welding currents, low heat input and high deposition rates. The MIG brazing variant is popular wherever welds with minimal dilution but with good bonding are required. Increasingly, the automotive industry, in particular, is replacing gas brazing with MIG brazing in mass production to join mild steels, low alloy steels and coated steels. We offer an extensive portfolio of shielding gases ideally suited to MIG welding and MIG brazing processes.