WELD 106 - Aluminum Welding and Fabrication

Credits: 1-3
LEC hours per week: 3
This course continues to build knowledge and skills students need to work in the aluminum industry, with emphasis on aluminum GMAW, GTAW, and fabrication techniques. It includes a variety of aluminum custom designs, and students will create their own projects from sketch to building the blueprint to a finished aluminum piece. Safety standards for all processes are covered.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of C or higher in WELD 105.
Corequisite(s): WELD 172.
Course Outcomes:

Practice safety essentials, including
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use
- Shop safety
- Equipment safety
Design an aluminum project, building custom blueprints and utilizing the CNC plasma computer as needed
Produce a finished aluminum project
Explain specific fabrication techniques for aluminum welding, including:
- selection of aluminum metal based on knowledge of classifications and grades
- pre-heating
- preparation and cleaning of pieces before welds
- avoidance of cross contamination
- heat transfer and weld penetration

Course Topics:

GMAW and GTAW equipment, setup, operation, and safety standards
Blueprint reading and building
Fabricating techniques and practices
Inspection and testing of welds
Welding metallurgy and weldability of metals
Filler metal selection