MIG welding stands for metal inert gas welding. It was originally used to weld non-ferrous metals such as aluminum. It eventually was used on steel too. It is a quicker method of welding as compared to other methods of welding.

Some of the advantages of MIG welding include the speed of the welding process. It has the ability to weld many metals and many thicknesses of metal. The biggest advantage to MIG welding is that it can be automated so that the human element can be removed all together. That’s why robotic mig welders are commonly found is on an assembly line in an automobile factory. As mig welding machines utilize a wire feed system this makes them ideal for robotic purposes as they can carry a great amount of filler rod or wire.

Mig welding utilizes a wire feed technique which feeds a wire electrode from your welding handgun to the weld. This wire electrode is available in numerous coil capacities or spools dependent upon the welder sizing, that may contain 100s and perhaps 1000s of feet/meters of wire. The actual wire feed includes a pair of drive wheels to the wire plus a continual speed electric motor to move the drive wheels. The majority of Welders contain numerous features enabling timed feeds together with adjustable speeds.

*Images do not necessarily depict welding as described in summary