Even though the processing of aluminium is very different from other metals and, for example, the correct welding temperature has to be maintained with especially high precision, there has not been an electrode to date designed especially for this field of application. The result: rework was frequently required due to the insufficient quality of the welding seam. In the meantime however, Wolfram Industrie has developed the first model designed especially for the clean and fast WIG welding of aluminium in order to meet even the highest standards in terms of reproducibility, cost effectiveness and high quality of the welding results: the ALUSTAR, being presented to the public for the first time at ALUMINIUM 2016, consists of a special alloy containing zirconium with a composition that among other things increases the service life. It also helps keep the foot of the arc in the centre of the electrode and thereby permits better arc focusing.

As a positive side effect, the alloy thanks to a high current carrying capacity ensures optimum dome formation and better burn-off behaviour as well. The result is a cleaner welding seam with a significant reduction in the need for rework compared to other electrodes. The ALUSTAR, which generally sets itself apart with extremely easy weldability, is suitable for all aluminium alloys and a wide variety of applications. It can be used for manual welding and with welding robots. Since the electrode is trimmed to 70 mm and bevelled by the manufacturer, it is ready to use immediately upon removing it from the handy packaging. Custom fabrication of other lengths and diameters – standard diameters range from 1.6 to 3.2 mm – is also available on request.

At this year’s ALUMINIUM in Düsseldorf, you can see the new electrode in hall 9 at exhibition stand H10/08. Mathias Schäfer, Product Manager at Wolfram Industrie, is available to interested visitors for initial consultations and concrete enquiries.