Follow the track: The effects of silicon dioxide on GTA welding

Abstract

Silicon dioxide, in other words sand, turns out to be a highly useful helper for arc welding processes. It can be used as a tracer for a welding robot to follow the weld line and it can also make welding go faster and "deeper". At the Materials Science department of the Delft University of Technology, chemical engineer Wilma Middel looked into the matter and created the basis for a new type of seam tracking sensor