If you are in the business of using an orbital tube welder, then you might have heard of a tungsten electrode. This is the electrode that is considered one of the main portions of the GTAW orbital welding process. The Tungsten welding electrode is one of the most important components of the welding system that is typically overlooked by welding system users. Many users do not take proper care of their machine, so the welding equipment does not produce the desired results. In manual or automatic welding, this can be a major problem for welders. The main objective for those setting the tungsten parameters is to balance the benefits of a clean arc start and a reduced arc wander. By doing this, it is possible to eradicate low quality welding.

So what is a tungsten electrode made out of? A tungsten electrode is typically constructed with an added oxide. This oxide is meant to help increase the length of service of the tungsten electrodes. In the orbital welding industry, the most popular electrode materials are two percent thoriated Tungsten and two percent ceriated Tungsten. The reason these two types of electrodes are not pure is to increase the overall longevity of the product.

There are some small safety issues to consider when using tungsten electrodes. One major factor is that these electrodes contain Thorium. This is a radioactive element that is contributed to the tungsten electrodes. The radioactivity is of a low level, but it could be serious because the dust that is left over from the weld contains minor levels of radioactivity. Luckily, there are zero radioactive tungsten electrodes available. Therefore, these are the two most popular electrodes on the market today. These are the two percent ceriated electrodes which offer superior arc welding. If you are using an orbital tube welder, then be sure to look into different types of electrodes.