Burnback: What Is It?

Every welding machine comes with its own set of features and styles. With such a variety of different welding machines to choose from, it can often be hard to decide on which one is best. MIG welding happens to be one of the many that are considered quite popular and commonly used within the field. This is due to its many benefits and effective end results.

Even with all of its great benefits, there are always drawbacks with every type of welding technique. One problem that can take place whilst MIG welding is what’s known as a burnback. In simplest terms, burnback is when the generated arc climbs up the wire and ends up fusing the wire to the tip of the welding gun. When it comes to MIG welding in specific, this setback is quite common. Even so, it can be avoided with the proper preparation and technique. To learn more, we here at Canaweld want to talk all about it.

What Causes It?

When you are looking to solve any problem regardless of its type, the best step to take before anything else is to find the root of the issue. Once the cause has been identified, the work to solve it becomes much easier. Some of the causes of burnback include:

• Improper Grounding: When you are working on any type of welding project, you want to be certain you’re using the proper grounding techniques. Not only does this guarantee your safety, but it also prevents the chances of burnback as well.
• Bad Quality Filler: When your filler material or tip material is not up to par, it will have a large impact on the quality of your weld and also increase the chances of burnback. Buy good quality products to decrease this possibility.
• Overcrowding a Work Piece: If your welding torch & workpiece are not properly spaced out from one another, it can create burnback as the electrode sticks out too far.
• Wrong Wire/Tip Size: It is always crucial that you use the right tip to match your wire size & vice versa so that you prevent your wire from dragging. This, consequently, will lead to burnback.

Unfortunately, the first thing you will have to deal with is the fact that your welding tip will no longer be usable anymore. It is never worth attempting to scrape it out, so be sure to replace the tip entirely before going about another project. Oftentimes, when a tip is damaged by burnback, it will need you to remove both the nozzle and tip which can often be melted to the wire. In order to install a new tip, you must first cut the wire in this case so you can replace the nozzle.

Additional Steps To Prevent Burnback

In most cases, the causes of burnback are quite easy to fix and happen often. Keeping an eye on your welding machine’s speed to check that the wire feed isn’t too slow is always a proper way to start. If you’re looking to prevent it even further, you can also remove the nozzle and investigate the tip for trouble spots. This will often include things such as grooves created by the wire or, like we mentioned previously, the wire being welded to the tip. As a final piece of advice, be sure that the distance between your torch and your workpiece is far enough to prevent this issue from occurring.

Check Out Our Products Today

In most cases, guaranteeing a quality welding result with little to no issues requires good quality products. After all, without quality equipment you can be putting the end result at risk, often regardless of the steps you try and implement to avoid it. Here at Canaweld, we offer high quality MIG welders so you can go about your next project with ease and comfort. To learn more about our products and what we offer, be sure to contact us at (416) 548-5650 today!