The semiconductor industry might be “pandemic proof.” Despite Covid 19 affecting the world into 2021, the demand for new technology booms. Hence, the need for more semiconductors. Axenics’ plastics team predicted the current need for plastic piping kits for the...
The demand for bending on thin wall stainless steel grows in industries that require the safe, clean transportation of liquids and gases. Below you’ll find the Axenics thin wall steel tubing size chart to give you an idea of our most-common requested bends. Thin wall...
The phrase “great news” has been scarce this year, but we feel strongly that we’ll be using it more in 2021. One, we’re seeing signs of robust growth within the semiconductor industry that should continue for at least the next calendar year. Two, Axenics is moving...
Tungsten inert gas welding or TIG welding, a.k.a. gas tungsten arc welding, is one of the most-challenging manual welding processes to learn and master, both physically and mentally. TIG welding requires the use of all of the welder’s extremities, as the welder is typically standing on one foot while using a foot pedal remote with the other foot. The welder wields the welding torch in one hand, while the other holds the metal that will be used to produce a highly-precise, clean weld.
TIG welding has been a speciality of our services for customers for nearly 35 years, therefore Axenics necessitates its welders come to the company with a strong base-level knowledge of tube welding in tight spaces.
Brian Thessen, a journeyman or instructing welder (more on classifications of welders below) at Axenics, said incoming welders should have baseline experience in gas metal arc welding a.k.a. MIG welding, shielded metal arc welding (called SMAW or stick welding), brazing as well as some machining knowledge.
Brian came to Axenics four years ago with more than 20 years of welding experience in the field of construction, and fabrication, preceded by schooling in welding. Brian also has over 10 years as a weld instructor.
A strong resume may get you in the door at Axenics, but all incoming welders are required to take a test before getting hired. Brian encourages young welders to utilize free time to practice welding as often as possible. In order to master TIG welding, he said having a passion for it is important. Having a combination of learning welding techniques in school as well as some professional welding experience is the strongest way to become a successful welder at Axenics.
Axenics has a deep knowledge of Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), a.k.a. Tungsten Inert Gas or TIG Welding. Production challenges solved with welding. Get the free guide here.
Our customers expect high-quality and high-purity welds that will maintain the integrity of their end products, so we require strong skills from our welders. A level one or entry-level welder likely does not yet have the skill set to thrive at Axenics. Level two or an advanced welder or journeyman has real-world experience and is more-likely to be able to perform at the level Axenics and our customers expect. Level three or a program administrator is the next level, and the highest level of welder is sometimes called a testing supervisor, welding instructor or C.W.I. (Certified Weld Inspector).
In order to successfully perform TIG welds, your eyes have to be trained to see really small, Brian said. When someone is first welding, they are likely seeing in a panoramic view. As an individual becomes a more experienced welder, their eyes are retrained to truly view the fine-tuned details of a weld puddle. Mastering puddle control at a very precise scale is a requirement for welders at Axenics.
Axenics performs TIG welding for customers in the fields of medical devices, alternative energy and research labs, completing precise and hard-to-reach manual welds for semiconductor components.
For the majority of the parts welded for customers at Axenics, it is a one-time weld. If the weld is not perfectly accurate at the first attempt, it’s essentially junk. Therefore, a seasoned journeyman welder is utilized to perform most TIG weld jobs in order to save time and prevent unnecessary costs.
Because our customers expect such high purity welding when Axenics delivers a component, many of the welds produced in-house are subjected to destructive and non-destructive testing, such as X-ray and die tests. After non-destructive testing is performed, the weld is sometimes destroyed, as the pieces need to break down in a certain way. In order to be able to weld a specific product part, all of those tests must be performed successfully.
Since our customers have high expectations, it’s important that Axenics takes TIG welding to a higher level. These welds – to the point of a needle’s point – are some of the smallest applications that can be achieved by a human, and can only be achieved be a seasoned journeyman welder.
Orbital tube welding is known as possibly the purest, cleanest welding process, but the orbital welding process is also an economical choice for those requiring weldment perfection, as evidenced in a new article published by The Tube and Pipe Journal (a sister...
A welding positioner may be a great option to complete your next project - resulting in time and money savings as well as clean, finished metal tubes. Think of it as a hybrid of automated and manual welding, as a welding torch completes the weld instead of an...