Filler metals - a standardized product?

The international standard ISO 18273 was published in 2004 and defines requirements on the classification of solid wires and rods for fusion welding of Aluminium and Aluminium alloys. For Copper alloys the standard EN 14640 is under preparation. Every manufacturer of such consumables fulfills these standards.

Are all these products therefore equal and exchangeable under any condition? The answer to this question is certainly NO!

Basically these standards define the chemical composition. The requirements that welders put on such consumables go much further and are shown below.

: MIG-wires need to meet many requirements

The international standard ISO 544 “Welding consumables - Technical delivery conditions for welding filler metals - Type of product, dimensions, tolerances and marking” deﬁ nes technical delivery conditions for consumables used for fusion welding. This standard, however, is quite general and uncommitted in many respects.

In an extract it says: The surface of filler metals for welding must be free of impurities and surface defects which may influence welding unbeneficial. Every surface condition is allowed under the condition that the welding process and the properties of the weld material are not influenced adversely. Cast (Diameter of a freely lying wire loop on an even surface), helix and the properties of all wires must provide a continuous and uninterrupted wire feeding with full- and semiautomatic welding machines.

MIG WELD undertakes special efforts to keep the product properties measurable and subsequently constant. However, some properties and their influence on the product characteristics are even nowadays not measurable or not thoroughly known. These are to be controlled by an utmost constancy of the manufacturing process only.