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Difference between Welding and Soldering
Welding and soldering are widely used in the fabrication industry. Both welding and soldering are used for joining metallic parts by the application of heat. In this article, we will compare welding and soldering by considering various factors like metaling temperature, heat source, use of flux, deformation, etc. But, before discussing about the differences between soldering and welding, it is advantageous to get the basic details of welding and soldering.
What is Welding?
A fabrication process which is used to join materials (metals or thermoplastics) by the application of high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion is known as welding.
In the welding process, the two objects are joined together using heat and a filler material. The filler material is heated to a point where it melts and is able to pool between the two objects to be joined. The final outcome is a strong joint, known as weld.
Depending upon the methods of joining the objects, the welding processes are classified into different types such as gas welding, arc welding, resistance welding, forge welding, etc.
What is Soldering?
A fabrication process of joining two objects together by melting and putting a filler material into the joint is known as soldering. The filler material used in the soldering having a lower melting point as compared to the base metal or the adjoining metals. Unlike welding, in case of soldering process the base metal or workpiece does not melt.
In the soldering process, solder (filler metal) is melted by using heat from a soldering iron. The solder is heated upto the temperature beyond its melting point at around 316 °C which causes it to melt and when it cools creating the soldering joint. The soldering process is mainly used to create strong joints in electric and electronic circuit boards. In the soldering process, a material is used to strengthen and improve the mechanical and electrical properties of the joint, known as flux.
Based on the temperature range, soldering can be grouped into three different categories −
Soft soldering (90 to 450 °C),
Hard (or silver) soldering (more than 450 °C), and
Brazing (more than 450 °C).
Difference between Welding and Soldering
The following table highlights the key differences between the welding and soldering.
| Basis of Difference | Welding | Soldering |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The process of joining the materials, often metals or thermoplastics, by using heat and pressure to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion of the parts. | A joining process that is used to join different types of metals together by melting a filler material (called solder) is known as soldering. |
| Fusion of base metal | In welding, the base metals are fused together to make the joint. | In soldering, the base metals does not fused, rather a filler material is used for making the joint. |
| Strength of joint | The welding joints are strong enough to bear the load. The strength of the welding joint is very high, it is usually more than the strength of the base metal. | The joints made by soldering are weaker than welding joints, thus cannot bear the load. |
| Temperature | In welding, the required temperature is above 3800 °C. The welding temperature is generally above the melting point of the base metal. | The soldering is performed at very low temperature, which is below the melting point of the base metal. The typical value of soldering temperature is less than 400 °C. |
| Filler material | In welding process, the filler material is not compulsory. The need of filler depends upon the type of welding. | The filler material (called solder) is required necessarily in case of soldering process. |
| Effect of high temperature | The welding joint can withstand with high temperature. | The joint made by soldering cannot withstand with high temperature, i.e. it starts weakening with the increase in temperature. |
| Need of flux | In case of welding, the use of flux is optional. | In soldering, the use of flux is mandatory. |
| Source of heat | In welding process, the sources of heat are usually electric arc, electric resistance, gas flame, plasma, laser beam, etc. | In soldering, the usual sources of heat are soldering iron, electrical resistance, oven, ultrasound, etc. |
| Deformation of workpiece | In case of welding, the deformation of workpiece is high. | In soldering, the probability of deformation of base metal is very low. |
| Distortion | There is high distortion of workpiece in the welding process. | There is no distortion of the base metal in the soldering. |
| Stress | In welding, there is high stresses in the weld joints. | The stresses in the soldering joints are low. |
| Change in microstructure of base metal | There is change in the microstructure (i.e. properties) of the base metals. | There is no change in the microstructure of the base metal. |
| Joining of dissimilar metals | In welding, it is difficult to join the dissimilar metals. | The dissimilar metals can be easily joined together with the soldering. |
| Joining of thin sheets | Due to use of high temperature in the welding process, it is quite difficult to join thin metal sheets. | Using soldering, thin sheets can be easily joined. |
| Tensile strength | The tensile strength of a welding joint is more than 200 mega Pascal. | The tensile strength of a soldering joint is less than 75 mega Pascal. |
| Heating & melting of workpiece | The base metals or workpieces are heated and melted in the welding. | The soldering does not require heating and melting of workpieces or base metals. |
| Need of heat treatment | For a weld, the heat treatments are always required. | Hear treatments never required in case of soldering. |
| Preheating | Welding does not require preheating of the workpieces. | For soldering, the preheating of workpiece is not mandatory, but it may produce high quality joint. |
| Need of trained operator | For performing welding, special training is required. | There is no need of special training for performing soldering. |
| Power consumption | Welding consumes more power. | For soldering, power consumption is low. |
| Application | Welding is mainly used in mechanical industries like automobile, aircraft, shipbuilding, etc. | Soldering is mainly used in electrical and electronics industries, for circuit board designing, etc. |
Conclusion
In this article, we have highlighted a number of differences between welding and soldering that provide enough information about their suitability in various applications. Both welding and soldering are methods for making joints of metallic parts. The major difference between welding and soldering is that the base metal is heated and melted in welding, while the base metal is not melted in soldering.
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