While the importance of having the best possible grounding might seem superfluous to beginning welders, experienced welders fully understand how perilous neglecting to properly ground their work can be. For professional welders, grounding is a safety procedure that’s clearly defined by Australian Standard (AS) 1674.2. It’s a practice, however, that’s just as important for hobbyists as it is for the pros.
First and foremost, using insufficiently rated grounding equipment with any welding process that involves electric current can be catastrophic. That’s because failing to provide a stable and ultimately safe path for an electrical current to travel in an emergency will lead to it finding its own path to earth – even if that includes though the rig operator. The stakes couldn’t be higher, which is why there’s nothing more important for welders than being sure that their grounding tools are up to the task.
Robust Earth Clamps Help Protect Welders While Keeping Costs Down
From palm-sized 200A alligator clamps for lightweight hobby works to widemouthed 1000A earthing clamps for industrial fabrication projects, high-quality welding ground clamp tools are essential for maximum safety. Robust cast brass/copper and stamped copper-coated clamps are designed to eliminate the unpredictability that can occur with substandard earthing cables.
They’re effective with all forms of arc welding up to their approved amp rating, and help ensure metal fabricators of a positive, uninterrupted circuit every time they strike an arc. Let’s face it, no matter if its in the way compressed gases are handled, or the result of exposure to heat and radiation, safety is the most critical aspect of welding. The currents needed to melt and joint metals, however, are welding’s quietest, and arguably most lethal danger.
Single phase, hobby-level welders can easily produce 100A -130A, while industrial-level three phase rigs are capable of 700A – 800A. That makes high quality welding earth clamps the key to preventing a host of potentially life threatening electrical problems, including:
- Electrical shocks. In the event of an electrical fault, an appropriately rated earth clamp is the safe, essential anchor that prevents current from taking what could be a deadly path to ground through anyone standing nearby.
- Fire risks. Heavy-duty earth clamps help reduce the risk of fire, and even of explosion any time there’s a possibility of electricity seeking an alternative path to ground.
- Welder damages. Not only can a spontaneous electrical fault ruin a working piece, it can effectively destroy a welding machine; this is where a robust welding machine ground clamp can prove itself to be as effective at savings costs as it is at saving lives.
Make no mistake: there’s a reason why experienced welders leave nothing to chance when it comes to their choice of welding earth clamp hardware. Grounding surfaces and welding tables can offer varying levels of conductivity, but there’s no getting around the core conductive standards that a clip on or rotating ground clamp has to have. The less resistance they produce the better, which is why it’s so common for fabricators to swap out the marginal clamps on newer welders with clamps that offer better connectivity for either quick release or permanent earthing.
Grounding Clamps for Every Purpose and Occasion
It’s a fact: there are as many different types of earth welding machine clamps as there are welding processes and welder capacities. Not only are some aluminium, stainless steel and magnesium alloys difficult to ground, the amperages and duty cycles of the rigs doing the welding can also require differing amount of resistance to operate safely. That’s why there’s no shortage of earthing clamps available with a wide and varied amperage range to choose from, including:
- Alligator style clamps. With typical amperage ratings from 150A – 600A, upgraded versions of these classic-styled industrial TIG and MIG welder ground clamp tools feature one-piece cable terminal and jaw construction, and longer than standard copper braiding for a more positive connection.
- Screw-type clamps. Solid brass, highly conductive C-, G-, and dinse-style screw type rotating welding ground clamp tools are known for minimum resistance with maximum conductivity, are available with ratings up 1000A, and offer easy opening and closing convenience.
- Magnetic earthing clamps. Extra strength magnetic welding cable ground clamp tools are rated from 300A – 600A, feature single and dual cable clamping combinations for maximum earthing connection, and are available in rotating, and fixed position configurations.
- Switchable, powerbase-style grounding magnets. Powerbase-style stick, TIG, and MIG welding ground earth clamp tools are rated from 300A – 500A, and employ the extraordinary holding properties of rare earth magnets in rotatable, ON/OFF switchable housings that offer convenient fastening and easy removal.
Ideally, it doesn’t matter if a workpiece needs to be grounded, if the workpiece is oversized and needs multiple grounding clamps, or if multiple welding machines need to be grounded at a single welding station; only the highest resistance TIG and MIG ground clamp tools should be trusted to keep metal fabricators safe. They have benefits that go beyond just keeping welders safe, though.
A poor grounding connection – one that isn’t firm, is dirty, or is placed too far from the weld point – can damage a welding machine as quickly as it can ruin a working piece. That’s why along with ensuring maximum fabricator protection, high-quality earthing clamps also help protect the working piece.
Positive Grounds Are the Key to Maximum Weld Integrity
Whether it’s simple home welding jobs like garden tool and furniture repairs, or complex CASA-certified welding on air frames and aircraft engine mounts, weld quality means everything. Aesthetics are important, but weld joint integrity is second only to the safety of the personnel performing the fabrication. Not surprisingly, these are all characteristics that can be attributed to the reliability of the earthing clamps. In addition to ensuring clean earthing connections, appropriately rated arc welding earth clamp tools are also responsible for:
- Producing a stable arc. A welder’s choice of grounding clamps is key to achieving a stable arc that has the best penetration and weld quality.
- Reducing the likelihood of arc blow (wandering). Properly rated earthing clamps are essential for ensuring that a welding arc doesn’t become unstable, wander, or lead to a dramatic reduction in weld quality.
- Increasing weld strength. Not only does a positive ground increase weld strength, it also reduces spatter, occurrences of incomplete fusion and a host of other irregularities due to uneven heat distribution.
The fact is, when it comes to weld integrity a positive ground clamp is the single greatest assurance against defects in the final product. Clamps also help ensure that every weld looks as good as it holds.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what kind of welding needs to be done, a clean ground is the key to getting the job done safely and successfully. As it happens, however, is that the grounding clamps sold with most of today’s welds aren’t up to the job.
Fortunately though, there’s no shortage of low resistance alternative on the market that are more than capable replacements. High-quality clamp tools are the perfect choice for positive earth connections. They’re one of the most worthwhile investments that a hobbyist or business can make in improving their welding processes.
