Welding

Established in 1968, Salamander Fabrications found its home in the West Yorkshire market town of Huddersfield. 

Since then, we have honed our expertise in welding & fabrications, enabling us to give our customers not only reliable services but also a range of products truly built to last.

Whatever your company’s welding project requirements, rest assured that we have a team of expert welder professionals capable of meeting them. We place quality firmly at the forefront of all of our metal fabrication projects.

Why Clients Choose Us

Companies across the UK know that our remit covers many metal fabrication solutions. These include: 

• 2D and 3D CAD design using the industry-leading SOLIDWORKS software
• Custom laser cutting for forming specific patterns and designs in materials 
• Powder coating for providing metal with a custom, high-quality finish
• CNC press brakes and folding of 2D metal sheets into 3D structures 
• Electro mechanical assembly for various products and functions

Salamander Fabrications welding capabilities stretch far into numerous different sectors, including: 

• Oil and gas industries 
• Chemical sector 
• Food industry 
• Health industry 

We work closely with all of our customers to provide them with confidence that our team is the best choice when it comes to the quality of service and the quality of work. 

One major advantage of welding is its broad range of applications. Often referred to as the ‘glue’ that holds structures together, welding plays a pivotal role in a wide range of sectors. From towering skyscrapers to intricate automotive parts, welding is an essential process that ensures the structural integrity of countless products.

At Salamander Fabrications, the core sectors we operate in include:

• Construction & Security Services: These sectors need products that stay resilient for the long haul. Our welding services for construction companies include merging pieces for metal frameworks and non-structural components.
• Retail & Leisure Services: Do you have exciting new products to sell? We can create product displays for clients in the retail sector. We can also be trusted with putting together bespoke displays for leisure establishments, such as bars.
• Science & Food Services: The smoother that welded joints happen to be, the easier they can be to clean. This is one reason why we weld for the science and food sectors, where environments must be kept especially hygienic.
• Transportation Services: We can use arc welding to help in the creation of vehicle components such as exhausts and axles. We know how to create the kind of high-quality welds on which the transportation sector relies.
• Kiosk, Vending & Enclosure Services: These companies can require welding at numerous stages. We can weld enclosures and other elements for kiosks and vending machines.

Check Out Our Welding Services in Action…

Our expert welding services are in high demand, and keep us engaged with a variety of commercial projects. Check out key projects recently completed by Salamander Fabrications. With us, you can expect a full end-to-end process for our metal fabrication and welding services, with an expert team at work on your project every step of the way.

We know that you might have a few questions about our specialist welding services. Here, we aim to provide you with valuable insights, practical tips, and expert advice on what your options are.

 Common Welding Terms to Know

• Arc cutting: With this process, the arc between the metal and the electrode heats up, leading the metal to melt.

• Arc voltage: This occurs between the circuit breaker’s contacts during arcing.

• Arc welding: Here, an electric arc heats the materials set to be joined.

• Base metal: This is the metal intended to be welded.

• Brazing: This welding method distributes a liquefied filler metal within a joint.

• Shielding gas: An inert gas used for safeguarding a welding area as electric arc welding takes place.

• Tempering: A process of reheating hardened steel before letting it cool so that it strengthens.

• Weld pool: A small, molten area of the base metal where it will solidify.

What Materials Can Be Welded?

Exactly how we weld a material depends very much on what type of material it is. Here are selected examples of materials often chosen for welding: 

• Aluminium: Though typically used for TIG welding, aluminium is more malleable than other metals, making it a viable choice for MIG welding, too. 
• Cast iron: The exceptional durability of cast iron lends it well to use in making items required to meet high levels of resilience. 
• Copper: In a welding context, this material is impressive on multiple counts – including thermal and electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance.
• Stainless steel: When you need an especially corrosion-resistant alloy, combining stainless steel with other metals can do the trick.  
• Low-carbon steel: Here, the low amount of carbon makes the already welding-appropriate material of steel even more versatile.

At Salamander Fabrications, we specialise in working with metals. Our understanding of how various metals differ in their qualities is one major reason why we are able to create a wide range of custom metal structures for our customers.

What Is the Purpose of Shielding Gas?

Our expert welders’ use of shielding gas plays a major part in their ability to continue undertaking welding work to their customary high standards.

This is because, as the molten weld solidifies, shielding gas can protect – i.e. ‘shield’ – it from oxygenation as well as air moisture and impurities. Otherwise, we would be risking making the weld porous or weakening its durability.

Depending on the welding method, we will use either an inert or active shielding gas. These options are so-called as only the active shielding gas affects the welding process itself, stabilising the arc while easing the material’s hold on the weld.

What Is the Difference between MIG and TIG Welding?

MIG and TIG welding can sometimes be confused with each other, as they both constitute forms of arc welding. This arc welding uses a power supply to create an electric arc between the electrode and the base metal. 

With MIG welding, the electrode’s role is taken by a consumable wire, which also serves as the filler material. In contrast, TIG welding relies on a non-consumable tungsten electrode – and the welder can choose to omit a filler.

Though MIG welding is quicker and less expensive than TIG welding, TIG typically results in stronger, cleaner, and more precise welds.

Generally, MIG welding ought to be reserved for large and thick materials, while TIG welding excels when it comes to small and thin materials.

How Does Welding Affect the Material Properties?

A welder can bring about changes to all the following properties of a metal when creating something new with it:

• Strength: In order for a metal to be welded, a certain amount of heat needs to be exerted on it. However, as excessive heat at this stage would risk destroying the base material’s chemistry, a careful balance is vital.
• Hardness: As strength and hardness tend to go hand in hand in metals, our welders are strategic with how they not only apply heat but also combine them with others to form alloys.
• Ductility: Here, too, temperature is key. Though a weld that cools off quickly can reduce ductility, applying welds that make and keep the material excessively hot can soften the weld zone.
• Corrosion resistance: This would be especially vulnerable if stainless steel is overheated when welded, as the alloy elements could come apart and cause carbide precipitation.