If you’re considering a career in welding, refining your skill in the most-used types of

welding will often help to provide secure employment for years into the future. With a
seven month professional welder program, you can average a higher yearly
income1 than the average of all career paths in the United States. Here is more
information on SMAW, the most common welding form used worldwide 2.

What is SMAW Welding Process?

Shielded Metal Arc Welding, otherwise known as manual metal arc welding or flux
shielded arc welding, is a process that uses a flux-coated electrode to form the weld. As
electricity passes through the electrode, the flux forms a gas, which shields the electric
arc in the space between the electrode and the metal being welded, preventing
contamination from atmospheric gasses in the weld. This process is fairly simple and
doesn’t require much in the way of specialized equipment, making it very popular.

SMAW Welding Techniques

When welding, you want to form a neat, clean weld. To make this process easier, it’s
important to pick steel that will work well with SMAW welding techniques. Steel that
conforms to AISI-SAE 1015 to 1025 requirements will work well, as this steel has silica
content under 0.1% and sulfur content under 0.035%. Alloy steels with content above
this range can have problems with cracking.

Basic Quality SMAW Welding Tips

Quality issues that can arise from the SMAW welding process includes porosity caused
by gas in the weld that did not escape before the metal solidified, leaving the weld weak
due to gas bubbles, splatter caused by low voltage or high amperage, poor fusion from
dirty metal or low power, shallow penetration caused by too fast of a travel time, too low
a current or too large an electrode, and cracking caused by the above issues as well as
not allowing movement in the weld while working and using inappropriate metals in the
piece.

Safety when Welding SMAW

Like any tool, welding equipment must be respected, but not feared. Any type of arc
welding involves high voltage and amperage electricity, which can be dangerous if the
proper precautions are not taken. Burns from the heat of the torch or electrical
conduction can be serious and even life threatening if electricity passes through the
heart.
Arc welding - is a welding process, in which heat is generated by an electric arc struck
between an electrode and the work piece.
Electric arc - is luminous electrical discharge between two electrodes through ionized gas.
Any arc welding method is based on an electric circuit consisting of the following parts:
 Power supply (AC or DC);
 Welding electrode;
 Work piece;
 Welding leads (electric cables) connecting the electrode and work piece to the power
supply.

Electric arc between the electrode and work piece closes the electric circuit. The arc
temperature may reach 10000°F (5500°C), which is sufficient for fusion the work piece
edges and joining them.

When a long join is required the arc is moved along the joint line. The front edge of the
weld pool melts the welded surfaces when the rear edge of the weld pool solidifies forming
the joint.
Types of weld joints are shown in the figure:

When a filler metal is required for better bonding, filling rod (wire) is used either as outside
material fed to the arc region or as consumable welding electrode, which melts and fills the
weld pool. Chemical compositions of filler metal is similar to that of work piece.

Molten metal in the weld pool is chemically active and it reacts with the surrounding
atmosphere. As a result weld may be contaminated by oxide and nitride inclusions
deteriorating its mechanical properties. Neutral shielding gases (argon, helium)
and/or shielding fluxes are used for protection of the weld pool from atmospheric
contamination. Shields are supplied to the weld zone in form of a flux coating of the
electrode or in other forms.
Thinking of what career to take in life is one of the most difficult decisions you’ll ever make. If only it were as
easy as the future depicted in the TV series Futurama where everyone is assigned a job. As children, we dream
of being policemen, firefighters, or doctors. As we grow older, we realise that lawyers or engineers may be
more interesting jobs. Although, we all still want to be rock stars or astronauts. What can you do with a high
school education? What can you do with a university degree? Well, what about welding?

Today, there’s a chance you’ve used something that was put together with welding. It’s an industry that spans
the globe and can be applied to a variety of different sectors. And if you play your cards right, welding as a
profession can also be quite lucrative. It’s also a job that’s easier to pick up than people realise, but you do
need an eye for mathematics and carry a supply of an extensive range of welding equipment.

Your welding certificate can be completed in as little as seven months, after which you’ll usually complete a
practical exam. Once you’re done, it’s time to join the working world. Of course, you can also study the trade
yourself by experimenting with welding projects and playing around with the necessary tools.

It’s not just about welding

Taking on welding as your primary profession isn’t just about welding bits of metal together. In fact, there’s a
wide range of skills and duties that are involved. You’ll be studying blueprints, doing calculations, maintaining
projects, and inspecting structures and goods. Welding gives you the opportunity to learn a range of new
techniques and abilities that you would otherwise not have access to.
This study was conducted to develop a quantitative evaluation system for arc
characteristics such as arc stability and welding spatter generation related to
shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) without human sensory evaluation. Factors
that correspond to sensory evaluations by welders were investigated based on
image processing. For the quantitative evaluation of arc stability, results show
that the root mean square and the standard deviation of the arc center
fluctuation, respectively, correspond to welders’ sensory evaluation at AC and
DC discharges. For welding spatter generation, a method of counting white
pixels in a binarized image evaluates the number and size of welding spatters
which closely coincide with welders’ sensory evaluations.

ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES
It refers to the key characteristics that a successful entrepreneurs
should have in order to be successful.
Entrepreneurial
Competencies McClelland and
McBer (1985)
1. Use of Influence Strategies
The art of planning and establishing influence among the
customers or the public.
2. Self –Confidence
A person who has confidence in himself or herself and in
his or her own abilities.
3. Persuasion
Merriam Webster: "the act or process or an instance of
persuading, Persuade “to move by argument, entreaty, or
expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action".
4. Assertiveness
Confident in style or behavior
5. Problem Solving
English Oxford: “to engage in the actions or thoughts
necessary to discover solutions to problems".
6. Information Seeking
Wikipedia: "Information seeking is the process or activity
of attempting to obtain information in both human and
technological contexts".
7. Systematic Planning
Wikipedia: "Systematic planning is a planning process that
is based on the scientific method and includes concepts
such as objectivity of approach and acceptability of
results".
8. Sees and acts on opportunities
Cambridge Dictionary: "opportunity an occasion or
situation which makes it possible to do something that you
want to do or have to do, or the possibility of doing
something".
9. Concern for High Quality of Work
refers to the favorable or unfavorable of a job environment
for the people working in an organization.
10. Commitment to Work Contract
Answer.com: "an entrepreneur always delivers his
promise promptly and he values his reputation"
11. Persistence
English Oxford: "the fact of continuing in an opinion or
course of action in spite of difficulty of the opposition".
12. Efficiency Orientation
Course hero: "A successful entrepreneur always finds
ways to do things faster or with fewer resources or at a
lower cost ".
13. Initiative
English Oxford: "The power or opportunities to act or
take charge before others do". "An act or strategy intended
to resolve a difficulty or improve a situation; a fresh
approach to something".