INTRODUCTION

The methods of applying the various welding processes are categorized according to the degree of operator involvement in the performance of welding operations. In manual welding, defined in the American National Standard Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, AWS A3.0:2001, as “welding with a torch, gun, or electrode holder held and manipulated by hand,”^{1, 2} the welder performs the welding function and maintains continuous control of the welding operations by hand. In semiautomatic welding, defined as “manual welding with equipment that automatically controls one or more of the welding conditions,”³ the welder manipulates the welding gun to create the weld while the electrode is automatically fed to the arc.

¹  American Welding Society (AWS) Committee on Definitions, 2001, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, AWS A3.0:2001, Miami, American Welding Society, pp. 50–51.

²  At the time of the preparation of this chapter, the referenced codes and other standards were valid. If a code or other standard is cited without a date of publication, it is understood that the latest edition of the document referred to applies. If a code or other standard is cited with the date of publication, the citation refers to that edition only, and it is understood that any future revisions or amendments to the code or standard are not included; however, as codes and standards undergo frequent revision, the reader is encouraged to consult the most recent edition.

³  American Welding Society (AWS) Committee on Definitions, 2001, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, AWS A3.0:2001, Miami, American Welding Society, p. 67.