Welding clamps are used to hold components or work parts temporarily together while performing operations like welding, woodworking, carpentry etc.
DOES FIXTURE AND CLAMPS BOTH MEAN THE SAME?
- Clamping elements are an integral part of fixturing that hold parts together temporarily without damaging them. In an operation like welding, clamps are must-have tools for improved quality and accuracy of the product.
- Though there are many weld clamps available, the type of welding clamps depends mainly on two aspects:
- What is the role of clamps for your project?
- What is the precision of the job you get using the clamps?
TYPES OF WELD CLAMPS
There are clamps of different sizes and shapes each serving a specific purpose. Here are the most commonly used weld clamps:
C CLAMP:
The Carriage Clamp or C Clamp is the most widely used welding clamp to hold the parts together using some pressure. The clamp holds the part by turning the screw towards the part. However, it takes the instant and quick release of the part is not possible as it takes some time to loosen the screw and remove the work part. The C clamp is also called a G clamp.
LOCKING CLAMP
A locking clamp offers firm clamping force on the work parts and holds them together in correct alignment. The shape features a c shaped jaw that incorporates a lever mechanism to hold workpieces. They are mainly used in welding smaller components and can be operated with a single hand.
SPRING CLAMP
There are two jaws connected to a pivot, though it is a smaller clamp and hand-operated, it has large work holding capacity. it is mainly used in holding delicate items or parts of complex shapes. The jaws contain soft rubber pads to protect the held part from damage. A few of the spring clamps come with adjustable jaws that can be moved along a sliding bar and get open for clamping large-sized workpieces.
TWO-AXIS CLAMP
The two-Axis welding angle clamp lets you hold work parts at an angle accurately. The work part with non-uniform thickness can be held by this clamp easily. You can quickly align the workpiece to be welded at an angle of 90 degrees accurately. Also, the provision of a rotating spindle or floating head lets you hold workpieces of different thicknesses.
QUICK ACTION CLAMP
The quick action clamp or Quick grip clamp is a fast and highly versatile clamping tool when you have to clamp objects in the minimum time. It can be released or tightened with a single hand and is hence known as a one-handed clamp. The mechanism is designed in such a way that you can open or close the jaws of the clamp in a single movement. This type of clamp is highly useful when you have to grip large or heavy objects and hold the workpieces in the other hand. For large works, multiple clamps are required to hold workpieces effectively till the welding is performed.
PIPE CLAMP
The pipe clamp operates similar to an F Clamp except that it uses a pipe instead of a sliding bar as in an F clamp to hold work parts in proper alignment. They are quick, easy and safe to operate which are used for centering and alignment of the steel pipes before pipe welding
VICE GRIPS
They have been used n the automotive industry for holding heavy and irregular work parts and also used in holding smaller objects during welding.
MAGNETIC CLAMPS
Magnetic clamps are another extra set of helping hands to assist you in holding metallic work parts together at required alignment. The only difference between conventional clamps and magnetic clamps is that the former uses screws, bars etc to hold the part but the latter serves the purpose with the help of magnetic force. They are efficient, easy to use and enhance the productivity of the welding. However, one disadvantage of using a magnetic clamp is that if you are not cautious about the type of materials you hold using the magnetic clamps, the magnetic field can get into the material while welding and affects the material severely.
This content was first published on the Cyclotron website.
