The world of welding

Our metal expertise extends beyond the material to the processes associated with it – so welding is a critical technique for us. This fiery method joins metal components together to form a complete whole that is more than the sum of its parts.

What is welding?

Welding is a fusion process that uses heat to create (and sometimes strengthen) joints between metal components. Originally used by blacksmiths to join iron and steel using heat and a hammer, today many different energy sources can be used for welding such as a gas flame, electric arc, laser, electron beam, friction, and even ultrasound.

Our two main welding methods

1. MIG welding is used for big, broad joints that require stability and strength for weight-bearing. It is a fast, easy and versatile method commonly used in manufacturing, automotive repair, and construction due to its efficiency and ability to produce strong, clean welds. At Tait, we use MIG welding across most of our range, incuding Trace, Softline, Xylem and Drum Planters; Breeze, Seam Collections; Pogo Tables; and the Cycle and Jak Chairs. Though it is technically a faster method, MIG welding can produce ‘splatters’ which are tiny sparks of metal that can stick to the surface around the weld area. At Tait, these would need to be cleaned off before the item is powdercoated, so can sometimes require extra time in the process.

2. TIG welding is a finer and smoother method, used for more fragile or intricate mesh. It is used when precise, high-quality welds are required, and can be applied on a variety of metals, including stainless steel and aluminium. Typically, TIG is used for products that have fine weld joins, for example the Volley Chair, which features an incredible 218 welds that can take up to 45 minutes to complete by hand.

Many of our products use both methods of welding as they require big, broad joints as well as small and fine joins.

Where we weld

Though welding can be performed in many environments – open air, underwater, and even outer space – we keep our feet on the ground at Tait. All welding for our products is done in our factory in Thomastown, less than 20km from Melbourne CBD.

‘At the factory, we have seven purpose-build welding bays and each has slightly different equipment,’ explains our 1st Class metal craftsman and Founding Director Gordon Tait. ‘Two bays are dedicated to welding aluminium, two for welding steel and the others stainless steel. We keep the metals separate to prevent any cross-contamination of metal particles, which can cause unwanted corrosion.’

Who welds?

At Tait we have 7 welders operating at any one time. One of our craftsmen is Amin Farrar, who started working with us via the government’s Job Seeker program. Whilst holding a degree in Physics from his native Iran, Amin was unable to transfer this qualification to Australia when he arrived as a refugee in 2010. Once settled, Amin decided to retrain in the family trade – his father and brothers were all welders back home working in the agricultural industry.

Nearing the end of his qualification, Amin interviewed for a role at Tait and was hired on the spot. Nine years later, he remains a pivotal part of our welding team. ‘I’m constantly motivated by learning new skills and methods. Michael, Derrin and Gordon have taught me everything I know,’ he enthuses.

How we weld

‘The most challenging part of the job is the persistent hyper-focus required to avoid mistakes,’ says Amin. ‘You have to be very skilled when welding aluminium, because it is highly affected by heat and very prone to warping. It’s already a soft metal – you could bend it with your hands – so if you don’t have experience, it will distort with heat.’

This means that aluminium welding, with the Trace Collection and Seam chair, for example, has to be handled with extreme caution. ‘You must be careful of everything: heat, the different amps – and you have to check it quickly. You can catch the warping whilst it’s still hot, but if it goes cold it is more difficult to fix .’

Refurbishing welds

All our products are designed and built intentionally for refurbishment. As welding applies to both the structure and finish of products, it is subject to wear and tear. ‘Welds can crack over time with ‘work hardening’; and they can also break if the weld has not penetrated the base metal sufficiently,’ explains Gordon. ‘If the weld is intact it can be refinished by sanding without any issues.’

We have full confidence in our skilled, passionate (and pedantic) welding team, and you can too – in 30 years we’ve had 0 warranty claims over weld breakages.

When we weld

Welding becomes part of our process flows in a few different ways. Whether joining metal tubes or lasercut components, it provides the structural foundation of our products. They need to withstand a variety of challenging environments and uses — including installations in public space, education and commercial settings. So we consider welding the all-important backbone of our range!

Welding innovation

In 2021, we invested in a robot welder, ‘Initially to weld the Jak Chairs,’ says Gordon. ‘We can weld four times as many using the robot, however we need to run them in batches of 200 due to the jig set-up times involved. We now also make Drum Planters and Seam stacking chair legs on the robot as well.’

‘Since moving to our Thomastown factory we’ve slowly upgraded our welding machines to more advanced versions that have electronic controls rather than analogue, giving a lot more refined settings.’

Welding has always been an important part of our Tait DNA. And whilst our robot welder speeds up output on selected items, we’ve also deliberately honed hand-welding as a specialist skill across our team. Because it’s important that we hold the quality of our products (and the potential for many more satisfying years of metal making) in our hands.

If you have questions about our welding techniques please reach out – we’d love to hear from you.

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Published 13 September 2024
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