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Welding

Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing fusion through the application of heat, pressure or both. The process creates a permanent bond by melting the base materials and often adding a filler material to form a weld pool that cools to become a strong joint. Common welding techniques include arc welding, gas welding, resistance welding and laser welding, each suited to different applications and material types. Welding is fundamental to manufacturing, construction, mining, automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding and infrastructure development across the world. The industry encompasses equipment manufacture, consumables supply, training and certification, and specialist contracting services. In Africa, welding supports key sectors including mining equipment fabrication, structural steel construction, pipeline installation and vehicle manufacturing. Quality welding requires skilled operators, as poor technique can compromise structural integrity and safety. The sector faces ongoing challenges around skills shortages, the need for continuous training in new technologies, and ensuring compliance with international standards. Welding technology has evolved significantly since the late nineteenth century, with modern advances including automated robotic welding, friction stir welding and hybrid laser-arc processes that improve speed, precision and material performance.

Welding Updates


CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY
The Harris model 62-5 alternative fuels cutting attachment is available in various torch lengths, torch head angles and with unique mixer systems depending on the gas service selected
Partners advocate switching to alternative fuels for oxyfuel cutting
19th June 2026 By: Keabetswe Shilakwe

South Africa’s metal fabrication sector is under pressure to reduce costs without compromising safety and output, with rising energy prices, persistent skills shortages and tighter project margins... 


BRIDGING THEORY AND APPLICATION
The Material Testing Lab provides tensile, bend, impact, hardness and metallographic testing to support procedure qualification, failure investigations and quality assurance
Institution implements standards for global competitiveness
19th June 2026 By: Keabetswe Shilakwe

South Africa’s welding and cutting sector is facing a critical shortage of competent welding personnel at a time when local manufacturers must meet tougher global quality demands and adopt... 


ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS
Laser cladding offers very precise, high-quality coatings with minimal dilution, making it ideal for high-value components
Process selection, hybrid welding approach extend equipment life
19th June 2026 By: Keabetswe Shilakwe

In mining and materials handling, selecting the correct welding and hard facing process is crucial to combat abrasion and impact wear, observes industrial engineering solutions supplier Weartech.... 


An image of a factory worker measuring a metal product
Sector’s sustainability depends on modernisation
24th April 2026 By: Nadine Ramdass

While technically resilient, the South African metal fabrication sector is structurally constrained, with its future contingent on its embracing modernisation, sustainability and skills... 


Babcock appointed Preferred Partner for Lincoln Electric across Sub-Saharan Africa
Babcock appointed Preferred Partner for Lincoln Electric across Sub-Saharan Africa
8th April 2026

Babcock has been named the Preferred Partner for Lincoln Electric across Sub-Saharan Africa, a landmark appointment that signals a significant shift in how world-class welding technology will be... 


Air Products delivers innovative new solution to the market with Magmix 3 Compact
Air Products delivers innovative new solution to the market with Magmix 3 Compact
24th March 2026

Air Products South Africa successfully launched a new innovative solution, the Magmix 3 Compact cylinder, which aims to fill a gap in the market as a lightweight, compact, and affordable welding... 


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