I'm having a lot of trouble,when welding small parts, particularly aluminum. Small parts doesn't have enough mass to dissipate all the heat generated by the welding process. I tried to hold, clamp the part to a larger metal piece, ideally copper, so it can capture the heat as much possible and mantain the small part cold enough, so I have more time before it melts down. This is not always easy because of the part shape, the ideal is not to have much air gap between the part being weld and the piece used for heat dissipation.
I'll appreciate any help a member of this forum can provide.
Thanks
I'm assuming you're TIG welding? You can always weld it a little bit at a time, rather than all at once, and allow for the part to cool off in between welds. Aluminum conducts heat well, so it should cool off relatively quickly compared to most other metals. Also, anything you can do to focus the heat to a smaller spot and not have it spread out as much, can allow more control over your molten puddle. Hold a tighter arc, is an easy one. If your machine allows it, try a higher A/C frequency, higher %EN A/C balance (more "penetration" / less "cleaning"), a sharper tungsten tip. Finally, try increasing your welding current to pick up your travel speed, to try to "outrun the heat". It may seem counterintuitive, but higher amps combined with increased travel speed can often lead to less overall heat input. Try going "Hot and fast"