Category Archive: Uncategorized
We have some exciting news to share: This past fall, the American Welding Society (AWS) awarded Sutton Garten with the “Image of Welding” Award!
The “Image of Welding” Award is an annual award presented by AWS at the yearly AWS/Fabtech convention (which features those companies who represent the welding industry). A national board selects the winners of the award and this year, we are honored to have been a recipient!
Ever since the 1920s, when our founder Ray Garten joined the AWS organization, Sutton Garten has been active in the welding industry. For the past ten years, we have been hosting annual AWS meetings here at our downtown Indianapolis facilities, where we have highlighted our welding classroom, welding lab, and showroom featuring our current products. During these meetings, industry and society members demonstrate new technologies and discuss current industry events. AWS is an organization we have been involved with for so long simply because of what the organization stands for: the support of welding education and the encouragement of young people to learn the techniques of the trade. Along with our society membership, we have found ways to bring recognition to the welding industry. Specifically, we help a local AWS Midwest Welding contest, participate in various exhibitions and shows, and support AWS scholarship funds.
As long-time members of the society and the industry, we are pleased to receive the award and be acknowledged as an integral part of the welding industry. We hope that we and AWS can help further foster the welding industry!
In our previous blog post, we highlighted the various welding and certification classes we offer. These classes, which can either train students to a specific welding standard or on the basics of welding, are a good introduction to the welding industry. Since not everyone can make our classes, we have decided to bring some welding instruction here. Let’s look at the most common types of welding and cutting:
MIG Welding: Also known as GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding), this is the most popular form of welding. What does this process involve? A shielding gas, MIG gun, welder or wire feed machine, and MIG wire. MIG welding is used in many applications, including automotive, aerospace, sheet metal, machine and tool and die shops, and manufacturing. Similar to MIG welding is FCAW welding (which stands for Flux Core Arc Welding), which does not require a shielding gas.
Stick Welding: The oldest electric welding technology, also known as SMAW or Shielding Metal Arc Welding, uses a “stick” electrode, with an electrode holder and an arc welding machine. This welding process is used primarily in the construction, steel, and manufacturing industries.
TIG Welding: Known as GTAW or Gas Tungsten Arc Welding. The process requires a tungsten electrode and “TIG” torch, and uses “TIG” rods or 36” length pieces of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or titanium, as well as Argon shielding gas. TIG welding is used in auto body work for vehicles and motor sports, and in aerospace applications. Little known fact: this welding is the most difficult to master because in a way, it is art-like.
Oxy-Fuel Welding: This welding requires a cutting/welding torch with acetylene and oxygen and can be used to weld metal with the “welding tip” or cut thick metal with a cutting tip. Oxy-fuel cutting is primarily used in the steel manufacturing, automotive, and scrap metal industries.
Plasma Cutting: Uses compressed air or nitrogen and a plasma cutting torch to cut metal with a more precise cut then produced in Oxy-Fuel Cutting. This welding process is used in almost all facets of the metal working industry.
Do you have a better understanding of the various types of welding? Stay tuned for more welding, company, and industry news!
MIG welding. TIG welding. Stick welding. Oxy-fuel and plasma cutting. Though each welding process differs slightly from one another, they all have one thing in common: we are experts at all of them. For years, we have provided the welding industry with a wide variety of welding and cutting equipment and rental and repair services. Why limit our welding knowledge only to the technology? That is precisely the reason we decided to offer welding certification and training classes.
What do these classes cover? The welding basics:
- Equipment setup. How do the machines for the various welding processes work?
- What are base and filler metals, and how do you select the appropriate ones?
- Introduction to metal alloys: We cover all metals from aluminum to mild steel and stainless steel.
- Base metal cleaning and preparation.
- Looking for a specific certification? We can train to AWS and ASME welding codes. Not to mention, we will show you how to test the equipment to ensure it is continuously meeting these standards.
Not only will you get specific instructions in the introductory and advanced level classes, but you will also have the opportunity to work on individual projects. Our instructors are all certified welding inspectors by the American Welding Society. Want to sign up for a class? See our website for more information!
What makes us here at Sutton-Garten unique and why do we refer to ourselves as a “whole package?” The answer could be a wide range of things, from our complete line of welding equipment to our rental line to our long history. Let’s start at the beginning.
Ninety years ago, in 1918, the welding side of Sutton-Garten first opened, under the care of four men. The company leadership then solely came under William Garten and Charles Sutton, and the business took off (and yes, we are still a family-owned company today, currently operating with the third and fourth generations!). We have resided in multiple locations over the years, and we have been in our current building since the 1980s (we even expanded in the early 2000’s and doubled the size of our warehouse).
Although welding has always been the main focal point of our company,—we are one of the oldest operating businesses in the welding industry—we have expanded in order to keep up with the changing industry and our customers’ demands. At the time of the Great Depression, the welding side of the company took a hit, so we opened our repair shop in order to maintain our business. Now, we have a complete repair and rental shop that supports all of the equipment we sell. Additionally, around 5 years ago, we added the carbon dioxide and dry ice department, which has seen rapid expansion since its introduction. So why do we call ourselves the whole package? Because we have a full cycle of services: we sell welding equipment, train staffs on how to weld and how to become certified, we repair equipment, and we provide rental equipment. Anything your equipment may need in its life cycle, we can offer.
Want to know more? See our website and check back here for monthly updates!
As long-time members of the society and the industry, we are pleased to receive the award and be acknowledged as an integral part of the welding industry. We hope that we and AWS can help further foster the welding industry!
