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Thom Burns

Thom Burns is the Technical Services Director for AlcoTec Wire Corporation, 2750 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686, 231-922-1218, tburns@alcotec.com. AlcoTec is a member of the ESAB Group of companies, www.esabna.com.

Articles by Thom Burns

Characteristics of Heat Treatable vs. Non Heat Treatable Aluminum Alloys

There are certainly differences in strengths for aluminum alloys, whether they are heat-treatable or not. These different characteristics impact the final strength of the weld because these alloys differ in their chemical and metallurgical structure and in how they react during the welding process.

How to Avoid Cracking in Aluminum Alloys

Thom Burns of AlcoTec Wire shares some tricks of the trade on some deeper insights into potential problems associated with cracking and the various characteristics of many different aluminum alloys.

Improving Feedability in Aluminum Welding

Due to the poor column strength of aluminum, the wire easily bends or twists when pushed through a typical GMAW wire feeder and gun system, causing “bird-nesting.” Thom Burns of AltoTec shares some ways to prevent this problem.