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The big effort behind microwelding

8 questions with Scott Malkasian of Worcester, Mass.-based Micro Arc Welding

microwelding

Saying yes to the most difficult jobs, creating a shop culture that encourages collaboration and creativity, and a commitment to getting work in and out the door quickly helped Malkasian secure his company’s place among the microwelding elite.

Scott Malkasian and his company, Micro Arc Welding in Worcester, Mass., does welding work that very few other companies have the skill or expertise to do.

Using a microscope, welding wire the size of a human hair, and amperages that range from half an amp to possibly 10 amps (give or take, depending on the job), he and his co-workers precisely and intentionally lay a weld that oftentimes is the same size as accidental weld spatter.

The days can be long, the delivery times are incredibly tight, finding qualified help is next to impossible, and learning all the nuances of both micro-TIG and microlaser takes a very long time and a lot of practice.

Recently The WELDER spoke with Malkasian about his career path, his business, and the interesting points of microwelding.

TW: How did you get your start in microwelding?

SM: After I graduated from high school, I started working at my dad’s tool and die shop in Worcester, Mass., as a moldmaking apprentice. I did simple machining work and ran errands, which is how I met Jimmy Donovan of Advanced Welding.

Jimmy is considered the grandfather of microwelding and was a true pioneer in the craft. When I would deliver mold components to Donovan’s shop in Rhode Island, I would watch in complete fascination. I was never a good student academically, but I was good with my hands. I saw that type of welding Jimmy was doing and I remember thinking, “That’s what I want to do.”

For the next year or so I got to know Jimmy pretty well and I convinced my dad to buy an old Airco welding machine that Jimmy didn’t use anymore. It wasn’t designed for microwelding, but the amp settings were low enough to make the process work.

Before I had a microscope, I would weld a part with my helmet on and then inspect my work with a tiny silver spyglass. At the time, I couldn’t find welding wire less than 0.035 in., so I made my own. I centerless-ground them down to 0.015 in. diameter. When I finished with my work at my dad’s tool and die shop, I would sit and microweld all night long.

TW: How long have you been in business?

SM: I bought my first microwelding machine in 1985, and it was the same kind that Jimmy Donovan was using. It could weld down to 1/10 of 1 amp. I bought an old microscope, retrofitted it with a welding lens, and became the in-house welder for my dad’s tool and die company. I continued to provide welding support for my dad’s company, but word was spreading about what I could do and microwelding work started coming in the door. I was bringing in a lot of revenue for my dad’s company, and eventually it became a business within a business.

microwelding

Malkasian became interested in microwelding as a teen when he worked at his father’s mold shop. He met Jimmy Donovan, who Malkasian describes as a true pioneer in the craft, and was immediately taken with the precision and skill involved.

My dad passed away in 1987 and my two brothers and I inherited the family-owned tool and die business. I saw this as a good time to start my own company, so I sold my shares and started Micro Arc Welding in 1988.

TW: What are some of your difficult jobs?

SM: We weld parts with dimensional tolerances measured in the thousandths, yet the process remains manual.

We deal with hardened high-alloyed tool steel cavities and cores that are precision-ground and fit. We need to weld on these tool steels without cracking or distortion. A tiny die component for plastic-injection molding may look damaged beyond repair, but with the microscope and electrodes as thin as a strand of human hair, we can deposit the weld into slots that are 0.030 in. wide or even narrower.

Controlling the adverse effects of welding, such as heat, distortion, and cracking, are things we have to think about ahead of time. What kind of alloy is it? Is it weldable? Is it plated? A lot of times when we get parts we don’t even know what it is, so we’ll have to do a Rockwell hardness test.

There are at least 100 different variables that make every job difficult.

TW: How much time are you given to complete jobs?

SM: The delivery times are insane. Work comes to us from all over the world, and it’ll usually arrive in the early morning hours. We’ll weld it that day and then send it out via red label by the afternoon on the same day. That happens literally every day.

We do get some projects that the customer doesn’t need finished for a few days, and we consider that a long delivery time. I have a hard time saying no to people. Because of that, my day-to-day schedule is never the same. We hit the ground running as soon as we get to the shop, and if I can finish up by 5 o’clock, great. But a lot of times I’m there until 10 or 11 at night. As the owner, I try to get my guys out by 5 p.m., and I stay and pick up the slack.

I’m always humbled when we get jobs from customers in California, Canada, or New Zealand who come to us for what we do and the talent we provide.

microwelding

Scott Malkasian, founder and president of Micro Arc Welding, uses a microscope, welding wire the size of a human hair, and amperages that range from half an amp to possibly 10 amps (give or take, depending on the job) to lay intentional yet incredibly small welds on critical components.

TW: Can you give us an idea of the size and scope of your work?

SM: We have to be able to start a nice, clean arc on a part without melting anything. To do that, we have to start out with very low amperage. We have machines with two different ranges, one that is 1/10 of 1 amp to 10 amps, and the other goes from 1 amp to 100 amps. Our go-to tungsten is 0.016 in., and we use wire that is 0.0005 in., which is the size of a human hair.

We are doing some R&D work for a medical company in Canada. It’s all micro laser welding and it’s all done manually. They need a ball tip on wire that is 0.004-in. OD, the wire length is 8 mm, and the ball tip diameter they require is 0.0125 in.

TW: How do you find and/or develop talent?

SM: We have struggled with finding talent for years. We have a really talented welder who is in his mid-20s who wanted to learn how to weld. He had done some work for us in other capacities, but I could just tell by his demeanor that he would be a topnotch welder. He’s been with us for 8 years now and has the skills to take over the business in the future.

If you don’t have a rock-steady hand, a good eye, creativity, and the ability to problem-solve, then you’re never going to be a microwelder. Those elements are critical. Every job we get is different. Many have similarities, but we have to do what the customer wants without damaging or warping the part, and the solution isn’t always obvious.

These skills don’t develop overnight. They develop over many years under the microscope and with good on-the-job guidance and communication. We are working with some technical schools in our area to recruit new hires. It would be great to hire a young gun out of tech school who is interested in working for a niche company, doing what very few in the world can do.

TW: How do you deal with the pressure, knowing the part is expensive and the margin for error is small or nonexistent?

SM: On the first job I ever did, other than working for my dad, I was shaking like a leaf. I remember being terrified and I couldn’t even hold my hands straight. I was so nervous. Fortunately, it ended up going just fine. But I had also put in a lot of time and hours practicing.

I really think it just comes from the confidence gained during the simpler jobs and working up from there. Here in our shop we are big on communication. We all collaborate and talk about how best to approach each job and then we form a plan.

TW: What advice would you share with someone interested in pursuing microwelding?

SM: I think the best thing to do would be to find a successful or well-known microwelding outfit and try and become an apprentice to learn everything from the ground up. Prior welding experience really isn’t required; in fact, sometimes I think it’s better to teach somebody who has no welding experience how to microweld because welding regular-sized parts with normal-sized equipment doesn’t necessarily translate well to the microwelding world.

About the Author
FMA Communications Inc.

Amanda Carlson

2135 Point Blvd

Elgin, IL 60123

815-227-8260

Amanda Carlson was named as the editor for The WELDER in January 2017. She is responsible for coordinating and writing or editing all of the magazine’s editorial content. Before joining The WELDER, Amanda was a news editor for two years, coordinating and editing all product and industry news items for several publications and thefabricator.com.