Which welding process uses a consumable electrode and is commonly associated with a shielding gas?

• A. SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding)
• B. Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding
• C. Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW/MIG)
• D. Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)

Answer: (C)

This process uses a continuous consumable electrode and relies on shielding gas to protect the weld. A spool of wire is fed through the welding gun, and as the electric arc melts the wire, it becomes part of the weld joint. At the same time, shielding gas flows around the arc and the molten pool, keeping atmospheric elements like oxygen and nitrogen out, which helps prevent porosity and oxidation. This combination—a constantly fed wire electrode plus a shielding gas—defines MIG welding (GMAW). The shielding gas is a defining feature here and is typically selected from mixtures such as CO2, argon, or argon–CO2 blends, depending on the material being welded. Other processes differ: flux-coated rods in shielded metal arc welding provide shielding from the flux, TIG welding uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode with gas shielding, and flux-core arc welding uses a flux-filled wire (with or without an external shielding gas).