(GTAW) TIG Cups / Nozzles

The majority of GTAW TIG cups / nozzles are made from ceramic materials, Alumina cups are the most commonly used and least expensive cups in GTAW TIG welding.

Alumina cups (pink colored) Alumina cups are made from “alumina oxide”. Alumina cups are more resistant to impact than lava cups making them a more durable general use TIG cup. Alumina cups work best for lower amperage TIG welding. Alumina nozzles tend to break when there is high reflective heat present.

If a Alumina cup is used in a confined area, heat is reflected back to the cup causing it to expand. Then when it cools, it shrinks and will eventually cause it to crack or break. So to prevent this from happening its beat to use the, White Ceramic (lava) cups are used when there is high reflective heat is present.

Lava cups (white colored) cost more than alumina oxide nozzles but are more resistant to cracking when high reflective heat is present. work best on medium amperage TIG welding.

Silicon nitrate cups, are the most expensive TIG welding nozzles but are the highest performing cups. These nozzles resist heat and cracking on higher amperage, and silicon nitrate cups last longer than lava cups or alumina oxide cups. they have the highest amperage and duty cycle rating for TIG welding. Also for high end precision, silicon nitrate cups are perfect for achieving consistency and durability for the highest quality TIG welds.

Picking the right (GTAW) TIG cup

TIG-gtaw-gas-flow-cup-selection
Its important to pick the right cup / nozzle for TIG welding. So you can get the correct shielding gas coverage for the job. Above i ve added a chart to help in finding the right GTAW TIG cup/nozzle.