August 17, 2026
Resistance-welded wire structures
Cross-wire resistance weld is the default joint on industrial grids. When it is not: 330, poor access, thin-to-heavy, cosmetic stainless — then TIG or MIG.
A welded wire structure lives or dies at the crossing. Cross-wire resistance weld is fast, repeatable, and has no filler. That is the default on carbon grids and on many 304 panels. It is not a worse MIG. It is a different joint.
When resistance is the joint
- Line wire × cross wire on a flat panel.
- Similar diameters, or a known step the cell already runs.
- Carbon and most 300-series the print allows.
- Production counts where a nugget cycle beats a fillet.
When it is not
330 (N08330) often wants TIG with a nickel-bearing filler — nickel content, heat, electrode life. Thin infill into a heavy rim may blow through or miss. Electrodes that cannot reach a closed channel belong on a different sequence, not a bigger welder. Visible cosmetic stainless is a TIG conversation.
Name the process
“Weld as required” is how two shops bid two different parts. Resistance on crossings. MIG on corners. TIG where listed. Flash: as-welded on the mesh, dressed on a named face. Then the structure is quotable.