MIG vs MAG welding processes ? What they stand for ?

metal inert gas (MIG)

metal active gas (MAG)

metal inert gas (MIG) welding or metal active gas (MAG) welding, is a welding process in which an electric arc forms between a consumable wireelectrode and the workpiece metal(s), which heats the workpiece metal(s), causing them to melt, and join.

MIG (metal inert gas) and MAG (metal active gas) are the most common welding methods in Western Europe, the United States and Japan. Their popularity is based on the fact that they have high productivity and they are easy to mechanize.MIG/MAG welding uses filler metals, in the form of a solid wire electrode or a tubular-cored wire electrode, fed through a welding gun. The filler metals are melted off continuously in an electric arc. The energy generated in the arc is created by an electric welding power source. The arc and the molten weld pool are protected by a shielding gas that flows out of the gas nozzle located on the welding gun.

As mentioned by the kind participants 

MIG : Metal Inert Gas 

MAG: Metal Active Gas 

The main difference is in the type of the gas used 

From the mouth of the Welders I guess the MAG process offers betters welding quality 

MIG (metal inert gas) welding and MAG (metal active gas) welding are two sub types of welding method classified as GMAS (gas metal arc welding).

In both there processes a continuous metal wire surrounded by a shielding gas are fed through a welding gun. Of the two processes the first one to be developed was MIG process.

This process was costly because of high cost of inert gas and therefor was not used that widely. It was mostly used for welding of non-ferrous metals. Subsequently the MIG process was developed which used semi active gas such as carbon dioxide (CO2). This allowed the process to be used for much wider applications.

for the welding process it is the same of MIG and MAG and the main difference between both is the shielding gases to be used with MIG or MAG, As at MIG welding the shielding gas is Argon or Helium or mixture of both and at the MAG welding the shielding gas mainly CO2 and mixture of other non active gases, and in both welding processes , the quantities of gases and the types should be specified for the application before welding for right selection of the gases and their quantities, from authorized welding association or the MIG/MAG machine manufacturer recommendations  d 

Agree with answer added by: Alex Al Yazouri

Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), sometimes referred to by its subtypes metal inert gas (MIG) welding or metal active gas (MAG)welding, is a welding process in which an electric arc forms between a consumable wire electrode and the workpiece metal(s), which heats the workpiece metal(s), causing them to melt, and join. Along with the wire electrode, a shielding gas feeds through the welding gun, which shields the process from contaminants in the air. The process can be semi-automatic or automatic. A constant voltage, direct current power source is most commonly used with GMAW, but constant current systems, as well as alternating current, can be used. There are four primary methods of metal transfer in GMAW, called globular, short-circuiting, spray, and pulsed-spray, each of which has distinct properties and corresponding advantages and limitations.

Les acronymes MIG et MAG signifient respectivement Metal inert gas et Metal active gas. La différence entre les deux procédés tient à la composition du gaz. Le procédé MIG utilise un gaz neutre qui ne réagit pas avec le métal fondu (argon ou argon + hélium), contrairement au procédé MAG (mélange d'argon avec du dioxyde de carbone et de l'hydrogène en proportions variables selon les métaux à souder). Le gaz est injecté en continu sur l'arc afin d'isoler complètement le métal en fusion de l'air ambiant.

(MIG) that is to say Metal Inert Gas 

(MAG) that is to say Metal Active Gas 

metal inert gas (MIG) welding or metal active gas (MAG) welding