Weld Bead
A weld bead is the solidified deposit of filler metal left on a joint after welding—the visible seam where molten metal fuses base materials and cools. In CNC/millwork documentation, it also means a virtual/graphical CAD weld representation used to call out size, location, and symbol data without adding solid geometry. In hybrid/additive repair processes, a weld bead is a deposited material track often milled flat after cooling.
On the shop floor, the weld bead is the controlled result of torch travel speed, filler feed, current, voltage, and heat input, and its geometry determines fusion quality, profile, and downstream machinability. In welded CNC fabrications, the bead is rarely the final surface where tight tolerances matter; critical faces are left with stock and machined after welding to recover flatness, parallelism, and positional accuracy. Structural frames require visual inspection of beads, and they are often blended or machined if they interfere with assembly, sealing, or fixturing. Automated systems exist to clean external welding beads on profiles. In CAD/CAM workflows, weld bead features are placed on assemblies and drawings to communicate weld intent to fabrication, inspection, and assembly teams without adding model mass or geometry overhead, keeping the digital model lightweight while still documenting the required weld size and location.
What bead characteristic matters most for post-weld machining?
Bead consistency in height and width, because irregular reinforcement increases cleanup stock and raises the risk of leaving local low spots after face milling.
Why do fabricators leave stock around welded features?
Welding residual stress and thermal distortion change geometry during cooling, so extra stock lets the machinist skim back to true surfaces after the weldment stabilizes.
Is a weld bead the same as a fillet weld?
In CAD terminology, a weld bead can be a graphical representation, while a fillet weld often implies a modeled weld volume; SolidWorks resources distinguish weld bead features as lightweight documentation elements.