惰性气体保护金属极电弧焊最早于1926年开发，使用非消耗性钨电极，并在20世纪40年代初实现了商业重要性。该工艺现在在TIG焊接中广为人知，并首先用于连接镁，在制造铝合金方面获得了广泛应用。在这些材料获得初步成功后，它被应用于黑色金属。到了40年代末，消耗品电极取代了非消耗品电极，首次应用于铝合金。随后，这一过程，即众所周知的MIG焊接，在商业上用于连接黑色金属，并首先应用于不锈钢，然后应用于碳钢。这两种工艺在焊接行业中的重要性都在不断提高，现在已广泛用于商业上的所有普通金属。

Inert-gas metal-arc welding was first developed in 1926 with a nonconsumable tungsten electrode and achieved commercial importance in the early 1940's. This process, now popularly known at TIG welding and used first for joining magnesium, achieved extensive use for fabricating aluminum alloys. After its initial success with these materials, it was applied to ferrous metals. By the late 40's, a consumable electrode was substituted for the nonconsumable electrode and again the initial application was on aluminum alloys. Subsequently, this process, which is popularly known as MIG welding, was used commercially for joining ferrous metals and was applied first to stainless steel and then to carbon steel. Both processes have been increasing in importance in the welding industry and now find widespread use for all the ordinary metals of commerce.