通过局部熔合连接金属部件是一种用于多种电弧焊工艺的技术；它可以通过手动和机械程序来完成。 早期的应用使用了旧的、已确立的裸金属电弧焊（使用光通量涂层金属焊条）和埋弧焊工艺。在这些工艺中，焊接主要限于较重的量规和较薄的板厚。在某些情况下，为了确保熔透，焊接是通过接头上部构件上的预留孔进行的；这通常被称为塞焊。虽然使用上述工艺的电弧点焊没有被广泛用作主要工艺，但它被用于维修和将部件固定在一起，以便进行后续加工。 后来钨极气体保护焊、金属气体保护焊和金属气体保护药芯焊的工艺发展极大地扩展了电弧点焊的应用范围。这些最新的工艺发展允许对厚度为0.005英寸的金属进行电弧点焊。到3/8英寸的厚板上。厚的什么工艺最适合特定应用取决于焊接的材料以及金属厚度和接头描述。 电弧点焊的一个主要特点是只需要接触接头的一侧。这种优势，再加上通常不需要力的事实，使得设计师和工程师能够设想出任何其他焊接工艺都无法实际生产的产品设计。 需要考虑的电弧点焊的其他优点包括: 1.与具有足够处理等效金属厚度能力的电阻点焊设备相比，降低了初始设备成本。2.电力需求低。3.简化的夹具要求4。设备的便携性更强。最低操作技能要求6。在焊接轻金属（上部）和重金属测厚仪时，厚度比没有实际限制7。未遇到焊接电流分流。中心到中心的焊接距离仅受相关热影响区的限制。8.一旦建立并维持了合适的条件，结果的一致性。9.内务管理比埋弧焊或粘焊有所改善，但并不比“细焊丝”工艺更好。

The joining of metal components by a localized fusion is a technique used with a number of arc welding processes; it can be accomplished with both manual and mechanical procedures. Early applications used the older, established processes of bare metal arc welding (with light flux-coated metal electrodes) and submerged arc welding. With these processes, welding was predominantly limited to the heavier gages and thinner plate thicknesses. In some cases to insure penetration, the welding was done through a prepared hole in the upper member of the joint; this is commonly referred to as plug welding. Although arc spot welding using the above-mentioned processes was not extensively used as a prime process, it was used for repairs and for tacking components together to hold them in relation for subsequent processing. Later process developments of gas tungsten-arc welding, gas metal-arc welding and gas metal-arc flux-cored welding have greatly extended the application of arc spot welding. These more recent process developments allow arc spot welding of metal thicknesses of from 0.005 in. to heavy plates 3/8 in. thick. What process is best suited for a specific application depends on the material being welded as well as the metal thickness and joint description. A major feature of arc spot welding is that only one side of the joint need be accessible. This advantage, coupled with the fact that normally no force is needed, allows the designer and engineer to conceive product designs which cannot be practically produced by any other welding process. Other advantages of arc spot welding to be considered are: 1. Lowe initial equipment cost compared to resistance spot welding equipment of sufficient capacity to process equivalent metal thicknesses.2. Low electrical power demand.3. Simplified fixturing requirements4. Greater portability of equipment5. Minimum operator skill required6. No practical restriction in thickness ratio in welding light (upper part) to heavy metal gages7. Shunting of welding currents is not encountered. The center-to-center weld distance is limited only by the associated heat-affected zones.8. Consistency of results once suitable conditions have been established and are maintained.9. Housekeeping is improved over submerged melt or stick welding, but is no better than with the "fine wire" process.