the wire. The weld pool is protected from the surrounding atmosphere by a shielding gas fed through a nozzle surrounding the wire. Shielding gas selection depends on the material being welded and the application. The wire is fed from a reel by a motor drive, and the welder moves the welding torch along the joint line. Wires may be solid (simple drawn wires), or cored (composites formed from a metal sheath with a powdered flux or metal filling). Consumables are generally competitively priced compared with those for other processes. The process offers high productivity, as the wire is continuously fed.

Manual MIG/MAG welding is often referred as a semi-automatic process, as the wire feed rate and arc length are controlled by the power source, but the travel speed and wire position are under manual control. The process can also be mechanised when all the process parameters are not directly controlled by a welder, but might  still require manual adjustment during welding. When no manual intervention is needed during welding, the process can be referred to as automatic.

The process usually operates with the wire positively charged and connected to a power source delivering a constant voltage. Selection of wire diameter (usually between 0.6 and 1.6mm) and wire feed speed determine the welding current, as the burn-off rate of the wire will form an equilibrium with the feed speed.