 During the middle of the century , many new welding methods were invented . 1930 saw the release of stud welding , which soon became popular in shipbuilding and construction . Submerged arc welding was invented the same year and continues to be popular today . In 1932 a Russian , Konstantin Khrenov successfully implemented the first underwater electric arc welding . Gas tungsten arc welding , after decades of development , was finally perfected in 1941 , and gas metal arc welding followed in 1948 , allowing for fast welding of non @-@ ferrous materials but requiring expensive shielding gases . Shielded metal arc welding was developed during the 1950s , using a flux @-@ coated consumable electrode , and it quickly became the most popular metal arc welding process . In 1957 , the flux @-@ cored arc welding process debuted , in which the self @-@ shielded wire electrode could be used with automatic equipment , resulting in greatly increased welding speeds , and that same year , plasma arc welding was invented . Electroslag welding was introduced in 1958 , and it was followed by its cousin , electrogas welding , in 1961 . In 1953 the Soviet scientist N. F. Kazakov proposed the diffusion bonding method . 
