What effect can high travel speed during GTAW have on penetration?

High travel speed during Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) generally leads to decreased penetration. When the welder moves the torch too quickly, the heat input to the base material becomes insufficient for achieving the desired weld depth. This results in a shallow weld bead and poor fusion with the base metal. The weld pool does not have enough time to adequately melt the edges of the workpieces, which means the molten metal will not penetrate as deeply into the joint.

In contrast, a slower travel speed would allow more heat to be concentrated in one area, promoting deeper penetration and improving the weld quality. Therefore, controlling travel speed is crucial to achieving the right balance between penetration and overall weld quality.