Arc welding uses an electrical current to create enough heat to
melt metal. Any type of welding that uses an electric arc is
technically arc welding. However, most people use the term 'arc
welding' to mean shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), or 'stick
welding'. SMAW, MIG, and flux core wire welding use the filler
metal as both electrode and filler; TIG welding uses an electric
arc to heat the base metal and a separate filler rod to add metal
to the weld.