Innovative short arc technology is gaining high interest for low temperature joining strategies exemplified by the soldering of zinc coated steels and the joining of steel/aluminum hybrid joints. Controlled short arc allows on one hand a very low heat input in the component, so that melting of the base material can be limited. On the other hand it is possible to use low temperature melting filler wires, as for example zinc wire. New development in controlling short arc have been performed in the last year and reached its maturity for welding production (e.g. Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) of Fronius or Cold Arc in EWM). In both cases the short arc is controlled after drop transfer. One way to perform control is a high dynamic wire feed, which allows high dynamic retracting wire end. Another possibility represents a new type of highly dynamic inverter switching, combined with very fast digital current control, to reduce drastically the peak power in the arc when the short arc is reignited. The consequence of this is a no-sputter, low heat processing procedure. The arc is considerably colder due to the power reduction on re-ignition, which means that a lower heat input is possible.