The harsh nature of welding environments makes welding a prime candidate for process automation. Among the variety of welding processes available, gas metal arc welding is one of the most frequently used methods, primarily because it is highly suited to a wide range of applications, and also to automation. Automatic seam tracking method is one of the most demanded techniques for automatic control of arc welding. In this study a seam tracking system has been developed by using the welding arc itself as a sensor. This paper described the principle and experimental result of the arc sensor system, as well as the development and application of the automatic CO_2$ welding for the horizontal fillet welding. A basic problem in horizontal fillet welding is the prevention of hanging bead formation such as undercut at the vertical plate and overlap at the horizontal plate. To produce the symmetric bead shape, the relationship of bead shape to welding parameters(welding velocity, weaving width, weaving speed, tip to workpiece distance) was also investigated.