To get the appropriate welding process variables, mathematical modeling in conjunction with many experiments is necessary to predict the magnitude of weld bead shape. Even though the experimental results are reliable, it has a difficulty in accurately predicting welding process variables for the desired weld bead shape because of nonlinear and complex characteristics of welding processes. The welding condition determined for the desired weld bead shape may cause the weld defect if the welding current/voltage/speed combination is improperly selected. In this study, the $2^{n-1}$ fractional factorial design method and correlation parameter were used to investigate the effect of the welding process variables on the fillet joint shape, and the multiple non-linear regression analysis was used for modeling the gas metal arc welding(GMAW）parameters of the fillet joint. Finally, a fuzzy rule-based method and a neural network method were proposed so that the complexity and non-linearity of arc welding phenomena could be effectively overcome. The performance of the proposed neuro-fuzzy system was evaluated through various experiments. The experimental results showed that the proposed neuro-fuzzy system could effectively check the welding conditions as to whether or not weld defects would occur, and also adjust the welding conditions to avoid these weld defects.