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Pushing the welding parameters of the amperage.
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 11:47 am
by jayaz
I was thinking about upgrading to Tig with the millermatic 220. This machine is rated at 210 max amps for DC TIG 1/4"
I mostly weld round stock material from 1/4" -1/2" carbon steel Mig making display mounts for gemstones/rocks. The mounts usually support 1/3 of the size.
Can I weld 1/4" round stock 304 stainless to 1/2" stainless round stock at 210 max amps?
I'm thinking I can, considering its not structural and it such a small surface area at the weld point to get a nice fusion of the two thicknesses
what are your thoughts?
Re: Pushing the welding parameters of the amperage.
Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2019 6:50 am
by MinnesotaDave
Yes, won't be a problem. Around 180 amps would be fine for steel, and stainless uses less amps.
Miller multimatic 220 is the machine you mean though for tig.
Re: Pushing the welding parameters of the amperage.
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:47 am
by Jd87
How has this machine been working for the heavier work you've posted about?
Re: Pushing the welding parameters of the amperage.
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:38 pm
by Bill Beauregard
I was uninformed several years ago. Wanted to weld aluminum, asked a "friend" who managed an Airgas store. I shouldn't have done that.
Weeks later I hoped to understand why my new welder didn't measure up. My education began!
Steel & stainless steel weld easy with inexpensive machines.
Aluminum needs more!!!
A constant formula converts watts to BTU. BTU needed for an aluminum weld is very complex, but constant. Aluminum has to be at 1200 Approx. to weld. Steel has to be 3000 degrees to weld. Don't let that fool you. Aluminum conducts heat away from the weld at an alarming rate. It takes way more heat (BTU) to weld aluminum. Also, aluminum needs AC to get past the oxide layer. It melts at 3000 degrees, and AC current interferes with the arc more than half the time.
Steel welders; I look to the old monster machines.
Aluminum welders once had helium. They worked amazingly on it. Since we could afford to use helium, aluminum welds have used argon. Not as good! Manufacturers have sought to find a substitute for helium. Inverters, adjustable balance, adjustable duration, frequency, square wave, the list goes on. Each innovation improves to some degree the function of an aluminum welder.
Meanwhile, steel welders have been lightened for portability, and improved in energy efficiency. In function a welder built in 1950 works as well as a 2020.