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Welding_arcinexpensive or modern equipmentSOLUTIONS with Effective, Powerful Advice
Welding_arc, equipment, tig torches, Welding arc tig machines, mig systems, Miller Welding machines, Lincoln Welding machines, welding cables, orbital welding equipment, wire feeders, arc welding equipment, transformers, rectifiers, inverters, shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) power supply, submerged arc welding equipment, stick welders, flux cored arc welding (FCAW) systems, gas metal arc welding (GMAW) machines, gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) equipment, plasma arc welding (PAW) outfits, welding links, welding tips, improving welding results, joining questions needing answers: these are some of the items developed in this Site for the benefit of interested readers. What is in here for me? How could one get information on less popular Welding_arc equipment? We provide here some information, but if you need more, please ask, by clicking on the Contact Us button above left to e-mail us.
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In a previous page on WELDING
EQUIPMENT, (click for seeing), a short review was offered of the main concerns that should be
addressed when procuring new hardware as needed to perform any given welding process. Here we are
going to enter into some more details on Welding_arc equipment used for ARC WELDING.
For more information on these
Of the Fusion Welding Processes, Welding_arc in general is characterized by the use of the electric arc as the source of heat for melting and fusing materials and by the recourse to some form of protection of the molten pool and of the hot metal against contamination from air, by one of a series of means, each best adapted to some specific application. Now for SMAW... The main piece of Welding_arc equipment for SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDING (SMAW), which is essentially a manual process (also called Stick Welding), is a power supply of which different types are offered on the market, each rated to a maximum output in Amperes as required and limited to some approved duty cycle (a given percentage of working time out of a ten minutes interval, at any given current, less than continuous operation). A new page can be reached by clicking on Shielded Metal Arc Welding Tips. A detailed Article on how to select your SMA Welder or GTA Welder was published in the September 2003 issue #01 of Practical Welding Letter. To reach it, just click on PWL#001. To get all the issues of PWL as they are published, please Subscribe.
Transformers. The basic power supply for alternating current (AC) Welding_arc is a simple step down transformer with constant current (and drooping voltage), giving high current, more or less constant, even when the low, safe voltage is made to change (i.e. by changing the arc length). The cables connect the output to the electrode holder (in a regular SMAW outfit) and to the work. The polarity is alternating with the frequency of the mains grid (50 or 60 Hz). The arc is maintained even when the current is zero (twice in a complete cycle). Welding_arc small units are available, even for Hobby and Home Welding or farm applications, usually with low initial cost. Their main drawback is a poor power factor which causes unbalanced load on the mains grid and may be penalized by the Electric Company. Also they may not be suitable for use with very low currents for thin parts. If AC output only is what you need and if you wish to consider a portable Welding_arc welder for do-it-yourself home and hobby work we would recommend the following. Clarke 131E Arc Welder - 120V, 130 Amp, Model# WE6519
Please note: It operates from a standard 120 V single phase outlet. AC output only. Handles electrodes (not included) 1/16 up to 3/32". Includes 5ft. 4in. 400 Amp ground clamp, cable, chipping hammer/brush, face mask and 8ft. electrode cable with holder You should have or procure welding gloves and personal protection accessories, not included in the kit. You may find manuals with lists of spare parts from Clarke at Should you need further technical assistance from this Manufacturer, Clarke, you could contact the Customer Service Center at 1.800.227.9603.
If you need to weld far from an electric supply mains line, the following Welding_arc welder may be what you look for. Hobart Champion 4500 AC Generator/AC Welder #500491 A Gasoline engine driven Welding_arc AC welder, the Champion™ 4500 delivers up to 140 amps of welding power, for maintenance and repair projects. Also a source of auxiliary power, providing up to 4500 watts of AC power. 140 amp AC Welding_arc welder for up to 1/8 in diameter AC stick to weld steel, stainless steel, and cast iron up to 1/4in. thick.
Welding_arc Amperage range - 60-140 A AC Generator power: 4500 W Surge, 4000 W continuous. Portable running gear, mobile carriage available, recommended. For more data see the short Data Guide that is available from http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/enginedriven/ Brochure available from http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/pdf/spec_sheets/champ4500.pdf For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/pdf/spec_sheets/champ4500.pdf
If you look for a higher current AC output Welding_arc welder you could consider the following: Hobart Stickmate 205 AC Stick (SMAW) Arc Welding Power Source #500502 It is rated for welding 3/8" thickness in steel. You should have or procure welding gloves and personal protection accessories, not included in the kit. A Brochure for STICKMATE® 205 AC is downloadable from For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from
Alternating current (AC) permits using longer cables with less current loss, as compared to direct current (DC) Welding_arc. It needs electrodes specially formulated for ac/dc use and produces a somewhat less stable arc and more spatter than dc. It reduces the problem of Arc Blow that may occur because of magnetic field interference. DC Power Supplies. Welding_arc direct current (DC) power supplies are of two types, rectifier or motor-generator. Usually they provide constant current (and drooping voltage). Constant voltage power supplies are not suitable for SMAW. A switch is often provided which permits selection of electrode negative (straight polarity) or electrode positive (reverse polarity) without having to disconnect and reconnect the cables. For operation in the field, far from line power supply, engine-driven generators are available, like the following one.
Hobart Champion 10,000 All-in-One 10,000-Watt AC Generator and DC Welder with Robin Engine #500433 A Gasoline engine driven 10 KW Generator or 230 Amp DC/CC (constant Current) Welding_arc Welder for welding where line power is not available. Electric Start/ Auto Idle. This unit is designed for Stick welding with quick and easy arc starts. It is also claimed to perform general scratch start DC TIG. Notes:
Welding Amperage range - 50-230 Amp DC Weldable thickness - 1/2 inch (13 mm) Generator Power rating: Peak output:10 kVA/kW 84/42A, 120/240 V AC, 60 Hz While not welding: Continuous output 9.5 kVA/kW 4 receptacles 120 V 20 A AC 1 receptacle 120/240 V 50 A AC For more data see the short Data Guide that is available from Brochure available from For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from Combination ac/dc Welding_arc power supplies are available, providing all the versatility needed. Sometimes direct current power supplies are equipped with superposed high frequency pilot spark, to ease and to stabilize arc striking. HF however can interfere with sensitive equipment nearby. If you cannot renounce the DC option you could consider the following: - Hobart Stickmate AC/DC Welder - LX235 230 Volt, 235 Amp, Model# 500421 It is rated for weld current output of 235 Amp AC and for 160 Amp DC. For more data see the short Data Guide available from A Brochure for STICKMATE® LX 235 AC/160 DC is downloadable from For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from Cables and electrode holder complete the equipment needed for Welding_arc SMAW. The welder needs individual protection gear as shown under SAFETY. Inverters. A different type of power supply, relatively recent, makes use of Welding_arc inverter technology. The electric power drawn from the grid is manipulated electronically: it is first rectified, pulsed to high frequency, transformed to low voltage, and then smoothed and supplied to the welding circuit. Using clever circuits, inverters made possible the supply of either AC or DC in a single low weight, small unit, much more portable than older outfits. The manufacturers claim economy of use (annual power savings equal to 10% the cost of power supply) and better efficiency than older units. The Welding_arc is more stable and high frequency stabilization is not needed, except possibly at start. Power supplies of this type can be used for all arc processes, when the necessary accessories are provided. One of the interesting benefits provided by inverters, for GTAW (Tig welding) of aluminum, is the capability to adjust the percentage of time with Electrode Negative (EN) vs. time with Electrode Positive. One recalls that EN provides better penetration while EP provides more cleaning action. This versatility in the hands of skilled welders is one more tool for performing Welding_arc of higher quality. You may wish to check the following power sources based on Inverter Technology. Schumacher 80 Amp DC Inverter Stick Welder with TIG Torch Schumacher 90 Amp DC Inverter Stick Welder with TIG Torch Schumacher 150 Amp AC/DC Inverter Stick Welder with TIG Torch
With this last product AC frequency can easily be selected at will, higher than 50 or 60 Hz, with advantages of narrow and deeper weld beads, important for root pass and fillet welds. Another feature available is that permitting the establishment of a pulsed wave suitable to the job at hand: but for making the best use of this facility the welder should get proper training and experience. The multiplication of parameters to set may however induce some confusion at least until some expertise is developed.
Click on
Lincoln Electric
A detailed Article on Inverters, with more information and practical advice,
was published in the January 2004 issue #05 of Practical Welding Letter. Click on PWL#05 for reading. A new page on Stud Welding is visible by clicking on Stud Welding. You can subscribe at no cost to our periodic publication by clicking on Subscription. Submerged under what?... SUBMERGED ARC (SAW) Welding_arc equipment includes a suitable power supply, generally capable of carrying elevate currents, means for the relative movement of workpiece and welding head, provisions for supplying the granulated flux (under which the arc is submerged, it is not visible to the operator) and of collecting the unfused fraction of it for reuse, motor driven wire feed supply, and controls including current, voltage, speed, and wire feed. The main advantage of using this Welding_arc equipment is the productivity gain, for relatively long and thick joints, as compared to other less favorable outfits. Power supplies include the types described above for SMAW, but they are generally specially designed for the process, with all the controls conveniently placed for the operator. In particular they are designed for continuous duty cycle except if otherwise dictated by the manufacturer. A detailed Article on how to select your Submerged Arc Welder was published in the December 2003 issue #04 of Practical Welding Letter. To reach it, just click on PWL#04. An Article on Filler metals for Submerged Arc Welding was published in Section 4 in Issue 29 of Practical Welding Letter for January 2006. To read the article click on PWL#029.
To get all the issues of PWL as they are published, please Subscribe. Here is a new one... FLUX CORED ARC WELDING (FCAW) equipment (OK, not so new...) mostly uses Welding_arc direct current reverse polarity (Electrode Positive) power supplies. The constant current type works with a voltage controlled wire feed system that adjusts the feed to ensure constant arc length. In the constant voltage type, the filler wire is fed at constant speed, drawing the current needed to maintain the preset arc voltage. When wire feed is increased, current and speed of welding grow accordingly. The hollow wire is full of a flux whose combustion products protect the molten material. Slag remaining on the weld bead must be removed manually as it is for SMAW (stick welding). The fumes are quite thick and not suitable for welding indoor unless a fume extraction system is operating. For outside welding the fumes of FCAW are considered more protective to the work than shielding gases that can be displaced by air drafts. Electrode holders can be used for semiautomatic or for automatic welding, and may or may not accommodate auxiliary gas shielding, usually carbon dioxide (CO2) or mixtures with argon for steel, the selection being dictated by the application. Some holders are water cooled. Holders also provide sliding electrical contact to the flux cored wire. Wire feed systems, usually separate from Welding_arc electrode holder, pull wire from a reel and push it at constant speed by means of motor driven friction or knurled rolls through a guide to the holder. See a new page on Flux Cored Arc Welding Tips. Well known in the group... GAS METAL ARC WELDING (GMAW) also known as Mig, for Metal Inert Gas Welding_arc equipment is similar to the above except that filler metal wire is solid and bare, and that a protective gas is always used: it is possible that some of the applications overlap, and that the selection depends on the most economic solution. The protective gas is usually argon for welding aluminum, magnesium and stainless steels, helium for highly conductive materials or for thick sections, and carbon dioxide (CO2) or gas mixtures (argon and 10-20% carbon dioxide) for carbon and low alloy steels. Both method presented above can be provided sometimes by the same equipment. If you think that you can handle GMAW (Mig) - with shielding Gas (Argon for Aluminum or mixtures: Argon + 2%O2 for stainless, Argon + 10-20% CO2 for Mild Steel) and/or FCAW (Flux cored) - with or without Gas then the following Welding_arc equipment is recommended. The first one has a nominal maximum of 130 Amp operating from single phase 110V. Duty Cycle is 20% at 130 A.
Clarke 130EN Wirefeed Welder - 110 Volts, 130 Amps, Model# WE6523
The second one has a nominal maximum of 180 Amp from single phase 220V (Warning: It comes without plug). Duty cycle is 25% at 125 A. 180 Amp MIG/Wire Feed - WE8000 - Clarke - CLAWE8000 Clarke 180EN Wirefeed Welder Includes Conversion Kit, Cart, Helmet and More — 220 Volts, 180 Amps, Model# WE8000 Please note that the conversion kit includes gas regulator, not gas bottles. Users are reminded to prepare a small stock of contact tips (they are consumables) along with the reels they may need of the selected filler metals. You may find manuals with lists of spare parts from Clarke at Should you need further technical assistance from this Manufacturer, Clarke, please feel free to contact their Customer Service Center at 1.800.227.9603. 135SG Fluxcore/Mig Welder with Spool Gun - WE6441, by Clarke - WE6441 - Clarke - CLAWE6441 See the following Welding_arc Equipment from another Manufacturer.
Hobart Handler 140 115-Volt 25-to-140 Amp Gas/Metal/Arc Single-Phase Wire Welding Package #500500 Input 115 VAC 1 phase Constant voltage DC Welds 24 gauge up to 1/4 inch To weld Aluminum up to 1/4 in (6.4 mm) recommended optional Spool Gun Hobart 3035-20 and SGA 100 Spool Gun Control, see Brochure. For more data see the short Data Guide available from Brochure, including a Welding Guide Table, available from For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from
Hobart Handler 187 230-Volt 25-to-180 Amp Gas/Metal/Arc Single-Phase Wire Welding Package #500525 Welds 24-gauge up to 5/16in. MIG and Flux Cored. Runs the following wires: Note: No warning is issued by the Manufacturer for welding aluminum with standard equipment. Interested readers should satisfy themselves that this equipment indeed meets their requirements even without additional Spool Gun. If optional Spool Gun is required they may also need Hobart Spoolmate Control Module Model # 43856 to hook up to a Hobart Handler. See Brochure. Current range 25 - 185 Amp Rated Output 130 A, 21.5 VDC Wire Feed Speed Range 40-700 in per min ( 1.0 - 17.8 m/min) For more data see the short Data Guide available from Brochure, including a Welding Guide Table, available from For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from Hobart IronMan 210 30-to-210 Amp Complete Single-Phase MIG Welding Package #500304 Constant Voltage DC power source An economical all-in-one MIG machine, versatile and portable, the IronMan™ 210 has excellent short arc performance and easy-to-control weld puddle. Welds 22 gauge to 3/8" steel. MIG and Flux Cored. The main reason why welding of aluminum requires the optional Hobart Spool Gun 3035-20 is that the soft aluminum wire, especially of thin diameter, cannot be pushed successfully along the long conduit to the torch. Longer contact tubes are preferred for aluminum wires. Rated Output 150 A, 23 V DC at 40% duty cycle For more data see the short Data Guide available from Brochure available from For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from - Hobart Welding Spool Gun for IronMan 210 Mig Welder, Model# 195016 Includes spool gun and 20ft. cable. No module required for hookup to IronMan welders. See details in above Brochure for IronMan 210. For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from
See a new page on Mig Welding Tips. A detailed Article on how to select your GMA Welder and FCA Welder was published in the October 2003 issue #02 of Practical Welding Letter. To reach it, just click here. An Article on Selection of GMAW Parameters for Short Circuit Mode was published in the Issue 23 of Practical Welding Letter for July 2005. Click on PWL No. 23 to read it. An Article on Selection of GMAW Parameters for Spray Transfer mode was published in the Issue No.24 of Practical Welding Letter for August 2005. To read it click on PWL No. 24. An Article on how to select GMAW Parameters for Robotic Welding was published in the Issue 25 of September 2005 of Practical Welding Letter. To read the article Click on PWL No. 25. An Article on Tandem GMA Welding and Surfacing was published in Issue 52 of Practical Welding Letter for December 2007.
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The Welding_arc equipment is designed for semiautomatic, all position welding, or automatic mainly for welding in flat position. It should be noted that this process was originally developed for welding aluminum, magnesium and stainless steels in order to provide high deposition rate economically. Alternating current is seldom used. Constant voltage power supplies of either the motor generator type or of the transformer rectifier type are currently used. However some are provided with means of changing the slope of the volt-ampere curve, for limiting the amount of the surge current drawn when short circuiting. Welding_arc electrode holders provide sliding electric contact to the moving consumable electrode wire, and must be cooled either by air or by water circulation. For manual or semiautomatic use the torch or gun (as is sometimes called) should be lightweight and include a trigger for starting and stopping operation.
An Article on Programming for Mechanized and Robot Welding was included in our Practical Welding Letter No. 06 of February 2004. To read the article click on PWL#006. To receive all the issues of PWL as they are published, please Subscribe. Finally the best known... In GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (GTAW), called also Tig for Tungsten Inert Gas Welding_arc equipment the electrode is non consumable, but it wears out and needs replacement from time to time. The Welding_arc torch is made for manual use, except that for special applications automated welding can be performed with proper accessories as needed. See our new page. Click on Tig Welding Tips Power supplies are similar to those described for Welding_arc SMAW but include also provisions for regulating and starting argon flow and water flow to be supplied to the torch for cooling. High frequency spark production is a useful accessory for pilot arc starting without contacting the work, which is a dangerous practice likely to introduce tungsten fragments into the weld and also, if necessary, for providing arc stabilization during welding. Special provisions permit the use of pulsed high current rapidly rising and decaying with high pulse repetition rate: this kind of welding current is useful for quality joining of precision parts with high penetration and no drop through but need special education and training of welders, or establishment of precise welding procedures. For welding sensitive materials like nickel-base and cobalt-base alloys it may be useful to employ
Welding_arc provisions that permit the gradual decay of current at the point of arc extinction,
to avoid the appearance of crater cracks at the end of the bead.
The tig torch is a precise, compact and lightweight piece of Welding_arc equipment which performs a set of functions while being light to hold and easy to manipulate:
This all in one option gives you AC/DC Tig and Stick capability for steel, stainless steel and aluminum. - Hobart TIGMATE AC/DC Stick and TIG Welding Package - 230/380 Volt, 52/39 Amp, Fingertip Control, Model# 500424 For a complete description see the Owner's Guide downloadable from
Nonconsumable electrodes of different sizes and materials are listed in: When a continuous joint has to be welded, automatic GTAW can be performed by providing workpiece to torch relative motion with or without filler metal supplied by a motor driven wire feed device. Centering of the torch on the joint is critical to the success of the operation, as are precleaning and set up. An Article on Hot-Wire TIG Welding was published (7) in Issue 50 of Practical Welding Letter for October 2007. Click on PWL#050 to read it.
Last but not least... PLASMA ARC WELDING (PAW) equipment is very similar to GTAW, except that the Welding_arc torch produces a constricted arc between the tungsten electrode and a constricting orifice. It results in higher arc temperature, a concentrated heat distribution and a higher arc voltage. A powerful stream of plasma, that is of very hot ionized gas, is directed into the workpiece. The stream of gas can produce a hole in the joint (called a keyhole), permitting welding of thicker plates with thinner beads at higher speeds, and providing economic solutions for a specific class of joints. This Welding_arc equipment is usable with all common materials except those with low melting temperature and low boiling point like lead and zinc. See a new page on Plasma Welding Tips. The main drawback imputable to plasma Welding_arc is more elevated cost, which can be justified only by better quality (less scrap) and higher productivity. For very thin applications, a specially designed type of equipment called microplasma is available
which permits efficient control of the weld.
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