i am trying to weld aluminium using a 160amp mig welder . it is not working well for me. what am i doing incorrectly. do i have the wrong welder for this job?
This Site Might Help You. RE: can i weld aluminium using a 160 amp mig welder? i am trying to weld aluminium using a 160amp mig welder . it is not working well for me. what am i doing incorrectly. do i have the wrong welder for this job?
You need to determine how many amps the welder draws from the supply, not how many it supplies to the work. There should be a nameplate with an amperage rating. Multiply that rating by 240 get volt-amperes. I'd expect the welder to draw no more than 20 amps and more likely ten or so. That would indicate a maximum of 4,800 volt-amperes and I think the generator would have no trouble with it. If you want to be certain, look for a maximum-current rating for the generator. At 4,800 volt-amperes you're clearly within the kilowattage capacity of the generator, but you might possibly exceed its maximum current rating. If your maximum amperage for the welder is comfortably within the circuit-breaker rating on the generator you ought to be safe. If the draw is only ten amps then none of this is an issue. In case the volt-amperes part is confusing -- in DC circuits voltage times current equals wattage. However in AC circuits voltage times current gives the maximum that the wattage could possibly be, and for many loads (like electric motors) it will be much less. The ratio between watts and volt-amperes is called power factor. Pmail me if you want more explanation.
Yes you can, depending on the thickness of the material and your ability to adjust the amount of current from the welder. You will need to use wire for aluminum. Remember to turn the welder down some, aluminum is easier to burn through than steel.
I have welded aluminum before with a 300 amp Miller wirefeed welder before, but technically, you can go with a much smaller unit as long as you are not welding thick material. that being said, I have found it is much easier to weld aluminum with a wirefeed welder if you put at least twice as much time into prep work. The biggest factor that I have found in welding aluminum with wire is to clear the oxide layer off as much as possible and to always keep a decent speed pushing the bead. You can't use a pull technique for welding aluminum with wire unless you want to destroy tips every time you start. 100% argon is also necessary (well, technically, you can use an argon/helium mix too). I have found that I generally have to turn up the argon higher than if I were doing stainless steel or mild steel. Another huge factor with welding aluminum is knowing how soft the filler wire is. It is much easier to use a spool gun, but if you have to use the internal feeder then the hose has to be as straight as possible and the rollers adjusted properly. Also, contamination is a huge issue. Make sure that the liner is clean of any non-aluminum burrs and that everything is as clean as possible. If you followed all of the above then you should be able to weld at least lighter gauge aluminum.
