Successful welding requires experience - but sometimes experience also has problems: for example, incorrect operations have formed habits, or modern intelligent welding systems operate in exactly the same way as old welding machines decades ago. Seriously: How many people flip through hundreds of pages of operating instructions when switching to a new system? In this article, you will discover six little-known facts about welding systems that you should pay attention to if you want to weld better and more efficiently.

The design principle of high-quality welding systems is to minimize the impact of operational errors on them. Experienced welders can usually achieve good results even if they completely ignore the manufacturer's key warnings and recommendations. But the fact remains that even a particularly sturdy welding system with high-quality vulnerable parts cannot guarantee long-term abuse of the welding machine. Continuous incorrect operations may result in maintenance costs of various amounts at a certain point in the future.

If you want to use the welding system as long and efficiently as possible, you should understand some key issues. These things are actually obvious - they are all written in the operating instructions. However, the service team of the welding technology company has repeatedly found that surprisingly, a large number of welders are not aware of these matters or simply ignore them.

So, in order to fully utilize modern welding systems, what knowledge should you pay attention to?

1. Match the welding wire with the wire guide tube

When the welding wire and vulnerable parts are accurately matched, the advanced welding system function reaches the ideal state. This involves the wire guide for the relay line of MIG/MAG equipment. Welders should ensure that the correct wire guide is used for the corresponding welding wire: carbon steel wire guide for carbon steel welding wire and aluminum wire guide for aluminum welding. Which type of wire guide tube is suitable for which type of welding wire can be found in the manufacturer's specifications.

Long term use of graphite wire tubes for welding aluminum is not a good idea. Relatively rough aluminum welding wires generate deposits and residues in graphite wire conduits, which can have a negative impact on the arc. Once the wire guide tube is worn out, the entire relay line will face a risk: the welding wire will no longer pass through the relay line well and will be exposed from the rubber sheath. Therefore, welders should regularly check the condition of the wire guide tube.

If it is necessary to use the same system to quickly switch between welding different materials, it is best for welders to use a universal wire guide. However, the better the material match between the wire guide tube and the welding wire, the lower the frequency at which these vulnerable parts need to be replaced. If a certain material is always welded, it is recommended to use a dedicated wire guide designed for that material.

2. Choose a wire feeding wheel that is suitable for the diameter of the welding wire

When the vulnerable parts and welding wires are well matched with each other, the welding system function reaches the ideal state, which also applies to the interaction between the wire feeding wheel and the welding wire. That is to use the wire feeding wheel recommended by the manufacturer for a specific welding wire diameter during welding.

This helps to ensure the ideal wire feeding effect, which has a positive impact on the stability of the arc. Although the gap between the wire feeding wheels is too large or too small for a specific welding wire, in most cases, it will still be transported. However, the wire feeder cannot perform its ideal function under these conditions. Especially in technically complex welding processes (such as pulse), the results often have many shortcomings.

This is partly because the correct handling of the melt pool highly depends on the stable wire feeding of a well functioning wire feeder; Many welding processes require appropriate wire feeding to achieve good control.

3. Wire feeding compression force: The key lies in adjusting

The correct "matching" between wire feeding wheels not only involves the selection of the correct parts. After installing the wire feeding wheel recommended by the manufacturer for the corresponding welding wire into the system, a suitable tightening force must be set. In many welding systems, information stickers in the wire feed wheel area provide information about the clamping force.

According to the manufacturer's recommendations, fine adjustments can be made as not every welding wire batch is the same, and there may be differences between manufacturers. Flexibility and experience are helpful for fine-tuning. When the wire feeding wheel firmly surrounds the welding wire, the wire feeding machine is basically in an ideal state. In this case, the operator of the welding system can effectively control the wire speed.

4. Suitable protective gas flow rate

An appropriate protective gas flow rate is an important prerequisite for minimizing arc splashing and ensuring flawless welds. The empirical rule for MIG/MAG welding shielding gas flow is: welding wire diameter x 10. Therefore, if a 0.8 mm welding wire is used, the basic recommended shielding gas flow rate is 8 liters/minute.

Another important factor determining the flow rate of shielding gas is the distance between the welding gun and the workpiece. The farther the distance between the welding gun and the workpiece, the more protective gas is required to stabilize the arc. According to the "welding wire diameter x 10" rule, separate fine adjustments must also be made here. Relevant welding experience can be helpful as it may sometimes require several attempts to set the correct shielding gas flow rate.

5. Parallel the trunk line as much as possible to the ground wire

Generally speaking, the trunk line that drives the welding wire at high speed in a straight state as much as possible will have a longer service life.

The relay line used for high-quality welding systems is specially designed to function even under extreme winding and winding conditions - however, when the relay line is arranged parallel to the ground wire, more energy-efficient and efficient welding is carried out.

6. Perform RL calibration

Last but not least, welding is about the correct current - in other words, the flow of electrons from the negative electrode to the positive electrode. This is not necessarily the same for each welding process, but depends on various factors, including the type of metal to be welded and its different resistance. Therefore, RL calibration before welding helps to properly calibrate the welding system with specific circuits on site to compensate for errors caused by any entanglements or loops. The letter "R" represents "resistance" and "L" represents "inductance".

Especially for highly complex welding systems, their full potential can be unleashed through RL calibration before welding. RL comparison is usually easy to perform with just one click, which means that with less effort, the welding system can be fully utilized and ideal welding results can be achieved.