Millermatic 350P (first welds)

[4shorts]

Tonight I got the opportunity to try out our new Millermatic 350P mig welder. In regular mig mode was great but holy smoke when I switched over to pulse mode the world changed and for the better.

In regular mig mode it's sounds like your typical bacon frying and does a great weld but when you switch over to pulse mode it sounds like a bee buzzing and man does it ever weld hot and fast in that mode. I'm thinking I'll be in pulse mode for a long time from now on :laughing:

Here's the first two welds I did with this machine. I was using 3/8 flat bar and .045 wire and 90-10 (Blueshield 6)

The sample marked "M" is mig mode and the "P" naturally is pulse. In time I'll get the welds even better. It does take a little time getting used to setting up the dials on the beast. The small marks on the weld is the small amount of scale from the gas and can be brushed off. You'll notice there's more splatter on the regular mig sample and less on the pulse one.

 

[schmism]

so give us a bit more info...

push/pull?

what lead angle?

simple draw a straight line? waggle back and forth? swirl pattern?

 

[Scooby074]

Congrads on the machine:thumbsup:

350P is a beauty..... someday ill have one

 

[4shorts]

so give us a bit more info...

push/pull?

what lead angle?

simple draw a straight line? waggle back and forth? swirl pattern?

What you see here is the first five minutes I've spent on the machine. I'm using the standard Bernard gun that came with the machine. Tilted the gun sightly and went right down the center of the two pieces. I also have the Spoolamatic 30 amp aluminum gun attached to the machine as well.

The picture was taken with the camera about 3 inches away from the weld and it is a Sony DSC-H5 camera and has taken a little over 4000 images.
nuff info?

:laughing:

Congrads on the machine:thumbsup:

350P is a beauty..... someday ill have one

Thanks Scooby. Your going to enjoy it when you get it. We also have a new Millermatic 252 which is a very nice machine as well.

 

[Scooby074]

Thanks Scooby. Your going to enjoy it when you get it. We also have a new Millermatic 252 which is a very nice machine as well.

I have quite a bit of time on a MM251. I agree its a great machine as well. At the time i should have bought a 250 instead of my MM135xp and thunderbolt. (would have cost about the same)

Realistically though the MM350P is quite a bit out of my budget LOL. Unless i happen to win the lottery so itll likely be the 251 or 252 ( what i should have bought the first time)

 

[4shorts]

I have quite a bit of time on a MM251. I agree its a great machine as well. At the time i should have bought a 250 instead of my MM135xp and thunderbolt. (would have cost about the same)

Realistically though the MM350P is quite a bit out of my budget LOL. Unless i happen to win the lottery so itll likely be the 251 or 252 ( what i should have bought the first time)

I used my 251 for four years and it did a great job. The only thing I didn't like with the 251 was there were times it had cold starts and would pop sometimes. Miller seems to have resolved that issue with the 252.

The 350P was just over $4000. and I wouldn't have it unless I can make money with it. Our little shop is supposed to be for automotive repair but it seems I'm getting dragged into this welding and fabricating stuff more and more.

I remember one time last year I had the 251 and was welding in the shop. It was a very hot day and to keep the welding machine cool I placed a big mobile fan towards the rear of it and I welded for 8 hours straight and worked great. Every now and then I get some big welding jobs and that's why I also bought the 350P. I've always bought a little larger than I need with anything and that way I'm not disappointed and it's still cheaper doing it that way.

 

[TBDonnelly]

.......it seems I'm getting dragged into this welding and fabricating stuff more and more.

......and I can tell you're kicking and screaming all the way. :laughing:

However, It doesn't surprise me with the caliber of talent you've been blessed with and use full advantage of.

When you kick that welder into 'warp speed' mode does the electrical grid in the entire neighborhood flicker? :confused2:

Don

 

[Sandlot]

OK 4shorts, you made me have to do some research on this "pulse" mode. Looking at the pictures you posted, I like the mig mode bead better. Nice looking bead. The pulse mode looked a bit cold. While doing some reading on the Miller website, it appears that the pulse mode is for welding aluminum. They call it a spray transfer or low penetration, and is a cooler welding process for aluminum. Or at least that is how I read it. I would stick to the mig mode for steel. Other than that, I am jealous, that is a very nice rig! :thumbsup:

 

[4shorts]

......and I can tell you're kicking and screaming all the way. :laughing:

However, It doesn't surprise me with the caliber of talent you've been blessed with and use full advantage of.

When you kick that welder into 'warp speed' mode does the electrical grid in the entire neighborhood flicker? :confused2:

Don

Don it's not talent your seeing , it's desperation :laughing: A feller got to make a living and there's a Hugh need around my parts for machining, fabricating and welding so I'm kind of filling the void so to speak It does give me a break from my normal work which is good. Ya this thing might be hard on the power bill but it's worth it. I got a new milling machine on the way and it's got a 3 hp motor on it. The wife said If I buy anymore tools she's leaving. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm going to miss her :laughing:

Great to see your still around buddy and thanks for your kind words :thumbsup:

OK 4shorts, you made me have to do some research on this "pulse" mode. Looking at the pictures you posted, I like the mig mode bead better. Nice looking bead. The pulse mode looked a bit cold. While doing some reading on the Miller website, it appears that the pulse mode is for welding aluminum. They call it a spray transfer or low penetration, and is a cooler welding process for aluminum. Or at least that is how I read it. I would stick to the mig mode for steel. Other than that, I am jealous, that is a very nice rig! :thumbsup:

Heck there's guys that won't use nothing other than arc welding. to each his own I say.

Miller is pushing the fact that it's great for aluminum and it is but if you get a chance to try it on steel go for it. You'll never go back to regular mig welding again. Using pulse on steel seems hotter and more penetration to me. Today I got called in to do some roller repair for a local company and used the pulse mode again and I'm hooked on It. Technically when I'm on pulse mode I should have 90-10 gas which I did in the above pics but I used that same gas to try it in mig mode and really I should have switched over to 75-25 but I was to lazy and used 90-10 on both modes.

The set up chart on the machine says it will weld up to 1/2" in one pass on pulse. Can't see that working IF it was a cold weld. Another advantage to pulse is less warpage which is another problem with all types of welding. Less warpage and less splatter.

The pictures attached here on this post is of the roller I just welded. don't pay much attention to the splatter on it because it was repaired before and I didn't clean up the side of it. I don't think you would consider that a cold weld and it was in pulse mode when i welded it.

If nothing else it makes good conversation Thanks for your comments:thumbsup:

 

[Scooby074]

I've always bought a little larger than I need with anything and that way I'm not disappointed and it's still cheaper doing it that way.

Truer words never spoken:thumbsup: When i bought my welder, it was one time i should have listened to the salesman He said i wouldnt be happy with the capicity of my 135.. he was right. I was back a couple months later for the Thunderbolt....


Nice welds on the head roller. I havent ran pulse but ive read good things. Any large production (300A+) welders ive ran were Mutiprocess with external wirefeeders but no pulse. (100% duty cycle in a heavy fab shop...it was then i discovered that i wasnt a welder... but a warper i guess there is such a thing as too much heat )

 

[4shorts]

Truer words never spoken:thumbsup: When i bought my welder, it was one time i should have listened to the salesman He said i wouldnt be happy with the capicity of my 135.. he was right. I was back a couple months later for the Thunderbolt....


Nice welds on the head roller. I havent ran pulse but ive read good things. Any large production (300A+) welders ive ran were Mutiprocess with external wirefeeders but no pulse. (100% duty cycle in a heavy fab shop...it was then i discovered that i wasnt a welder... but a warper i guess there is such a thing as too much heat )

Jason. You'll love the pulse when you try it. Sounds like you got some good experience on great equipment. Here at our little shop you never know what the next job coming through the door is going to be so that's why I always go larger than I need with the equipment.
If I was doing just automotive repairs I wouldn't need half of the tools I have but the best thing around doing more than auto repairs is that if one type of work slows down there's always the other stuff to do which is nice

We just ordered a new knee mill for the shop. We got a small mill/drill here and it's been great for years but it's to light and just can't do the larger jobs as fast and as accurate as the big guys so I'll just be using it now as a drill press. The little mill/drill is around 450 lbs and the new mill is 2700 lbs. Good machining tools need to be big and heavy in my opinion and again I'm buying bigger than I need Paul

 

[Kubota Tee]

Paul,

Congrats on the new machine! Sounds like it is going to work out really well for you! I've also read about your new milling machine and the fun you are having getting the "new" machine delivered!

I'll look forward to your post once the new milling machine arrives as well as all the neat projects you'll be doing on these 2 new machines.

 

[jimmysisson]

Beautiful welds as we've come to expect from you, Paul. I'm curious to see a faint straight line down the center of the weld lines in both processes in your original 2 photos - what makes that happen?
Jim

 

[4shorts]

Paul,

Congrats on the new machine! Sounds like it is going to work out really well for you! I've also read about your new milling machine and the fun you are having getting the "new" machine delivered!

I'll look forward to your post once the new milling machine arrives as well as all the neat projects you'll be doing on these 2 new machines.

Thanks Thomas. We put in three new miller rigs this spring. haven't used them much as of yet because we're flat out a the automotive stuff but I'll get at the welding stuff again soon.

Ya the new mill didn't work out. The company said they want to do the right thing and get me the new one I asked for. They did email me photo's of the new mil as they received it and will email me as they add the options I requested. It has given me time to retool for the new mill. I have some cool projects in mind for this guy if I ever receive it. I attached the pics of the new mill for you to view. These pics are the bare machine without the options. How's the new bota?

Beautiful welds as we've come to expect from you, Paul. I'm curious to see a faint straight line down the center of the weld lines in both processes in your original 2 photos - what makes that happen?
Jim

Thanks Jim. Yes there is just a slight line there. It's almost like a pencil mark. You can rub your finger over it and there's no feel to it. Might be caused by the wire as it's coming out of the gun. The weld is as smooth as silk. After using the Pulse mode I don't think I'll be going back to the regular mode any time soon. Appreciate your comments my friend. Paul

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

The line you see is from the weld metal being sucked into the joint crack. The weld definitely can break at that point, even though it seems negligible. A little weave can help clear that right up.

 

[4shorts]

The line you see is from the weld metal being sucked into the joint crack. The weld definitely can break at that point, even though it seems negligible. A little weave can help clear that right up.

I'm not convinced about that. I've laid allot of mig welds (20 years worth) and I've never had a weld break and I doubt that weld will be the one to break.

 

[hotrodstones]

Tonight I got the opportunity to try out our new Millermatic 350P mig welder. In regular mig mode was great but holy smoke when I switched over to pulse mode the world changed and for the better.

In regular mig mode it's sounds like your typical bacon frying and does a great weld but when you switch over to pulse mode it sounds like a bee buzzing and man does it ever weld hot and fast in that mode. I'm thinking I'll be in pulse mode for a long time from now on :laughing:

Here's the first two welds I did with this machine. I was using 3/8 flat bar and .045 wire and 90-10 (Blueshield 6)

The sample marked "M" is mig mode and the "P" naturally is pulse. In time I'll get the welds even better. It does take a little time getting used to setting up the dials on the beast. The small marks on the weld is the small amount of scale from the gas and can be brushed off. You'll notice there's more splatter on the regular mig sample and less on the pulse one.

hello 4shorts ordered the miller 350P yesterday for the shop, can't wait to put down some seat time with the welder I know you have had yours for a couple of years now how do you like it??

 

[4shorts]

hello 4shorts ordered the miller 350P yesterday for the shop, can't wait to put down some seat time with the welder I know you have had yours for a couple of years now how do you like it??

Congrats on your new Miller. It is hands down the best unit I've ever used. Crazy weld quality and that's added up to more work for it and happy customers. I also run the Millermatic 252 and like it as well but the 350P is the machine I really like to use.

Here's a job I did about a month ago for a machinist friend of mine. I used our Miller Dynasty 200 DX and tigged the root pass then I switched over to the Millermatic 350P in pulse mode to complete it. I setup the welding postioner and here's the result.
My buddy was happy and so was the ships engineers. I was pleased when they said it passed the pressure test

Pictures were taken with my Iphone

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[Shield Arc]

4shorts you sure do make some beautiful welds!:thumbsup:

Out of all the welding / tool forums I belong to, never heard a bad word about the MM350P.

 

[LD1]

The 350p is what we have at work.

Easiest and fastest way to mig weld IMO. Definatally lays some pretty welds.