welders welders welders

[Jim Timber]

Except that on the cheaper welders (like Hobart vs Miller) they use aluminum windings in the transformer and those are the lower duty cycle machines. Copper probably retains heat better than aluminum.

Do inverters still use transformers to lower the output voltage down from the line voltage, or do they chop it to make an average?

 

[Sodo]

Makes sense. By the time a transformer machine is warmed up there's a lot of heat stored in that mass. Some of these old weldors can take a while to cool down. Inverter machine turns the fan on as soon as it starts to warm up. If the fan can keep up, it's no problem. And it cools down quick too. I suspect the whole duty-cycle thing is based on old eqpt from years ago and will be with us for awhile. Longer if the noobs adopt it and keep it alive.

That's one thing I've learned about tradition, people under 30 don't care for tradition they wanna make their own world. It's the old farts who care about tradition.

I don't know how an inverter does it. Inverters have some "capacity" in them. Mine has to run the fan to purge that storage everytime I shut it off.

 

[sd455dan]

Except that on the cheaper welders (like Hobart vs Miller) they use aluminum windings in the transformer and those are the lower duty cycle machines. Copper probably retains heat better than aluminum.

Do inverters still use transformers to lower the output voltage down from the line voltage, or do they chop it to make an average?

From what i have read they still use transformers ( at least 2 -although Much smaller and lighter) due to the much higher frequencies they switch at.

Interesting to me- doing a little research (looking for replacement transistors should my new offshore welder / plasma cutter go BOOM).:laughing:

Was a pre production inverter welder that Siemens (Infineon) built to market their new Trench Stop 5 IGBT modules and individual transistors.
if interested here is a pdf about the tech http://www.infineon.com/dgdl/Infine...n.pdf?fileId=5546d46147a9c2e40147ce6f0a197daf

Looks like we may soon see 100 KHz + full bridge inverter welders rated @ 250 amps with just 4 IGBT output transistors in a smaller, simpler and 35% lighter package possibly under 20 lbs. with more reliability and more affordable than the current off shore inverters.

 

[C4Ranch]

C4Ranch I hope I'm not pi**ing you off I enjoy your posts - I'm just having some fun, but seems like duty-cycle needs discussion.

Not at all. I appreciate the conversation and am here to learn. I like real world tests, that's what really matters. I live in marketing so I understand and numbers are just another thing to look at wether it's relevant or not. IIRC my Lincoln 210mp is 25% at 200 amps. Does that mean it's working less than a 20% machinery? I donno.... The owners manual calls out that it will shut down and flash an icon if it is overworked. Hope that means it will protect it's self if I do go wild and weld non stop at high Amps for a long time. But you're absolutely right. I have yet to hit it and most of my welding is short spurts, repair, etc.

 

[Silvic]

It always intrigues me that the folks that know the most tend to have a level of self-deprecation while letting people know they have the knowledge to back up their statements.
On the flip side the folks that know the least tend to try to build themselves up and beat their chests in self-importance while trying to belittle others.
Why is that?

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

It always intrigues me that the folks that know the most tend to have a level of self-deprecation while letting people know they have the knowledge to back up their statements.
On the flip side the folks that know the least tend to try to build themselves up and beat their chests in self-importance while trying to belittle others.
Why is that?

I often think those type of questions boil down to the "Dunning-Kruger effect."
It is an interesting bit of reading that reminds me to evaluate where I fall on that scale.

 

[Silvic]

I often think those type of questions boil down to the "Dunning-Kruger effect."
It is an interesting bit of reading that reminds me to evaluate where I fall on that scale.

Wow the things I learn on TBN. Thanks I had not heard of the study. Did a bit of google search and came up with the sentence of the day for me.

"Unfortunately the problem with the Dunning-Kruger effect is that incompetent people have probably been getting this type of feedback for years and failed to take much notice.
Despite failing exams, messing up at work and irritating other people, the incompetent still don’t believe they’re incompetent."


I knew I liked reading your posts.

 

[Sodo]

Some people enjoy discussion, others want to tell you how it is, don't want discussion. If you're learning from the latter, better be sure what you're learning - is what you NEED.

Dave I like your sig line.

Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~

 

[k0ua]

Here is what I know (which ain't much) I fed 5 7018 rods at 125 amps thru my tiny little PA160 Everlast machine Just as fast as I could clip a new rod into the stinger. That is the most rod I have burned back to back at one time. No only did the little inverter welder which is rated for a 60% duty cycle go into overtemp, but it wasn't even warm when I touched its case. It's little fan runs all the time. I needed a break, but the little thing was begging for more rod. How that plays into this discussion I will let you all decide.

 

[Shield Arc]

It always intrigues me that the folks that know the most tend to have a level of self-deprecation while letting people know they have the knowledge to back up their statements.
On the flip side the folks that know the least tend to try to build themselves up and beat their chests in self-importance while trying to belittle others.
Why is that?

Silvic I think that is just the nature of some people. I live in a county with three Navy ship yards. The workers in these ship yards are convinced they are the only ones on the planet that can do anything. In the mid 1980s I was working on a 135-feet x 135-feet x 60-feet deep cofferdam inside Puget Sound Navy Shipyard. The cofferdam was all sheet piles driven to grade. Then a tieback, and whaler system every 10-feet in height. The tiebacks were tensioned with a 100-ton jack. The whaler system had five welders running wire feeders. We had a very hard time getting enough qualified help out of the union hall. Few months after completing the cofferdam I ran into a guy who worked as a rigger in the ship yard. He informed me they were going to build this cofferdam in house, but decided to let construction workers have the work.
Makes me wonder how many years it would have taken these ship yard workers to build this cofferdam.