Welding Technology
Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 11:17 am
I have been welding in various forms for the last 40 years - started on gas in the early days and eventually worked my way through the range as access to kit became available - I have a very dependable industrial Lincoln 250 amp mig - it's about 10 years old - but like most older MIGS it's based on transformer technology and the problem with this is that amperage is switchable in steps / phases - biggest problem being is you can never get them to switch down to a low enough amperage for thin panel welding - they are some smaller machines built for home / DIY use but I have never found them dependable or capable on the bigger jobs. I also occasionally need access to a TIG but workshop space is at a premium and I didn't want to invest in two separate bits of kit. Technology of the last few years has made a huge difference to the welding market with transformers being replaced by invertors which give stepless control - some MIG's can now weld as low as 5 amps - and the control in amperage becomes seamless - alongside this quite a few of the brands have added synergy control thus virtually making MIG welding 'Plug & Play' - just dial in the wire diameter, metal type being welding and amps - the machine does the rest and will alter the wire speed / voltage as you weld - sounds too good to be true but there is only one way to find out.
So after quite a bit of research online then quite a bit of thought over what you get for your money vs differences / brands / warranties etc - problem with the online welding supplies companies is that whilst they appeared to offer a competitive price for a machine by the time you added the torch / accessories / delivery into the price it then became a uncompetitive price - that and few unanswered questions that I had and I gave up and searched out a local welding equipment supplier - who offered personal service & promptly answered my questions - then gave me a choice of 4 machines and made an offer I could not refuse - net result is this Parweld XTM182i - 180 amp MIG / TIG / MMA (arc / stick) - complete package with leads / torch / tips / gas regulator - delivered the following day - 3 year warranty - So just how good is it well here is the first weld - I cut a damaged panel of circa 0.8 mm thickness - pressed the set up on machine - (takes seconds) - camped the earth on and pressed the torch button Result - the flattest, cleanest MIG weld that took no time to dress back - Now I have probably spent a few hundred quid more than the most of you need to - I needed something portable / on wheels - I could have purchased a smaller machine and put it on a welding trolley but what I purchased gave me the one stop / professional quality machine solution that I needed at very sensible price of £599 + vat - MIG - inverters can be purchased for circa £200 + whilst MIG / TIG inverters can be had for £350 + - Being a true believer in 'value for money' vs 'you get what you pay for' - personally I would avoid the cheap no name brands that offer short term warranties - but if you are thinking of purchasing / replacing your MIG at any stage don't think twice about going down the MIG inverter route.
So after quite a bit of research online then quite a bit of thought over what you get for your money vs differences / brands / warranties etc - problem with the online welding supplies companies is that whilst they appeared to offer a competitive price for a machine by the time you added the torch / accessories / delivery into the price it then became a uncompetitive price - that and few unanswered questions that I had and I gave up and searched out a local welding equipment supplier - who offered personal service & promptly answered my questions - then gave me a choice of 4 machines and made an offer I could not refuse - net result is this Parweld XTM182i - 180 amp MIG / TIG / MMA (arc / stick) - complete package with leads / torch / tips / gas regulator - delivered the following day - 3 year warranty - So just how good is it well here is the first weld - I cut a damaged panel of circa 0.8 mm thickness - pressed the set up on machine - (takes seconds) - camped the earth on and pressed the torch button Result - the flattest, cleanest MIG weld that took no time to dress back - Now I have probably spent a few hundred quid more than the most of you need to - I needed something portable / on wheels - I could have purchased a smaller machine and put it on a welding trolley but what I purchased gave me the one stop / professional quality machine solution that I needed at very sensible price of £599 + vat - MIG - inverters can be purchased for circa £200 + whilst MIG / TIG inverters can be had for £350 + - Being a true believer in 'value for money' vs 'you get what you pay for' - personally I would avoid the cheap no name brands that offer short term warranties - but if you are thinking of purchasing / replacing your MIG at any stage don't think twice about going down the MIG inverter route.