Pulse on a TIG machine?

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I have been looking at some TIG machines and some advertise having "Pulse" capability. What is this for or what does it help? I am new to TIG welding, I am a pretty decent stick and MIG welder but have not doe much with TIG. Thanks for any assistance.
Reply:pulse is basically a "dime" when i use pulse i turn the heat higher then normal and run over the rod. the pulse itself is the machine making the heat go in and out. just give the bead a nice look6G zirconium 702 GTAW 2" xxheavy6G P.E.D. carbon steel GTAW 2" xxheavy3G titanium Gr. 2 - Gr. 7 GTAW up to 3/4" 3G 316L stainless GTAW up to 1" 3G carbon steel GTAW up to 1" 3G Hastalloy GTAW up to 3/4"1G tantalum GTAW up to .060"
Reply:Pulse is basically fluctuating between a high peak current and a low background current, depending on the machine it can do this between 5 to several hundred times per second. If you tried to weld at the background amperage your arc would go out, but since it fluctuates between the high and the low it keeps the arc lit. Pulse is great for thin materials, out of position, and lowers the overall heat input put in to a part. I'm not a fan of pulse mig for thicker steel, (1/4" and above) as above 1/4" you should probably be in a spray transfer mode anyway, and you should be concerned about penetration, not reducing heat input.
Reply:My Miller Syncrowave 200 has a pulse feature. When doing aluminum in AC TIG mode, it can be set to varying speeds. One nice thing that it can do is to help you to time your dips with the filler rod. If you are doing welding without filler, it can give a very pretty weld with little effort.  By all means, if you are shopping for a new machine, get one with pulse. It's a worthwhile feature.
Reply:Everybody has their opinion.  I have one machine with pulse, a TA Arcmaster 185.  I used the pulse at first, but now I don't bother.  I can make dimes if I want, but a good strong weld is all I care about.  I just bought another tig welder and didn't bother getting the pulse option.  Lots more $ that I don't need.   It does help with warping on small stuff, and CAN help make dimes if you want, but......It can help time the dips.  Pulse goes down to .5 Hz, that would be 1/2 pulse per second. Come on over and try it before you buy it and see. To each his own.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Pulse can lower the heat input when welding IF it's done right- useful for heat sensitive alloys, reducing distortionUsing pulse to create 'dimes' / time filler additions can result in an increased heat input (over a conventional weld) and/or other defects if set up wrongIt can become a 'crutch' if used while learning (because it makes it easier to get 'the look') that will limit ability in the long termBy switching between two amperages (low or background simply to keep the arc 'lit' and a higher or peak amperage) pulse creates a series of spot welds without having to break the arc. Pulse frequency is related to travel speed- each spot weld must overlap the previous sufficiently to prevent lack of fusion at the root of the weldThe peak and background amperages are often set as a ratio (2:1, 3:1 etc) which can be expressed as an averag. For example some stainless welded at 30 amps could be done with setting a peak of 40A, background of 20A and 50% 'on time'  (2:1 ratio, 30A average current). To take full advantage of the reduced heat input ability, more aggressive ratios with higher peak currents and reduced 'on times' or pulse widths are of more benefit- very high, very short duration burstsTry searching for some posts on the subject by 'Pulser'. You'll find some very good explanations and examples of some pretty radical pulse parameters. He's also posted links to a site which has a free pulse parameter calculater- pro-fusion IIRCVery high pulse frequencies also 'tighten' the arc cone- better focus and arc stability, especially at very low amperages