_____Welding 1/2" alum with spoolmatic 3 and MM212_____ Need advice!!!!!

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Hey guys, I want to weld up some 1/2" solid round 6061 alum.  I got a MM212 and borrowed my buddy's Spoolmatic 3 with 14 pin connector.  My mm212 had the 4 pin connector.  1.  Is my 212 powerful enough to weld/penetrate the 1/2"?  I have many yes and no answers from different welding reps.  (I have option of borrowing a 250/252 machine as well.) I did some research to hook up the spoolmatic 3 to my mm212 and found:Replace the Spoolmatic 3 14-pin plug with a $15 4-pin (Amphenol #97-3106A-18-4P) following the plug terminal assignment bellow:MM200/RC3 ‘A’ to SM3 RedMM200/RC3 ‘B’ to SM3 WhiteMM200/RC3 ‘D’ to SM3 BlackIs this this easy?  I don't want to burn up my machine, let alone my buddy's spoolmatic 3.  Any advice is appreciated; been welding rusty steel for ever, but spool guns and alum is a new galaxy for me.  Thanks, Chris
Reply:Have you seen this? http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...calculator.phpDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPHave you seen this? http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...calculator.php
Reply:Great, thanks.  It looks like even a 252 machine might not be powerful enough for 1/2" alum.  I thought for sure it would be.
Reply:Welding reps even told me the spoolmate 200 would do the job.  Now I'm second guessing it.  What set up do I really need?
Reply:1/2" solid round is not the same as 1/2" plate. You have a lot less heat sink material there, so it will take a lot less power than plate will. I've welded plenty of 3/8" solid round alum with a  machine just slightly smaller than what you have, my MM 185 with 3035 spoolgun. Biggest issue I had wasn't penetration, in many cases I had to watch I didn't melt the ends of the rods too much. It was the fact that the spoolgun was quite bulky to swing around a circumference that small at the speed you need to use to run mig alum. Mig alum is a fast process and trying to change the gun angle to match the rod fast enough was fairly difficult. In fact I found beveling the rod ends was almost mandatory, not to help increase penetration, but to give the weld material the extra space so the welds weren't overfilled, as it was impossible to swing as fast as I really needed to, say if I was welding flat plate..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Hey DSW, thanks for the info!!  It seems as if I pre heat and use my mm212 with a spoolmate 200 gun, I should be able to handle the 1/2" round alum?  Thanks!!
Reply:I'm not sure what you are trying to do, so it's hard to say. I'd be careful about preheat on alum. Many alloys go back to dead soft at fairly low temps, some times as low as 300 deg or so. Overheat the material and you will pull all the temper out of the stock and seriously reduce it's strength. If you need that strength, you'll have to look at reheat treating the parts if you anneal them by using too much preheat.If this isn't a strength critical application, then you should be fine..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Well, I talked to another rep and he said the spoolmate 200 will bolt and work with my mm212 machine with a 10 to 4 pin adapter cable. And we should have enough juice to do the 1/2" round alum.  I think we're going to go this route.  Will let you know how it goes and figure how to post pics as well.
Reply:A 15/30A is also a direct plug to a 212.
Reply:Originally Posted by jibroneeWell, I talked to another rep and he said the spoolmate 200 will bolt and work with my mm212 machine with a 10 to 4 pin adapter cable. And we should have enough juice to do the 1/2" round alum.  I think we're going to go this route.  Will let you know how it goes and figure how to post pics as well.
Reply:Spool gun connections for Miller http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...gun-chart.html