excessive tip wear

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hi guys new to the forum but have been welding for about 8 years now.  I have gotten a job as a production welder at a factory.  The factory really has a crappy maintenance program and never puts any money into their welding machines.  We do a lot of Mig welding and i mean a lot, there is 7 of us and we weld all day everyday.  They have mostly Miller machines and tweco mig guns running .045 wire.  The problem i am having is wearing out contact tips to quickly.  I wore out 3 tips in two days like i said we do a lot of welding but i know there is something wrong with that.  When i say wearing them out i mean to the point where they weld like ****.  Today i addressed my concerns with the maintenance man and the boss about the tip wear.  The boss asked him about it and he blamed it on the tweco tips. I brought it up that if it was the tips then all of us would be having the same problem and not just mine.  I told the boss that in my experience bad drive wheels will put a bur on the wire and wear out the tip or a worn or damaged liner will wear them also.  The maintenance man looked at me like I was stupid.  Only he knows the last time the liners were changed out, he removes them and wipes them off and blows them out and puts them back together.  Any ideas on how to fix this problem? Until then I will be wearing out their tips. Thanks in advance.
Reply:c66miller87 'Worn out' doesn't provide much of a question for an answer.  What are your specific symptoms or problems.Opus
Reply:unstable arc, wire getting stuck in the tip and just welds like crap.  The hole in the tip gets the to the point where it is about twice the size of the wire.  We run .045 wire and .045 tweco tips.
Reply:c66miller87  -  How often do you have to change nozzles  -  Opus
Reply:Call tweco tech support and describe what you posted here. See what they say.They may even send a rep out to see what you are talking about and help you find a fix.I think you are on the right track. The wire is deformed or picking up grit.You just have to find what.
Reply:change the liner (as in, put a new one in!) Also make sure your drive rolls are the right size and aren't overtightened.  Also make sure the tip is the right size for the wire.  Alternatively, they make felt pads that clean the wire off as it goes into the feeder; might be an idea.Last edited by mb_welder; 09-14-2012 at 06:28 AM.