TIG DC pulse settings

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Hello,I was wondering if there was anyone here who might explain pulse settings?I'm interested in learning how to correctly configure my welder when it comes to pulsing. Settings are:1. Peak current2. Peak percentage3. Period's per second4. Base current percentageThe two settings that I'm mostly interested in are  #2 and #3. What benefits and theese bring and their applications. I weld steel-hoses, metal bellows, pipeing, plate etc. Metal is mostly 316 and carbon steel but there's more Super Duplex and 6mo etc arriving at work so theese are relevant aswell.If my formulation is unclear or you need some extra information just shout. Attached Images
Reply:Peak Current is the amount of amps that you set on the dial, same as when your welding without the pulser.Peak percentage is the percent of time per period (1 pulse) that your amps will be at the peak amperage. Ex: if your welding at 1 pulse per second (PPS) and your peak percentage is 100, your amps will spend .5 sec at the peak, and .5 sec at the background.Periods per second is the same as pulses per second or frequency of the pulse, im not sure of a better way to explain that.Base current percentage is a percentage of your peak amperage.  This amperage is what makes up the other part of the pulse.  Ex:  Welding with 100 amps, 1 PPS with a peak percentage of 50 and a background percent of 50, you are welding .5 seconds at 100 amps (peak) and .5 seconds at 50 amps (base).   Note, the peak percentage is a measure of time.  Base percentage is a measure of amperage.Another example. Welding at 2PPS with 150 amps, 70% peak, 25% background.  Your welding .35 seconds at 150 amps, .15 seconds at 37.5 amps.  Confused yet?Also, the peak and base current are relative to how much foot pedal you are using.  So, if your amp dial is set at 100, but your only using half the pedal then your peak amps will be 50, and your base amperage will be a percentage of 50, not 100.  If your using scratch start or full pedal then it would be 100 amps.As for what benefits they have, or their use it varys between applications.  I mostly use pulse on thin sheet and tubing, sometimes on fusion welds for ascetics.  A higher frequency (#3) makes for a faster heating/cooling cycle and will help to control the puddle more.  A higher peak (#2) will allow you to melt the base metal faster.  When im welding .065 stainless tube, I set up about 150 amps, 30-40% peak, 2.5 PPS, 20-30% background.  This high peak allows it to penetrate very fast, but the background is low enough and long enough to allow it to cool as I move along.  For sheet or other materials it will vary, you just need to learn how the different settings interact with each other.Last edited by sn0border88; 05-25-2009 at 06:58 PM.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Arch.../msg00024.htmlEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Thanks, I needed that.   First time explained that I understood it.A butterfly without wings, is just an ugly bug
Reply:This link has a calculator for pulse settings that allows you to play with widely varying peak/background ratios to achieve the same average current.  Note that there is a second page link to calculate pulse frequency http://www.pro-fusiononline.com/welding/pulseparams.asp
Reply:great Info!!!BrandonLincoln Tombstone 225 A/C Steel StickerOld Victor O2/Acetylene setupMiller Syncrowave 250 Tig/PC-300 PulserMiller Millermatic 212 Mig HTP Invertatig 201 Giant Teck D50 Plasma cutterLots of HF grinders
Reply:sn0border88,Did I understand you to say you're setting your amps at 150 for welding .065 Stainless Steel?You spent a good deal of time explaining pulsing, unfortunately, there are several errors in the said explanation.  Maybe Miller's explanation will make a little sense.PPS (Pulses Per Second or Pulse Frequency)  Control is used to determine appearance of the weld bead.Peak t  The percentage of each pulse cycle that can be spent at the peak amperage level.BKGND A  (Background amps)  Use Background Amps control to set the low pulse of the weld amperage, which cools the weld puddle and affects overall heat input.  Background Amps is a percentage of peak amperage.Speen,With that inverter and thin stainless here are a couple settings you may try"Set amps to 60Set PPS to 200Set peak to 70%Set background amps to 30%Using these settings, the machine (assuming the pedal is floored), will be at 60A 70% of the time and at 18A (30% x 60A) 30% of the time.  This up/down cycle will occur 200 times per second if you have the PPS set at 200.The high PPS rate, which the inverters are capable of, agitate the puddle and allow you move quickly without transferring too much heat to the surrounding metal.  You may even find that you have to reduce the amps slightly from the above settings.I've been doing quite a bit of SS boat railings here lately, and one thing is for sure.  SS doesn't like a lot of heat.Ol Brocolli referred me to a site (on MillerWelds) a couple days ago which was very informative.  Company welds SS refrigerator doors.  Spent this afternoon playing around with some of their settings.  I'll see if I can dig it back up.As you've probably already learned, with SS, keep the amps down and travel speed up.  I just finished putting down a little over 4# of filler (1/16 & .045 316L SS) and I don't think I ever went over 60A. (and those railing were more than .065).Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:150 peak, but for a very short duration.  Its all purged tubing so the idea is to get full pen welds.  These setting seemed to give the best (smallest) bead while allowing me to travel very fast and still get full penetration.I never claimed to be an expert with the pulse, but I though I could at least throw out the basic.  If you've got a suggestion for better settings your welcome to it.When I do something that wasnt purged, my settings are very different.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Speen,Found the article.We can all thank Brocolli for doing the legwork here.  One of the better articles I've seen discussing pulsing and how it's used.Try this site (not sure how to link):http://millerwelds.com/education/articles/story113.htmlGood luck.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Sn0border,I think we can all agree that the old 1A per .001 of thickness is pretty hot for thin gauge stainless steel.  If welding without pulse, I tend to be about 10% less and still run pretty fast.The whole purpose for pulsing on thin gauge material is to reduce the "average" ampherage put into the workpiece.  Using your numbers in a "best case" scenario, you're averaging 66A.  In the "worst case" scenario (your numbers), your average ampherage is around 87A.Both these "average" amp numbers are way too high for pulse welding .065 SS.Also, based on the numbers you're quoting, I've got to figure you're using a transformer machine.  I also have the Sync 250 DX with the pulser option.  On a transformer you're limited to generally a PPS of 10 or less.  The Dynasty 200 DX, on the other hand has a pulse rate of .01 to 500 PPS.  Lots of different things happen at the higher pulse rates.  The article I refenced regarding H.L. Lyons Company and their use of high pulse rates is one of the best articles I've seen.The pulser capability can really help with welding thinner SS on a transformer, but the inverters (like the OP has) take pulsing to a whole new level.I'll take your settings to the shop tomorrow and give them a whirl on the Sync 250.  The settings I recommended to the OP were just run this afternoon on some 7/8" & 1" SS rail material (about .070 thickness) using a Dynasty 200 DX.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Some random ramblings on pulsing.  The various possible combinations of pulse variables that produce a weld of similar size are  numerous and can be confusing.  I tend to favor the radical pulse, low frequency, high peak current, minimal background current to sustain the arc, long background time to chill between peak melts.Apparently high frequency pulsing, maybe over 150 pps, can have an affect on arc concentration, arc stiffness, puddle fluidity, and such, I've read these kind of statements here and there, but I'm not sure what is factual here and why.What does make sense to me is that beyond some level of pulse frequency, you essentially have constant current again.  Super fast pulsing just averages out to a constant output, too fast for discreet reaction of the puddle to the high current pulse or the low current pulse.To see the discreet action of pulsing, the pulse rate needs to be low enough and it needs to be matched to travel speed.  A moderate pulse rate with very slow travel tends to overlap pulses so much as to be like a constant current weld.  The pulse frequency and speed should give about 70% minimum overlap of the peak pulses to continuous penetration depth without deep/shallow ripple in the penetration.Also, I wonder about the choice and effectiveness of a long high current pulse and short low current pulse, like 70% of the cycle time at the high pulse and 30% at the low.  This approach gives little time for the puddle to cool during the low pulse, so it will tend to be similar to constant current welding.Additionally, if the difference between the high and low current is minimal, like a background current at 50% or more of the peak current, again there is little cooling during the low pulse and the weld is more similar to constant current.Pulsing with a discrete melt/freeze cycle can allow for out of position welding (horizontal/vertical/overhead) and give equal penetration at reduced average current/heat input.  The melting/penetration produced by a short high current pulse, and overlapping of these discrete spot welds, can equal that of a "hotter" constant current weld which carries a continuous melted pool.
Reply:"What does make sense to me is that beyond some level of pulse frequency, you essentially have constant current again. Super fast pulsing just averages out to a constant output, too fast for discreet reaction of the puddle to the high current pulse or the low current pulse."It is not quite that way.  (I hope I haven't misinterpreted what you are trying to say here.)  If you change the frequency, higher or lower, and leave the duty cycle the same, say 50%, then the average power does not change.  If you vary the frequency, say higher, and leave the high-side pulse time the same, the average power will increase; lower the frequency leaving the high-side pulse time the same, and the average power decreases.  Any time you leave the ratio of high-side current time to background current time the same, no matter what the frequency, the average power will remain the same.  Look at it in terms of the old points ignition system in a car.  The lobes on the distributer cam are fixed (closed time vs. open time) but you can vary the speed (frequency) with RPM but the dwell, average power, (ratio of on to off time) remains constant.  You can increase the dwell by letting the points stay closed longer (smaller gap, longer time closed) or the opposite.  I think that is what makes the variable frequency so useful.  You can get the same average power at different frequencies and have the advantages of a wider or narrower arc which is a function of frequenct only, so you can focus that power or spread it out, if you will.  Just the way I look at it.
Reply:Originally Posted by pulser I tend to favor the radical pulse, low frequency, high peak current, minimal background current to sustain the arc, long background time to chill between peak melts.
Reply:"Wait, what? Same average power at different freq. of course, I understand that. But how does the freq effect the width of the arc? The freq just alternates between 2 amperages and I fail to see how that would effect the concentration of the arc." I'm equating the smaller HAZ to a more concentrated arc, maybe wrongfully so, but that is what it looks like when welding.  The higher peak current doesn't give the heat a chance to saturate the workpiece.  By varying the frequency the HAZ is changed for any given peak current.
Reply:This has turned into an interesting discussion (far beyond the "what tig should I buy" type).I suspect a lot of the disagreement stems from the transformer users and the inverter users.  As a long time transformer user, I was sorta in the same camp.  Until I got the inverter (Dynasty 200 DX) and had a chance to "play with" some of the higher freq pulse settings, I also was in the "show me" category.  After using some settings in the 150-200 PPS range, I am now a believer.First off, let me also say, that these "higher frequencies" are not detectable with the human eye.  You can't see the pulsing, but the metal knows it's there.  The example I've seen used of this is the lightbulb which turns on and off 60 times each second.  To the eye it appears to be constant light.  Same with high speed pulsing.The main purpose for pulsing in the first place is to reduce the "average" ampherage/heat put into the workplace.  This lower average reduces the haz and helps to reduce warpage.  The higher peak settings allow the metal/filler to melt, while a lower non peak setting allow the cooling/setting to occur.  With the high PPS settings it just occurs faster than the eye can see. Still, the key, whether it's at 2 PPS or 200 PPS is that the "average" amps/heat put into the workpiece is lower.  To the naked eye, pulsing at 200 PPS is "invisible".  It appears as a constant arc--it isn't.  The workpiece knows the difference.For those who haven't read the article previously posted (H.L. Lyons Company) I would strongly recommend it.  Good discussion of the benefits they've found with high speed pulsing.PS.  Sn0border.  I was going to run some of your settings yesterday on the Sync 250, but when I got to the shop I realized I'd used all my .045 316 filler on the last rail project.  Went by my LWS but he was out also.  New shipment due in by Thursday.  I'll try those settings then and compare them to some run on the Dynasty at 200 PPS.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by GerryRThe higher peak current doesn't give the heat a chance to saturate the workpiece.
Reply:Originally Posted by sn0border88Dont you mean a shorter peak with a higher current?  High current will saturate the workpiece with heat, but not if using a short peak time.Going back to very high PPS rates, and I think this is what pulser was getting at.  At what point does the PPS just equate out to some constant current?  Regardless as to if we can see it with the naked eye or not.  I guess what im wondering is how fast can the puddle actually react to changing amperage?  If your PPS is say 200 your looking at each pulse being in the area of .003-007sec depending on your peak time.  Can the puddle actually react in that amount of time?Id love to try out the pulse on an inverter, but im on a transformer machine.  Ill have to try it out this fall when I get back to school.
Reply:We only use high speed pulsing, 400-1000pps, for manual and automated. Definite difference in puddle stability.
Reply:I swear, this sounds like the "Don't confuse me with facts, my mind's made up" type of argument.A company (H.L. Lyons) flat out states that they have doubled production with the same number of welders by switching from Sync 250's to Dynasty 300's and using a high pulse rate.  Not only that but they have virtually eliminated their post weld grinding, further reducing manpower needs.The benefits are spelled out in black and white.  The fact that some may not understand the effects of high speed pulsing, does not mean that there is not a difference.The pulse rate/amp settings that others have recommended are NOT the best settings for the OP with the machine he has.  I'm not saying that some of these settings won't work (although some avereage amp settings appear high to me) they just don't work as well as the high PPS settings his machine is capable of.One can't see the difference in a bullet leaving the barrel at 2000fps vs 3000fps, but the guy on the receiving end can tell the difference.To the non-believers--Have you even read the link?  Are you saying that the H.L. Lyons company just made all this stuff up?  Their "bottom line" will say that there definitely is a difference between lo and hi pulse frequency.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Your mistaken, no where did I see any one tell the OP as to where to set his machine.  Nor do I see a case of "my mind is made up."  I believe that there are benefits to high speed pulsing, but I dont not understand the science behind it.  My questions may seem argumentative but its only to engage in discussion so that I can understand exactly whats going on.I guess we can just leave it at that, there was a spurt of actual in depth discussion which would of been welcome amidst the usual "nice welds" or "which gas should I use?"Have we all gone mad?
Reply:i am interisted in this discussion. Good to see pulsing talked about.Just to clarify.is this thread about pulsing on stainless?or just pulsing?in other words would you use as  high PPs for aluminum?and if not why not?G
Reply:gord,I, personally have not seen as drastic an effect on aluminum as I have with stainless steel.Could well be that the two metals are at opposite ends of the spectrum with regards to how they transfer heat.  Aluminum requires a lot of amps, relative to the thickness, because it is such a good heat sink.  SS, on the other hand, doesn't like heat at all and reacts adversely to it (warping, sugaring, etc) largely because it doesn't transfer heat well at all.I seldom use pulse at all with non-anodized aluminum.  Bump welding anodized is another whole story/procedure altogether.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:I have an earlier model 180 sd that didn't have a pulser so I made one but mine only goes to about 33Hz.  I have settings for high-current time and background-current time (instead of frequency and duty cycle), percent-background which is the percentage of the high-current amplitude that you want as background current and no digital meters (calibrated dials instead) and an LED which is on for high-current time and off during background current time.   I do not have the advantage of the high-freq. AC but I can pulse the 60 Hz AC so I can get some variations when doing AL.   I like the analogy made to the different velocity  "invisible" bullets coming out the barrel but having definitely different effects on the target.  In the range of only 33 Hz, you can still visibly see what is causing the characteristics to change in the puddle and of course, you can see the end result in the "target."  With the higher frequencies, which you cannot visibly see in the arc while welding, you still can see and analyze the finished product.  I have seen multiple pictures of high-frequency welds (120 - 250 Hz.) on aluminum and you can see how the beed "narrows" and when sectioned for checking penetration, you also see the added penetration.  All this to say that it is the resulting integrity of the weld that determines the usefulness of the procedure but you have to experiment to find what is best for a particular application until someone does catalog set-ups for the many different applications.
Reply:Sn0border,Sorry it's taken so long to get back.  Been a little busy, plus it took awhile to round up the parts I needed to do a through evaluation of your settings.SS tube is never a problem.  Work with it all the time.  Probably a thousand feet or so laying around the shop (3/4", 7/8", 1").  SS sheet in .065 took me a trip to my buddies and a little sorting in his SS scrap bin (40' dumpster).  The 1/16" 316L filler I had plenty of since I buy it in 10# tubes.  I had used the last of my .045 on the last job.  LWS didn't get his restock in til Friday.  Picked up a couple pounds.  Dang, $10.50/#.Anyway, this afternoon I took the plasma and cut up a couple dozen coupons out of the SS sheet.  Cut 6 lengths (about a foot each) of 7/8" tube (wall measures .065").Set up the Syncrowave 250 DX with a new 1/16" Thoriated tungsten, gas lens, #6 cup.  Using a Speedway 320 (20 series but rated to 320A) torch.Set the machine with the following settings (your recommendations):150A30% Peak2.5 PPS20% BackgroundFirst, before any more discussion, let me say this.  This is not my first rodeo (welding SS tube--do it all the time in marine repair), but this horse (your settings) is a horse I can't ride.First, starting with an open end piece of tube, starting the arc on the end of the tube, as soon as I hit the pedal, I blew a quarter inch hole in the tube.  I'm not talking about a couple seconds, I'm talking about the time of the second peak cycle (immediatedly).  I kept working with the same settings but kept dropping the amps back.  Was finally able to somewhat control the amps at a setting of about 80A but even then had to move way too fast and was burning thru.  Tried both the .045 and 1/16" filler.  Neither made much difference.  At 75A I was able to control the bead but still was way off on the pedal.Then I thought, Oh, he did mention that he purged his tube.  Got out a set of end caps I've made up for purging railings.  Hooked up the second argon bottle/flowmeter and backgassed the next piece of tube.  Set the flow at 6 CFH (doesn't take much gas to purge/backgas 7/8" tube) and opened the vent on the opposite end of the tube.This time I had to start not on the end but about 2" from the end (caps in the way).  At the initial setting of 150A--bam-hole in tube.  Dropped back to 60A and filled the hole.  Moved to another section of tube and started again, this time starting at 100A.  Still way to hot.  Kept dropping the amps til I got to 75.  Was able at that point, to get a decent bead, but was still way off on the puddle.  Frankly, there wasn't a great deal of difference in the way the surface of the SS reacted to the heat either with or without backgassing.  Backgassing did eliminate most of the backside sugaring.Sn0border, you mentioned that you felt you needed the high amp surge (150A) to get a "full penetration" weld on .065 SS.  When I tried your settings, I got so much "penetration" that it blew base metal all the way thru to the other side of the tube.I would very much like to see if anyone else experiences similar results.  If anyone out there has a transformer based tig with pulse and would like to give these settings a go, drop me a PM and I'll send you several lengths of SS tube and some .045 and 1/16" filler.I didn't carry my camera to the shop today (on charge) but if anyone's really interested in photos, I'll try to get some tomorrow.  Believe me, they arn't pretty.I'll try to run some beads with the Sync tomorrow using some low pulse rate settings that I've found to work and post those up.  Also try to run some beads with the Dynasty at the 200PPS I mentioned earlier.Sn0border, I really did go into this test with an open mind.  You never know, someone may have found that "silver bullet" out there.  I'm always looking for a better way to get things done.  Took me about .4 of a second (first pulse peak) to figure out this wasn't the solution.  If you get a chance, get your hands on an inverter and give that high PPS a try.  Think you'll be amazed at the difference.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:I will get some shots next week of what I usually do with SS tube, maybe that will give you a better idea of where im coming from.  One thing I'm thinking of is that I run 3/32 tung, so im spreading out the heat more.  Also I just changed my normal settings a little and went with a slightly slower PPS, mainly for aesthetic reasons.And I didnt mean to say that I needed those settings to get full penetration, but from my experimentation they seem to give the best mix of high travel speed/appearance and penetration.  I can (and im sure you can too) get full pen on .065 material with just about anything, however welding with constant current makes it hard to maintain a uniform bead and welding with a higher PPS rate (up to 10 on my machine) doesnt seem to make any difference. I wont be able to get on an inverter till this fall, but I will give it a try for sure.  Im always open to new methods.Just so im sure, you were trying this out on the cut edge of the tube?Have we all gone mad?sn0,Yea.  My first attempt was starting at the cut end (non-purged) of the tubing.  The attempts with purge were about 2" from the end.I did not attempt to butt weld the seam of two purged tubes.When I hit the pedal, and I mean right now, it blew a 1/4" hole in the end of the tube.Man, I'm used to the effects of a high amp burst (bump welding anodized alum--198-205A) but this one kinda caught me a little "off guard".  The SS never even seemed to change temp, just blew a hole.  Upon closer examination, there was SS base metal on the opposite side of the tube.  Seemed like it occured with the first peak pulse cycle.  Never even got to stick in some filler.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by PassengerWe only use high speed pulsing, 400-1000pps, for manual and automated. Definite difference in puddle stability.
Reply:Pulser, that link is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to see.Ok, so I got in the shop and did a few trial runs with pictures.Machine2.5x.065 SS tube, purged with 100% argon.Inside seam, its a little dirty because I was in a hurry but its not critical.Outside brushed upProof that I do weld on occasion, when im not on here.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Now heres the wierd part, I setup the camera to do a timed exposure so I could get one in action, and catch the machines display while im welding.  Odd part is that I was pretty sure that I was fully on the pedal when I took the picture but the display read anywhere from 60-90 amps in the pictures I got.  Im going to take a video sometime and try and see if thats all the higher it really goes or what. (Note, volts are on top, amps on bottom.)Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Sn0,Never said you couldn't weld.  Never even tried to imply that.  Sorry if that's the way you took it.  Really suspected that maybe you were talking about one job (.065 wall tubing) and quoted settings for another (thicker tubing).Few observations/questions concerning the weld photos.Nice consistent beads.  Definitely got the timing down.Were these beads done without the use of filler?Are my eyes deceiving me or is that a crack running the length of the seam?  Photos 3 & 4.Last photo, first set.  I assume that bead is not on the material we're talking about here.  Use of filler here is very apparent.  Really nice weld.That next to last photo in the first set, shows "extreme" undercut along the shoulders.  That weld would not pass muster in my book/shop.With regards to the settings/actual welding amps, what's the chance that the potentiometer in you pedal is off and you're not really getting the amps you think you are?  I tried the 150A (your settings) on both my Sync 250 and Dynasty 200 and got the same results with both (immediate blowthrough).Although this thread has received a lot of "viewings" there's really been very few comments made.  No one has yet taken me up on my offer to send materials so they could try the settings themselves.  Is it because few members really care about pulsing and it's effect on different materials or that they just don't have the machines capable of pulse welding.  Personally, I have found it to be a lot more stimulating than the typical "What mig should I buy for $400?" postings.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:No offense taken, but I rarely post pictures of my work so I thought it might lend some credit to my ramblings.All butt welds are done without filler unless needed in case of poor fit.  We have been producing these tubes for years now and none have ever come back with cracks on any of the butt welds so I am not concerned about the underfill.  That is also partly because I didnt have the purge set right, under ideal conditions I will set the purge pressure so that it pushed out on the weld pool enough so that It doesn't undercut.The last picture in the first post was with filler, its a 1" NPT fitting for a drain plug.  It is on the same .065 tubing that the purged welds are on, but I never bother with a purge for the fittings.  Weld it right and it wont burn through.No crack in any of the welds, but I see what your talking about.  That is always there, and I attribute it to the fast travel speed.  Maybe someone else has a better explanation?Im now wondering as well if the amps are reading incorrectly, or the pot in the pedal is out.  I can definatly control the heat with the pedal and seem to have a full range of motion, ill look into it more tommorow.  Another thing is that im running on single phase 220v, maybe that has an effect?  I do notice a big difference when I hook it up to 3 phase 220.And yes, this is the kind of discussion I hoped to see a little more often, but I can see why the lack of response because it doesnt pertain to the majority of the members.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Sn0Doubt that input power is a problem.  The Sync are 1 Phase only so 3 Phase isn't the answer.  My shop is right next to a transformer so I get good (about 244 v) power pretty consistently.I've seen some Syncs drop Amps if they weren't being fed sufficient input power (too small a feed) but only at the top end in the amp range.  In fact when I went down to FL to pick up my new (to me) Sync 250 DX Tigrunner they had it powered with a 10 ga. extension cord.  When I questioned why, the guy there said they never welded above 60A.  When I got the unit home and called up the hr meter and arc counter, the machine had less than 8 hours of arc time and about 2000 arc starts.If you were closer I'd say come on over and try some of those higher PPS setting we're talking about.  Think you'll really like them when you get a chance to try them out.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Reply:A couple of posters here were going back and forth on a particular set of pulse parameters on stainless steel, they worked for one guy and not at all for the other.  One very simple reason that "identical" weld setting may not produce the same weld is Marangoni fluid flow.  See this search link if your interested.  http://weldingweb.com/search.php?searchid=926958
Reply:Link no worky.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Same here.Link no workie.Sn0,The more I use this little Dynasty 200, the more it amazes me.As I mentioned, I'm an old Sync 250 guy.  Have had three of them.  The 250 DX Tigrunner I have now is a great machine and I have no plans to let it go.  Still need it for some of the bump welding I do on anodized (Dynasty 200 is a little lacking on amps & duty cycle) but I see the majority of my tig work being done on the Dynasty.  The higher frequency really enables you to focus the arc and get in those tight corners.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Our sync 180 recently went out so im trying to talk the boss into getting an inverter, dynasty 200 is at the top of the list.  They dont come with a watercooler built in do they?Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Naw,Water cooler is separate.  I picked up a used Coolmate 3 for mine.  It had been used in a Pharmacutical (SP) manufacturing environment where they did only SS.  Dang thing didn't even have any dust inside.  Great price.  Less than 1/2 of retail.I'd recommend the Coolmate 3 vs the Coolmate 1 due to the fact that it holds 3 gal vs the 1 gal of the Coolmate 1.  If, down the road, you want to move to a larger machine (say a Dynasty 300/350) you've got the cooler.If you check back you'll find that Miller had some issues with the Sync 250/350's that employed the integrated cooler.  Mine was set up that way when I got it.  Have since replaced the "guts" with a new cart and cooler combo.  Only thing is now, the cooler runs continuously, whereas with the integrated cooler the pump only ran when it sensed an arc or increased temp in the coolant.  Kinda like fan on demand.You definitely won't hurt your reputation with the boss by recommending a Dynasty 200 to replace that older Sync.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:7A749,Yepper,You nailed that one.Great guys to do business with.  I also highly recommend them.They move a "LOT" of welding equipment thru there.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:The weld pics are nice Snoboarder, but I would agree with Sundown that you could use a bit of filler to prevent that undercut. Is that welding in food services? I had to test for the same welds a few months back, and they warned me that to get the weld to pass, I could not show undercut. The parameters were different than what most welders are used to, no open root, single pass, thin wall, and no filler was the norm. I did 2 sets of welds, one with filler, one set without. All passed, but they were really critical on the no filler welds. Anyway, looks pretty good.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:No, not food grade stuff.  I do a fair amount of that am im well aware of the requirements for that.  Like I said undercut for this application is perfectly acceptable.Ive been on the boss for a while now to check out an inverter, im sure once the sync 180 really bites the dust we'll get one.The cooler on our 250 hasnt been all trouble free as well, had to replace the pump once and a few o-rings.  Also had the hose blow up on me once, either some gunk blocked the flow and the line overheated or whatever but I was welding away on a heavy al casting and next thing I know im covered in steam and coolant. Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Sn0,Don't you just hate it when that happens.Had a WP-20 Flex head torch take a dump on me a while back.  Welding along and all of a sudden steam is coming from the torch head and then all over the workpiece.  Shut everything down REAL FAST.Cut the rubber away from the torch head.  Where the coolant line went into the torch, the solder had broken and was allowing the leak.  Trashed that torch head.Not wishing you bad luck with the Sync 180, but hope things work out for the new Dynasty 200.  Think you'd be impressed.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:This was a great thread about TIG pulse that i kept track of for future reference.People often ask about pusle and this was one of the best to read.Thought i would bump it up for some people that havent seen it or cant use the search function.
Reply:Hello,This thread has come a long way since the last time I checked up on it. First of all, thank you all very much for all your helpful and interesting thoughts and comments. I'll talk a little about how I mainly use pulse settings in my work. I weld mainly steel hoses (http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=27306), metal bellows and expansion joints along with the occasional pipe spools. At this current time I'm focusing mostly on applying pulse welding to the steel hoses. I would imagine that many of you have not had much experience with steel hoses so I'll explain a little on those first.From the pictures in the link above you can see the process of welding the hose. The second pictures illustrates a prepped hose pre-welding fixed in a rotary table. Here you can see the three parts that are going to be welded together, inner hose, braiding and ferrule. This weld is called the 1st weld. After this is done the appropriate flange / connector is welded on as shown further down. This is called the 2nd weldNow back to the topic on pulsing. On the 1st weld I often just weld with constant current because we had some issues with leaks and the 1st weld is the most crucial weld in terms of sealing the hose. When it comes to the 2nd weld I've been experimenting quite a bit with pulsing. I've focused mostly on esthetics and weld temperature. The settings that I use mostly use are:Peak: 40%Background: 20%Freq: 1.1 - 1.4  I try to set my machine so that I don't have to weave at all. This works very well when the flange / connector / elbow has a diameter that is smaller than but still very close to that of the hose. Problems arise when the diameter of the flange / connector / elbow is much smaller than the hose. If this is the case I have often just gone back to a constant current. But after reading all of your posts and the miller article I think I'm going to try to fiddle more with high freq's. This goes for the 1st weld as well. If you have any tips please feel free to put them out there. I'm going to provide some pictures where the hose remains the same but with some different end terminations so that you can better see what I'm talking about. When it comes to pipe welding (sch10/40) are there any advantages with pulse welding?That's it for this time, Speen out.
Reply:Just saw this thread was resurected, and a link I had posted didn't work.  Here is the link that can explain why people can have very different results when trying to replicate a given welding setup and parameters.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ight=marangoni
Reply:A side note I've noticed relating to pulsing, which has nothing to do with striving for an optimal weld puddle or heat input - I found TIG welding in DC mode with pulsing turned on to be more likely to trigger my auto darkening helmet when on tired batteries (in need of a solar charge) than same material and weld type but set up for no pulsing.
Reply:Originally Posted by jakeruA side note I've noticed relating to pulsing, which has nothing to do with striving for an optimal weld puddle or heat input - I found TIG welding in DC mode with pulsing turned on to be more likely to trigger my auto darkening helmet when on tired batteries .
Reply:Thanks for a very interesting thread, guys. A lot of good information here. The topic of inverter-based vs transformer-based machines and pulsing has been touched upon here, and I would like to hear some experiences in this matter. My machine is an app. 25 year old Norweld/Lincoln TIG180. A small but quite advanced (for it's time) transformer based welder. It has HF start, slope down and a pulser. I use it mainly for thin walled steel tubing (bicycle tubing with less than 1mm wall - still practicing, btw), and have played around with the pulser. As can be seen in the picture below the pulsing adjusted with peak amps, background amperage as percentage of peak amps and then puls length stated as time on peak/background varying from 0.2 to 3 seconds. This seems awfully slow compared to the modern inverters, but how does it compare to the older transformer-based machines? And do any of you have recommendations or experiences to share when it comes to setting it up for (really) thin walled steel (CroMo/4130 - or variants of this) tubing?Kind regards,Truls Erik Johnsen
Reply:Originally Posted by Johnsen FrameworksThanks for a very interesting thread, guys. (snip) My machine is an app. 25 year old Norweld/Lincoln TIG180. A small but quite advanced (for it's time) transformer based welder. It has HF start, slope down and a pulser. (snip) And do any of you have recommendations or experiences to share when it comes to setting it up for (really) thin walled steel (CroMo/4130 - or variants of this) tubing?Kind regards,Truls Erik Johnsen
Reply:Thanks, Matt. Will take a picture later tonight. Allthough I have to say that it weights closer to 50 kilo.Truls