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Hello all,I am looking to buy a MIG welding Machine that will be used for general fabrication, mostly for steel and occasionally for aluminium. I would like to get by with a short mig gun and a Teflon liner to avoid buying a spoolgun. The aluminium I intend to weld wont be thinner than 3-4mm at all, probably between 3 and 7mm at most (underride protection for cars and vans). I already own a small DC inverter that I have set up for lift-arc TIG, but since it is only DC, I wont be able to do any aluminium. Since I dont have a MIG, I thought about getting one that also allows me to mess with aluminium. I never used a MIG but I have read all I could find about MIG welding aluminium. Seems like I will be needing enough amps to get into spray transfer mode (200 or more, is that true?), using 1mm or better 1,2mm wire to get it to feed easier (thicker wire being stiffer), use pure argon, a Teflon liner, aluminium U grooved rollers and a few more odds and ends. Please correct me if wrong.I have looked into Miller and Lincoln but those are out of my price range. I should say that I am in Spain and even though I could afford to get a suitable machine from any of those brands at American prices
when you ask for a quote here in Spain
prices rise a lot. And I dont want to mess with buying spare parts overseas anyway.That said I dont want to buy a no-brand welder that might be impossible to fix or find spare parts for it.So far I have looked into the Italian made TELWIN TELMIG 281/2 TURBO 230V. It is about the biggest 230 1ph welder I can find (in my price range). It goes for about 1100 and I could get a 20% off on that quote.Main specs as follows:Voltaje 1ph 50/60Hz 230 V Required power 9,5 kWAmp. Range 40 - 270 ACurrent at 60% duty cycle 150 AMax Current 235A at 20% duty cycleMild steel wire diameter 0,6 - 1,2 mmSS wire diameter 0,8 - 1 mmAluminum wire diameter 0,8 1mmDimensiones (l x w x h) 800 x 450 x 655 mmNet Weight 59 kgFull specs can be found HEREThere is also another brand I could get a fair discount on which is Solter. I have looked into their AEROCAR 230 model, which is a tad more expensive and, according to specs, a bit less powerfull.Specs as follows:NPUT VOLTAGE (Vac) 230V 1PH ABSORBED POWER (Kva) 9 MAXIMUM INPUT CURRENT (A) 40 MAXIMUM WELDING CURRENT (A) 200 REGULATION RANGE (MIN-MAX) 25-200 RENDIMIENTO 0,3 OUTPUT AT 60% (A) 140 OUTPUT AT 100% (A) 100 AMPERAGE SETTINGS 6 DIMENSIONS L/ W/H (mm) 990X280X790 WEIGHT (Kg) 63Full specs can be found HEREWell
then
what do you guys think? Will any of this MIG welders be enough for what I am trying to do with them? Are they going to let me down when I try to weld aluminum with spray transfer.Anything bigger is going to need 3ph 400A
and while 1ph 230v is standard in Spain (you may find some 125 circuits in very old buildings), 3ph 400A is not usually found but in dedicated shops. I tried to search for used equipment but most of the good MIGs come from full blown shops and they run on 3ph.Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,Mikel
Reply:Getting a machine that will weld Aluminum "but only occasionally" is like asking for a truck that sometimes is a sports car. If it can weld aluminum on Tuesdays it can weld aluminum on the other days too. Adding the requirement to weld aluminum increases the cost of the machine and the cost of the consumables and support equipment as well.
Reply:Awesome! Where can I get a truck/sportscar transformer? +1 with Fat Bastard. If you want to weld aluminum its best to have a dedicated machine. I have a Miller with a spool gun for aluminum and I'm very pleased. Never used a machine with a Teflon liner for aluminum, I have doubts about how well that actually works.
Reply:Hmmmmmmmm Is this the same guy that posted on Hobart forum about a tig machine you could carry around and could afford a Miller or other american welders but didn't want to ship it to Europe? If not sorry........ Miller Dynasty 350Twenty Six HammersThree Crow BarsBig Rock
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardGetting a machine that will weld Aluminum "but only occasionally" is like asking for a truck that sometimes is a sports car. If it can weld aluminum on Tuesdays it can weld aluminum on the other days too.
Reply:Originally Posted by Mikel_24I asked here to get advice so after reading about the need for a spoolgun I checked them out. Thanks in advance,Mikel
Reply:Crap.Seems like half of the stuff that Miller makes in the US is not CE compliant, si it can not be sold here in Europe. And the Millermatic 211 with spoolgun, cart and cover that sells for arround $1300 is NOT CE compliant.Seems like the Blue alternative for me being in Spain is the MIGMATIC 220 DX. I am waiting for a quote on it. Will let you know when I get it.Mikel |
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