The do's and don'ts of Duty Cycles

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So I don't really get the duty cycle thing, sure my welder needs to take a rest every so often but on my MIG welder it's a 1 minute on and ten minutes off duty cycle.....so is that literally one minute w/ the power on welding or not and then off? or one minute w/ the trigger down and off for ten?  When I'm welding it's for short spurts  8/10 seconds max so do i just make 6 welds and walk away machine off or does the time in between the welds count towards the duty cycle off period? any help?
Reply:In my mind Duty  cycle means Any 60 seconds of the 600.   Thas is 10% only if you are running it turned all the way up and still getting a good bead.  As you turn it down, you a higher percentage of the duty cycle.DavidLast edited by David R; 06-25-2007 at 09:59 PM.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:on or welding?
Reply:welding-Clarke 130EN-Miller MaxStar 150STL-Miller Elite 29' Roadster
Reply:only weld time is counted in duty cycle.  if you have a 20% duty cycle that means you can weld for 2 minutes out of every ten.  as David said a machine has a "rated" output, and if you weld at a lower current then your duty cycle goes up.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:What happens if I exceed my duty cycle?
Reply:Your machine should have biult in protection. It will shut down until its cool enough to work again. Some guys say its bad to do this over and over. You only need to be 2% smarter than what you are working on.Lincoln pm140hacksawa big hammer
Reply:Doing what you do, you will probably never exceed the duty cycle and have the machine cut out. If you ever do, it's not a big deal. Open the welder's panels and aim a fan at it and it will stay cooler,longer. If it does thermal shut-off, leave it running as this is what cools it best.
Reply:And leave the machine turned on when it's on its "off duty" part of the cycle.The fan helps to cool it.Favorite right now is a Miller Syncro 200.Tons of tools and I blame at least one of them when things don't go right.
Reply:If your machine is constantly turning off because your overdoing the duty cycle then maybe it's time to shop for a bigger machine or clean out the inside of the machine LOL(too much dirt and dust will affect cooling). As Mb stated most will protect themselves, you usually have to be really pushing it for it to cut out.Latest Toys Miller 180 Mig and Elite Mask!!Wright Welder 225ACShop OutFitters 20/20 Bending SystemHypertherm 380 Plasma30 Years of Sparking (Electrical & Welding)
Reply:Cool , my machine has never shut itself off , I always thought the welding somehow suffered at the end of the cycle of something, but I can weld away till it turns off, so long as I'm giving it regular breaks while grinding and such?
Reply:Cool , my machine has never shut itself off , I always thought the welding somehow suffered at the end of the cycle of something, but I can weld away till it turns off, so long as I'm giving it regular breaks while grinding and such?