Increasing Duty Cycle??

admin

I just bought my first MIG welder. It is a cheapie MIG/flux core welder rated at 80 amps with a 20% duty cycle.I got this one only because it was on sale and it was the only I could afford. I looked around for a better quality used one, but they were all too expensive.This unit is from Canadian Tire and I am sure it is the same quality as the Harbor Freight welders. I am sure thiswill last a while as I only weld bike frames and car sheet metal with it, nothing too heavy.I was wondering about increasing the duty cycle, or at least the life expectancy of the welder by adding a fan tothe interior. I have read where people have had a lot of luck doing this. What about 2 fans, one sucking air into thebox and one blowing the air out? Another thought I had is using a Peltier cooler. I have one I took out of a picnic cooler I never used and thought I could use it in the welder. Any thoughts in doing this?Thanks,Ian
Reply:My old boss used a big dual fan out of a microwave to move more air through his small (225 amps) stick welder.Worked out just fine.One problem you may run into though, other components may overheat if you overrun the original duty cycle.For example, the mig gun and cable also have a duty cycle.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Adding a fan couldn't hurt. Might bump the duty cycle up to 25%.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:Just try to stay within the machines limits and not worry about increasing the duty cycle.
Reply:I had an old Blue-Point mig that had no fan. I added a 110V computer fan and the difference was very noticeable. Any time you can keep components cooler, they will be more efficient and last longer. That's my 2 cents.