Miller 350P Auto Body Package for thin Aluminum panels / sheet?

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Curious to know if anyone has feedback on the Miller 350P Auto Body  Package for thin Aluminum sheet?  Specs says it's rated to 14 gauge / 1.3 mm aluminum sheet?Not interested in the aluminum only 350P.The only video and pictures I can find are of thick aluminum being welded.Any other setups I should be looking at?
Reply:I would choose TIG for thin aluminum. You have more on the fly control and adjustability over your weld while you are actually welding which can prevent blowing through the material if you know what you are looking for. I think it's easier to get into trouble with MIG, but then again I've never MIG welded aluminum - thin or thick.   Lincoln Squarewave 200 or Miller Diversion 180 would probably be all you need for your stated use. Either machine would also give you some extra capacity if you decide to get into TIG welding thicker materials.1988 Big 50 Diesel CC/CV1982 Weldanpower 225/2101968 SAE 300 motor generatorMaxstar 200SD2015 AHP 200x"The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
Reply:I have a tig setup already, it gets job done but slow, I'm sure overtime with practice I could get faster however I have some projects that I'm looking to knock out and wouldn't mind adding a mig setup to my toolset...
Reply:The 350P auto-body is approved by Ford for repairing the new F150's. From what I read it has better low amp pulse control than the standard 350P. If auto-body techs had to learn aluminum TIG welding on thin body work it could take years to get certified to do aluminum repairs on vehicles.
Reply:Yea I saw that advertised on millers site as well....Also it looks like Lincoln has Auto body setup for their 350MP Mig....Really interested to see what the bead profile looks like on thinner aluminum sheet...  I reached out to Miller and Lincoln directly as well...should be interesting to see how they respond...
Reply:You can always download the manual.My older 350P says it can go down to 19 gauge with pulse.The autobody one talks about .047/1.2mm 5554,  I believe I only have pulse programming modes for 4043 and 5356.  (and 3/64 wire).Seems Miller uses 3/64 and .047 interchangeably in the manual.  Its close, probably close enough.  I know for the 30A spool gun they offer different tips for those rangesBottom line, its unclear if there is anything special about the programming on the 350P autobody.What I can say is the gun/gun liner looks special.  Mine has the Q300, the autobody has Q200 (which, if its the same as what is on the multimatic 200, is a nice size gun for working on gauge metal - vs. structural).If they have a better program for working on thin aluminum, I might just give them a call and see if an update is available.  My issue is the hotstart.BTW, I have burn through issues with .035 wire on aluminum, why would Ford spec .047?  We are talking about sheetmetal right?Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:5554 is very similar to 5356 so the 5356 programs should work with at most some slight adjustment of arc length..047 and 3/64" are the same thing, just like .023 vs .025.The gun should have a non-metallic (nylon or teflon) liner for aluminum. Also U-groove drive rolls as opposed to the standard V-groove rolls for hard wire.I use a Lincoln, not a Miller, but I routinely weld .062" aluminum with .047 wire. I imagine the auto body panels are even thinner  but I'm not an auto body guy so I'll leave that part to the experts.I have heard that some European manufacturers spec only Fronius welders for work on their vehicles. They are nice machines but not well known in this country outside of the auto industry. They are also 3-phase only which may be an issue.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:Any chance you have a picture of the bead profile on .062".?   Any frequent burn through?
Reply:I have set up about 7 350Ps for production work, welding 0.063 diamond plate 3003 alloy.  I was able to easily run 10 inch beads with no burn through.  this was with the non auto body package and the aluma pro push/pull gun.Custom Fabrication, Welding, CNC Plasma CuttingPlaces I work http://WWW.twkcustom.comhttp://WWW.diamondbackcovers.com
Reply:Originally Posted by kriskykAny chance you have a picture of the bead profile on .062".?   Any frequent burn through?
Reply:Ya I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around that as well...
Reply:Originally Posted by derekpfeifferI'd be interested in seeing that as well. .035 wire on 1/8 aluminum you're hauling a$$ can't imagine .047 wire on .062!!
Reply:Interesting!! Thanks for the info shovelon!!-DoogieMiller 350PMiller Trailblazer 325 EFI w/ Excel PowerLincoln LN25 suitcase welderXMT 304/22a feederMiller Syncrowave 350LXMiller EconotigHobart Handler 140(2) Uni-Hydro 42-14Hypertherm 65 plasmaWEBB Gap bed lathe