duty cycle

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HiNewbe question ......What is "duty cycle"Mike
Reply:How long a machine will run at a given output.Ie,,  5 minutes out of 10 at maxamps. 50% duty cycle.From the desk of Kevin CaronTrying to be the best me I can!www.kevincaron.comAHP Alpha Tig 200x MillerMatic 251Miller Syncrowave 200
Reply:Originally Posted by newtoweldingHiNewbe question ......What is "duty cycle"Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by kevinacaronHow long a machine will run at a given output.Ie,,  5 minutes out of 10 at maxamps. 50% duty cycle.
Reply:From Miller:6. Understand Duty Cycle    One way of classifying a welder's "size" is by how much amperage it  can generate   at a given "duty cycle." Duty cycle is the number of minutes out of a   10-minute period a welder can operate. For example, the Dynasty® 350  TIG unit can deliver 300 amps of welding output at a 60 percent duty  cycle. It can weld continuously at 300 amps for six minutes, and then  must cool down during the remaining four minutes to prevent overheating.       When considering duty cycle for a Stick machine, note that most Stick electrodes are consumed in less than two minutes. Further about 80% of all Stick welding is done with a 1/8-inch diameter electrode, which takes about one minute to consume.     To see if a machine meets your needs, consider the following power classifications. Light Industrial products typically have a 20% duty cycle and a rated output of 230 amps or lower.Industrial products typically have a 40-60% duty cycle and a rated output of 300 amps or lower.Heavy Industrial products typically have a 60-100% duty cycle and a rated output of at least 300 amps. 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:Originally Posted by 7A749Google- Duty Cycle.
Reply:Need to know output voltage as well as temp of the rating. (104 degrees is a pretty standard rating) For example , look at some cheap plasma cutters rated at 100% 0r even 60%. Tells you nothing, other then it might blow in less then 30 seconds.. in those cases, should rate them on machine life expectancy. Duty-cycle does not even come into play..Last edited by Brand X; 07-23-2014 at 03:49 PM.Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveHopefully he doesn't end up at a geriatric website...could have a different meaning
Reply:While the assumption is correct that duty cycle (in the welding/plasma cutting field) is based on how long a unit can operate at full rated output power during a 10 minute cycle, here are the complications to that:-Output power is not amperage or voltage, rather it is amperage x voltage or wattage, also known as kW or kilowatts.-The rated duty cycle of a given machine then is at is factory rated kW output....with welding it is at the rated amps and rated arc voltage. Temperature is also a factor.....any welder/plasma will have a higher duty cycle on a cool day, lower on a hot date. Reputable manufactures provide a voltage and amperage rating at a known (tested) ambient temperature, usually 104 degrees F.-The first duty cycle of the day (with a machine that was idle all night) is definitely going to be better than the duty cycle after you have been running for a while....as the power supply takes a while to get up to "core" temp. I laugh when a Newbie runs his new import for 10 minutes straight at full amperage and determines that his duty cycle is 100%....even though the brochure said 20%. Keep running...the duty cycle on most low cost imports is over rated, not under rated!- Many manufacturers do not publish the numbers used to arrive at duty cycle. You need voltage and amperage (or killowats or watts) as well as ambient temperature. If the manufacturer says 40 amps is 60% duty cycle with this new plasma......ask at what ambient and at what voltage ....voltage is related to thickness being cut with a plasma or arc length /wire or rod being used with a welder.-Pretty much all welders and plasma cutters can achieve 100% duty cycle. Use a 30 amp plasma on 26 gauge steel (low arc voltage) and it will be 100% with most brands and models. Same 30 amp plasma cutter on 5/8" will be at very low duty cycle...depending on the power supply design, some 10%, some as much as 35%. So if you buy a bigger output power supply than you need....and run it on thinner materials, smaller rod, lower output power....you are often safe from the duty cycle demon.Jim Colt  Hypertherm
Reply:Thanks for the repliesMike