are there any affordable pulsed MIG welders out there?

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I'd like to try pulsed MIG but I'm not ready to buy a new Millermatic 255. Are there any good options?metalmagpie
Reply:I think you are limited to the Millermatic 255, HTP propulse 220 and 300, and a couple of Everlast units, none of which are cheap. I think the everlast may also force you to set the pulse parameters, which the Miller and HTP units do not. They are more or less synergic. The only other alternatives are the cheapo ebay chinese welders like this one  https://www.ebay.com/itm/38410551707...evt=1&mkcid=28Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:You definitely don't want to skimp out on a pulse MIG welder.  It's not like TIG where it's quite easy to implement now a days.  Unlike TIG where it's pretty simple only pulses the current (and perhaps to a very small extent the voltage to sustain the needed amps), pulse MIG can happen in two general ways:  pulsing the voltage, or pulsing the current.  HTP's primarily pulse the current.  Other machines voltage. I don't know what the Miller's do though.  Also note that changing the voltage offset aka: voltage "trim" to adjust the arc cone/characteristics on some machines, it also changes the pulse frequency.  On the HTP this (voltage trim) can be done independently of pulse frequency, which is how I believe it should be, based on some scientific white paper's I've read.

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Reply:What do you need pulse for? Is the important question.On aluminium, it's great. On steel, not so much. Even the very newest and best pulse MIG sets in the world don't automatically make it easier to weld, and they are limited in what you can do with them. On thin steel, short-arc is still best.As for affordable... I bought an older Miller XMT with wirefeeder for £500, and added an Optima pulse pendant later for £300... so that was £800 for a quality pulse MIG... I upgraded recently to a Lorch Saprom S3 speedpulse, which is another level again, absolute dream on aluminium. But it's still limited to flat position on steel pulse, sometimes more wasted heat, and less penetration than with plain spray arc.So what advantage DOES it have on steel? Well... not much... less spatter is nice, but everything has to be super clean. A good spray arc will be low spatter anyway.I'm still undecided as to whether the Lorch S3 welds as nicely in plain CV as the Miller XMT did. That's not on any spec sheet for any welder, it's something about the machine itself... some MIG sets are just sweet to use.Murphy's Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Munkul

What do you need pulse for? Is the important question.On aluminium, it's great. On steel, not so much. Even the very newest and best pulse MIG sets in the world don't automatically make it easier to weld, and they are limited in what you can do with them. On thin steel, short-arc is still best.As for affordable... I bought an older Miller XMT with wirefeeder for £500, and added an Optima pulse pendant later for £300... so that was £800 for a quality pulse MIG... I upgraded recently to a Lorch Saprom S3 speedpulse, which is another level again, absolute dream on aluminium. But it's still limited to flat position on steel pulse, sometimes more wasted heat, and less penetration than with plain spray arc.So what advantage DOES it have on steel? Well... not much... less spatter is nice, but everything has to be super clean. A good spray arc will be low spatter anyway.I'm still undecided as to whether the Lorch S3 welds as nicely in plain CV as the Miller XMT did. That's not on any spec sheet for any welder, it's something about the machine itself... some MIG sets are just sweet to use.
Reply:Well for me I don't need a welder at all really, it is a hobby. Pulse MIG may prove to be very useful to me, but even if it doesn't, this welder gives me everything the Millermatic 252 used to give me, plus it is stick and DC TIG welder all in one unit, which appealed to me since I was losing an entire garage bay to welding machines before I made the switch. Having a Syncrowave, the MM252 and Idealarc just took up a lot of space. While I loved all three of those machines, I really don't do much TIG and virtually no aluminum TIG (other than coupons for learning), so I let all three go and got the Multimatic. I am moving south in 2 years when my youngest graduates high school, and the thought of paying someone to move those three behemoths was also weighing on my mind.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:

Originally Posted by Munkul

But it's still limited to flat position on steel pulseSo what advantage DOES it have on steel? Well... not much... less spatter is nice, but everything has to be super clean.
Reply:

Originally Posted by ttoks

Pulsed MIG is one of those things where you get what you pay for to an even greater extent then usual.I've got to disagree with saying that a quality pulse MIG isn't useful on steel as long as you consider out of position work, for me at least using Fronius machines (or should I say specifically the fronius Trans puls synergic 2700) it's great for welding steel and stainless out of position with solid wire, But with all of that said, you don't go for a Pulse MIG setup to do it cheaply, cheap ones are no better than standard CV, and good ones are worth the money if you have a use case for it.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Oscar

I'm gonna have to disagree too.  On steel,  non-pulse vs pulse, same average amperage, the penetration profile offers deeper penetration.   I'm sure with more practice I can get even better results.  These were the some of the first attempts at pulsed-MIG that I did.As for limitations to only the flat-position,  I think that is more dependent on technique/settings/wire.   If you use ER70S-6, it has a very fluid puddle due to the added silicon, but if you use ER70S-3, you get a less fluid puddle that makes it a better choice for out-of-position/non-flat welding.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Munkul

The penetration into the joint is impressive, but look at the lines out towards the toes... That's what i found with the Miller setup. The Lorch is better in this regard, more even penetration. Or maybe it's just me


Reply:

Originally Posted by Munkul

The penetration into the joint is impressive, but look at the lines out towards the toes... That's what i found with the Miller setup. The Lorch is better in this regard, more even penetration. Or maybe it's just me

You don't really get ER70-s3 over here... it's usually S6. And I sincerely doubt that it's a noticeable difference to the puddle anyway, in spite of what they say. That's what arc length is for.Gas mixture makes much more of a difference, and I've tried both light and heavy CO2/Ar mixes.
Reply:Interesting, so you actually increase the voltage/arc length trim and run a longer stickout, to get a cooler puddle?That might be where I'm going wrong... I'm doing the opposite! I was trying to put less voltage in. I'm also running more amps.I'll do some experimenting.Murphy's Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Munkul

Interesting, so you actually increase the voltage/arc length trim and run a longer stickout, to get a cooler puddle?That might be where I'm going wrong... I'm doing the opposite! I was trying to put less voltage in. I'm also running more amps.I'll do some experimenting.
Reply:I realize this thread is asking about affordable mig pulse but Lincolns RapidArc on their powerwave series is very smooth and so easy to operate. Millers AccuPulse is very similar. I bring this up because of pulses  superior weld penetration and reduction in splatter on mild steel. To my understanding, both companies mig pulse programs are not currently available on lower amperage machines. Spray mode pulse is not recommended for out of position welding. You would need to use a short circuit setting.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Zebidiah

To my understanding, both companies mig pulse programs are not currently available on lower amperage machines.
Reply:You the old way use trigger Dave

Originally Posted by metalmagpie

I'd like to try pulsed MIG but I'm not ready to buy a new Millermatic 255. Are there any good options?metalmagpie
Reply:

Originally Posted by smithdoor

You the old way use trigger Dave
Reply:It about close you get the pulsed welding without havinga pulse welder. I like pulse works but the cost is very high.u Dave  

Originally Posted by Oscar

That's stitch welding...not pulsed-spray transfer......
Reply:

Originally Posted by smithdoor

It about close you get the pulsed welding without havinga pulse welder. I like pulse works but the cost is very high.u Dave