TIG-welding machine: characteristics, comparison of the best models and reviews of the manufacturer

Among all the methods of manual welding that exist today, argon welding, or TIG, is considered the most versatile. Welding in an inert gas environment makes it possible to achieve a high quality weld by completely sealing the weld pool from atmospheric oxygen, so that metals such as magnesium and titanium alloys and aluminum can be welded, although they are considered highly active.

Principle of work of argon welding

The principle of TIG welding is the heating of the arc welding spot created by the refractory tungsten electrode.

Due to the strong heating of argon burners during their operation, a water cooling system is used. The electric arc melts not only the joints of the welded parts themselves, but also the filler wire fed into the welding zone. The wire feed can be carried out both mechanically and manually. The place of welding protects against inert atmospheric oxygen with inert gases, and in most cases argon is used, so this type of welding is called argon-arc, and the inverters used for its implementation are TIG-welding machines.

Features of argon-arc welding

TIG welding combines the advantages of other types of welding: the continuity and cleanliness of the seam, characteristic for welding semiautomatic devices, the ability to work with deep penetration at high currents, using manual arc welding using piece-melting electrodes. Since the arc is formed without the participation of metal fed into the weld pool, it is much easier to control the quality of the seam: the seam made by the TIG welding machine can not be confused with any other.

Welding in an inert medium is performed on any metal, only the additive material and current characteristics differ.

Design of TIG inverters

TIG welding machines for argon-arc welding consist of a torch and a welding current source.

The ignition of the arc and its maintenance with the specified parameters is provided by the source of the welding current. Welding TIG-apparatus can be used for welding a wide range of materials, but it requires different adjustments, due to which today we use combined models of semiconductor inverters with combined output:

• Mode TIG DC is designed for welding copper alloys and stainless steels;
• Mode TIG AC - for welding magnesium and aluminum;
• Pulse mode with intermittent current is used for welding parts of small thickness.

The design of such devices is very close to the devices for arc welding by hand, which leads to the appearance of combined welding machines MIG TIG MMA, in which the type of welding is changed after the welding torch is replaced with a holder.

Types of welding

In industrial and domestic conditions, arc welding machines are widely used, which differ in the type of technology used and the type of welding.

Welding MMA

The simplest and most common method for welding parts from cast iron, stainless steel and ordinary steel is manual arc welding using coated electrodes. The principle of operation of such welding consists in ignition between the edges of the parts and the electrode of the electric arc, which melts the welded metal. At the same time, the electrode material is used as the additive, which makes it possible to form a seam. Its coating guarantees a stable arc burning and forms a slag protective coating that is easily removed after the surfaces cool.

TIG welding

Argon arc welding, used when working with steel and non-ferrous metals - nickel alloys, aluminum and copper. The advantage of this type of welding is the absence of slag and high-quality seam, a disadvantage is the slow speed of operation. When working with aluminum and its alloys there are no alternative methods of welding. TIG-welding machines use tungsten non-consumable electrodes with automatic or manual feeding of a filler material in the form of a wire.

MIG welding

The wire is used as an additive and electrode simultaneously and for semi-automatic welding of MIG. With this type of welding, various parameters can be tuned in a wide range: wire feed speed, type of gas mixture, operating current and others. MIG welding is mainly used for bodywork, forming ideal seams.

SAW Welding

In comparison with open-arc devices, SAW welding, or arc-submerged arc welding, is more efficient. The process is fully automated, forms a high-quality seam and economically consumes the filler wire. The arc burns under a thick layer of powder - flux - so the welder can work without special protection

Cutting CUT

Air-flame cutting - one of the types of welding, used when working with products of small thickness. Inverters for such cutting are compact in size, so this method is considered one of the most common in industry and everyday life.

Types of welding inverters

Availability of welding TIG-devices is caused by dumping of Chinese manufacturers and cheapening of power electronics, thanks to which welding equipment stores offer a wide range of inverters.

Aurora PRO INTER

Welding machine MMA + TIG, produced by the Russian-Chinese company Aurora. Can use both piece electrodes with protective coating, and non-consumable electrodes. For welding light alloys requires the use of an external oscillator, since the inverter has only a DC current. The welding machine can work in rooms with weak wiring thanks to a small power of 4.5 kW. At the same time, the range of current regulation is from 10 to 200 A, which makes it possible to work with thin-walled and massive parts. The idling voltage is quite high - 60V. The high-frequency ignition circuit of the device makes it easier to work with it, since there is almost no sticking of the electrode. Welding machine TIG 200 due to its low price and good characteristics is an excellent option for learning argon welding.

Svarog TIG 160

Welding machine TIG AC / DC "Svarog" is small in size and relatively low maximum current of 160 A, but it has the possibility of a long load (according to the attached passport - 60% of PV) and multifunctionality. The efficiency of the output stage of the inverter power converter is 85%, which allows to reduce the power consumption up to 2.7 kW. The alternating and direct current welding modes are easily switched, in TIG AC mode, the polarity balance adjustment is available, the final and preliminary gas delivery time is adjusted. For the convenience of the welding post, you can connect a foot pedal. For such functions and characteristics, its cost of 44,500 rubles is very acceptable.

PV is the maximum burning time of the electric arc in comparison with the total operating time of the inverter. In the case of this machine, a PV value of 60% means that for every six minutes of continuous operation, a break of 4 minutes is required.

Svarog TECH TIG

Wide-function welding machine TIG 200 AC / DC with three modes of operation (AC, DC and Pulse), current of 200A maximum and a large number of settings. The settings of the device are regulated by 9 handles, which professional welders will appreciate. This inverter is very popular in repair shops and auto repair shops.

Argon welding at home

When preparing a workplace for argon welding, several rules must be taken into account:

1. Despite the fact that the harmfulness of argon welding is several times smaller than the manual arc welding, it is necessary to use protection: you will need a welding mask, leggings, robe. Modern protective masks "Chameleon" are very convenient to use, but they have a minus - a smaller viewing angle due to the located photocell. The room should be well ventilated, as an ideal - forced extraction.
2. In the immediate vicinity of the workplace should not be located flammable substances and materials. There must be a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher. Powder analogues should be avoided. Despite their effectiveness, the powder formed during their use is very difficult to remove, in connection with which it is possible to damage the welding machine.
3. The ventilation openings of the inverter must not be covered by outside objects.

Depending on the material and the thickness of the parts, the welding current and the thickness of the electrodes used are selected. In the case of aluminum alloys, for example, the welding current should be 180-250 A with an electrode diameter of 4-5 mm. This mode allows you to work with parts with a thickness of 3 mm. Thin elements are welded in Pulse mode. In comparison with working with an argon-helium mixture, the current when working in pure argon is set to 10-20% higher.

For easier control of the welding process, the electrode is kept at a small angle to the direction of travel, the additive is then fed strictly perpendicular to the electrode. Get a strong and beautiful seam in the event that the rod will be fed in a fixed position.

The gas pre-flow time is one of the important settings of the TIG inverter. The maximum time - up to 2 seconds - is set when working with aluminum, titanium and magnesium alloys. This is done to ensure that the inert gas completely covers the ignition site, otherwise the metal can break out with contact with oxygen to form a cavity. The chemical activity of the weld metal also has an effect on the delay of the gas shut-off: after the arc is disconnected, the burner is held over the place of welding over the set time to protect the created joint.

Argon welding is one of the most demanded welding processes. Affordable prices for welding TIG MIG devices allow you to purchase such devices for personal use. The high demand for argon welding, productivity and efficiency of inverters will quickly pay off all the expenses for the purchase of such a device.