How to choose the welding machine?

For independent welding worksYou need to buy a good, reliable and high-quality device that will reliably perform its work and will last long. When choosing a tool, determine the appropriate type for yourself, compare models from different manufacturers, keep in mind that the cost of welding machines can vary by several times, so determine in advance the budget available for you.

Good characteristics, for example, have welding machines from the company Interskol - the prices for inverters of this brand range from the most affordable to higher.

It is customary to distinguish four types of welding machines:

1. apparatuses with alternating current,
2. devices with direct current,
3. semiautomatic devices for MIG / MAG welding,
4. Welding inverters - the most modern and functional.

Characteristics of welding machines

Particular attention should be paid to these characteristics:

1. Voltage at the input. They make single-phase (220 V) and three-phase (380 V). Not an inverter unit can react strongly to voltage drops: a drop outside the normal causes a drop in performance, an increase in their overload, which leads to a shutdown.
2. Stress at idling. It is in the range from 45 to 70 V and indicates the voltage without loads. The higher it is, the easier it is to ignite the arc and the more stable it burns. This characteristic should be taken into account when choosing electrodes, since different types of voltage require different voltages.
3. Output current. In standard basic instruments it is shown in the range from 10 to 250 A, in professional up to 500 A. The current regulation is smooth or step-by-step. The higher the current figure in the highest state, the more possibilities the welding tool has. High current allows you to perform complex work efficiently, use electrodes having a larger diameter.
4. Diameter of electrodes or wire (forsemiautomatic devices). This parameter will determine the thickness of the materials for which you can use the tool for welding. It is measured in the range of 0.5 - 6.0 mm. To perform the basic work you need a diameter of 2.0-3.0 mm. The diameter of the electrodes is affected by the output current and power. For semi-automatic machines, a 0.6 to 1.2 mm wire wound in a coil is often used. Its diameter will affect the thickness of the material with which the welding tool can work.