27
ch.3
OrionWelders.com
Keeping the weld time at its max will leave the weld looking smooth and clean.
Using a more technical description – during the welding process the weld spot becomes a liquid
pool of metal. e impact of the welding plasma causes vibrations on the molten pool’s surface,
much like a stone causes ripples on the surface of a still body of water. e Orion welder’s energy
discharge has been designed to ramp down the weld energy for longer weld time. is gives the
molten metal vibrations time to smooth out before the metal re-solidifies. *It is recommended
that the user keep the time at its max length for most welding applications.
In addition, a longer weld time will also help prevent cracking in
some metals as the extended time and longer discharge curve
allows the molten pool to cool more slowly. When the energy
is cut off suddenly (by shortening the time setting) the liquid
metal “freezes” in place. is rapid freezing can cause micro
stresses in the weld spot and may make the metal more prone
to cracks under additional stress (like hammering).
In most cases it is recommended to leave the weld time at max
length with one important exception. If welding a very small
part at less than 5 Ws of energy, it is very helpful to turn down
the time. By turning down the time the arc will still ignite easily
but the energy that the welder allows out during the weld is
limited by the shorter amount of time. e larger weld in this
image was done at 5 Ws and 15 Ms time. e smaller weld on
the right was done at 5 Ws and 3 Ms time.
Alternatively, the user can sharpen the welding tip to a very fine point to help ignite the
welding arc at very low energy levels.
HANDS ON: Try making a small weld spot using 5 Ws of energy and maximum length, and
then 5 Ws of energy and minimum length. Now, with a very sharp electrode, try making a weld
spot at 1-3 Ws of energy and maximum length.
To Next Page
Loading...
