No work with iron is complete without a welding machine. It allows you to cut and connect metal parts of any size and thickness. A good solution is to do it yourself, because good models are expensive, and cheap ones are of poor quality. To implement the idea of self-manufacturing a welder, you need to acquire special equipment that allows you to hone the quality skills of a specialist in real conditions.
Content
- Types and characteristics of the tool
- Manufacturing instruction
- Equipment setup
- Small-sized unit production
Types and characteristics of the tool
After all the necessary conditions of the preparatory stage have been successfully met, it becomes possible to make a model of the welding device with your own hands. Today, there are many schematic diagrams that can be used to make an apparatus. They act according to one of the approaches:
- Direct or alternating current.
- Pulse or inverter.
- Automatic or semi-automatic.
It is worth paying attention to the device belonging to the transformer type. An important characteristic of this device is its operation on AC power, which allows it to be used in a domestic environment. AC devices are capable of providing the nomenclature quality of welded joints.
The unit of this type will easily find its use in everyday life. when servicing real estate located in the private sector.In order to assemble such a device, you must have:
- About 20 meters of cable or heavy gauge wire.
- Metal base with high magnetic permeability, which will be used as the core of the transformer.
The optimal configuration of the core has a U-shaped rod base. In theory, a core of any other configuration can easily fit, for example, a round shape taken from a stator that has become unusable for an electric motor. But in practice, winding a winding on such a base is much more difficult.
The cross-sectional area for a core belonging to a home-made household welding machine is 50 cm 2. This will be enough to use rods from 3 to 4 mm in diameter in the installation. The use of a larger section will only lead to an increase in the mass of the structure, and the efficiency of the apparatus will not become higher.
Manufacturing instruction
For the primary winding, it is necessary to use a copper wire with high heat resistance rates, since it will be exposed to high temperatures during welding. The used wire must be selected according to fiberglass or cotton insulationdesigned for stationary use in high temperature areas.
For winding the transformer, it is not allowed to use a wire with PVC insulation, which, when heated, will instantly become unusable. In some cases, the insulation for the transformer winding is made independently.
To perform this procedure, you need to take a blank made of cotton fabric or fiberglass, cut it into strips about 2 cm wide, wrap the prepared wire with them and soak the bandage with any varnish that has electrical properties. In terms of thermal characteristics, such insulation will not be inferior to any factory analogue.
The coils are wound according to a certain principle. First, half of the primary winding is wound, followed by half of the secondary. Then proceed to the second coil using the same technique. To improve the quality of the insulating coating, fragments of strips made of cardboard, fiberglass or pressed paper are inserted between the layers of the windings.
Equipment setup
Next, you need to configure. It is produced by connecting the equipment to the network and taking voltage readings from the secondary winding. The voltage on it should be between 60 and 65 volts.
Exact adjustment of the parameters is carried out by decreasing or increasing the length of the winding. To obtain a quality result, the voltage value on the secondary winding should be adjusted to the specified parameters.
To the primary winding of the finished welding transformer, connect the VRP cable or the SHRPS wire, which will be used to connect to the network. One of the terminals of the secondary winding is fed to the terminal, to which "ground" will subsequently be connected, and the second is fed to the terminal connected to the cable. The last procedure is completed and the new welding machine is ready for use.
Small-sized unit production
For the manufacture of a small welding machine, an autotransformer from a Soviet-style TV is easily suitable. It can be easily used to generate a volt arc. To make everything work out correctly, graphite electrodes are connected between the terminals of the autotransformer. This uncomplicated design allows for a few simple welding jobs such as:
- Making or repairing thermocouples.
- Heating up to the maximum temperature of high-carbon steel products.
- Tool steel hardening.
A homemade welding machine based on an autotransformer has a significant drawback. It must be used with additional precautions. Having no galvanic isolation from the electrical network, it is a rather dangerous device.
The optimal parameters of an autotransformer suitable for creating a welding machine are considered to be an output voltage ranging from 40 to 50 volts and a low power from 200 to 300 watts. This device is capable of delivering from 10 to 12 amperes of operating current, which will be sufficient when welding wires, thermocouples and other elements.
Leads from a simple pencil can be used as electrodes for a DIY mini welding machine. Holders for improvised electrodes can be terminals that are on different electrical appliances.
For the production of welding, the holder is connected to one of the terminals of the secondary winding, and the part to be welded to the other. The handle for the holder is best made of fiberglass washer or other heat-resistant material. It should be noted that the arc of such a device acts for a rather short time, preventing the used autotransformer from overheating.
