Welding with a conventional tig inverter: learning how to work with modern tig technology – Setafi

Many novice welders, and especially self-taught welders, have heard about tig technology. This is a rather complex process that is difficult to understand. In this article, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the basic principles of tig technology and find out how tig welding works with a conventional inverter.

Tig welding with a conventional inverter: safety

We will not explain in detail what the welding process is, because if you are interested in tig welding, then you perfectly understand what it is. However, we recall once again that any welding process is unsafe, so you need to follow simple safety measures, namely:

1. have leggings made of durable material available;
2. must have a mask to protect the eyes;
3. It is recommended to have special working refractory overalls and footwear.

It is sad that many people neglect their own safety during home welding, and then suffer because of it.

In addition to your own safety, you should not forget about the safety of the environment and comply with fire and electrical safety requirements for work and premises.

Tig welding with a conventional inverter: equipment and materials

Welding using tig technology combines two types of welding: electric arc and gas. Therefore, one of the key elements of tig welding is gas. Usually, inert gases are chosen for tig welding - argon or helium. Most often, “pure” argon or a mixture of argon and helium is used. "Pure" helium is used extremely rarely. Therefore, the first thing to take care of is the presence of a gas cylinder and related elements:

• reducer for gas regulation;
• rotameter for determining gas flow;
• manometer to determine the gas pressure in the cylinder.

As a device for tig welding, an inverter is excellent, which is equipped with a tig function and an oscillator. Not every inverter is equipped with this function, so not every inverter is suitable.

Even if the inverter is suitable for tig welding, it may not be suitable for welding a particular metal. For example, for welding aluminum or magnesium, you need a powerful professional inverter with the functions of switching to alternating current, arc stabilization, accelerated ignition, etc. For welding stainless steel or low alloy steel, any inverter will do.

Another important element of tig welding on an inverter is a gas burner. If you plan to perform simple short-term welding work, then a simple torch without an additional cooling system will do. Such burners can operate at low currents of 50-150 A. For professional welding work, you will need a professional torch with an additional water cooling system. Professional burners can work with a current of 200-600 amperes.

To get a reliable and high-quality seam, you need to take care of the presence of non-meltingtheirs electrodes. Most often these are tungsten electrodes with alloying elements. Tungsten electrodes come in a variety of uses, so you need to make sure they are suitable for your job before purchasing them. Experienced welders specially sharpen these electrodes to get a beautiful high-quality seam.

The seam itself during tig welding is created using filler materials, because the material to be welded is not always enough. The filler material is a special welding wire, which must necessarily be close in composition to the metal being welded.

Be sure to include an oscillator among the devices for tig welding on the inverter. An oscillator is a small electrical high-voltage generator that is needed to create an electric arc at the beginning of welding. Usually, if the inverter is designed for tig welding, then it has a built-in oscillator, if there is no oscillator, then it can be independently integrated into the welding machine. You can even assemble it yourself if you have the appropriate skills. A homemade oscillator circuit is easy to find on the net.

TIG welding with a conventional inverter: preparation for welding

At this stage, you need to correctly connect all the necessary equipment to each other. Namely:

1. fix the reducer and rotameter on the gas cylinder;
2. connect the hose to the reducer on the cylinder and to the inverter;
3. connect the hose and burner wires to the inverter;
4. connect ground cable.

All cables, hoses and torches must be original. Usually at buying a tig welding inverter, you will be fully equipped.

Conclusion

When tig welding, the current strength that your machine is capable of delivering is very important. It is she who is the parameter that determines the quality of welding. The current forms an electric arc that releases heat to weld the metal. The gas in this case serves as a protective medium, which allows you to perform fine welding work without the risk of burning the parts to be welded.

Tig welding with a conventional inverter is not cheap, because it will be expensive to equip a conventional inverter with all the necessary equipment. Therefore, it is important to collect such welding if there is a large amount of welding work. For example, you want to open a car body repair shop. Conventionally, if you just want to weld a hole in the pan of your beloved wife at home, then it’s easier to buy a new pan than to complete a full-fledged tig welding.

The huge advantage of tig welding with a conventional inverter is that with the help of tig technology, you can weld any metal, not just iron, as when welding with a conventional inverter. For example, if you need to weld stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum parts, etc. - with tig welding, this can be done.