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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Esab vs Miller (locked)
- - By Blacksmith Date 01-10-2007 04:57
Hi, I just aquired an Esab 252 tig machine and an Airco Dip pak 250 with spool gun.  Both are in good shape.  I just do repair welding on cast iron and steel, mostly tig.  I want to know two things, the approximate value of the Dip Pak since i probably dont need it and two; how the Esab stacks up against an older Miller 250 tig (I think an econo tig).  The ads for the Esab talk about square wave technology, what does this do? and it also has "dig control" when would you use this?
Parent - By Blaster (***) Date 01-10-2007 05:17 Edited 01-10-2007 20:17
I don't think there is a TIG power source on the market that doesn't have a square wave output(?).  A square wave provides more time at peak current output by switching from DCEN to DCEP very rapidly as compared to a sine wave output.  Supposedly this aides arc stability and stiffeness, which makes sense, though honestly I can't say as I have never AC TIG welded with a sine wave output that I can recall, and therefore can't give a personal comparison.

Dig control increases the magnitude of current rise as the arc length shortens.  Basicly you get a soft arc with a buttery puddle with the dig set low - this gives excellent control for vertical welds, especially on thin material or small pipe.  Particularly nice for cover passes.  Sticking the rod may be more a problem if the welder isn't pretty steady.

Increasing Dig makes the puddle hotter (higher amperage) and more fluid when at shorter arc lengths.  This can be good for gaining reliable penetration and/or fusion.  However the additional molten metal produced by the extra amperage rise can make the puddle more dificult to control when vertical - convexity, undercutting, and burn through may be more of a problem on delicate work.
Parent - By flatwins (*) Date 01-10-2007 16:58
I'm not familiar with the specific ESAB machines nor the older Miller machines but the Econotig and the Hobart Tigmate (same machine) are not squarewave AC power units. Squarewave just provides much better control (more efficient use of the frequency wave) when welding aluminum.
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Esab vs Miller (locked)

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