|
Understanding the Basics
 |
|
Lincoln
equipment for wire welding includes all
Rangers™ and all Commanders™.
Other Lincoln equipment can be upgraded
to provide this capability: Pipeliner®
200 G & D, all Classic™ models,
SA-250 and SAE-400.
|
Engine-driven
welders are generally used when electric power
is not available for arc welding. Usually these
are outdoor applications. However, engine-drive
welders are often used for indoor applications
when it is not convenient to supply power to electric
"plug-in" arc welders. These indoor
situations include everything from minor repair
jobs to major plant shutdowns. When operating
engine-driven welders indoors, vent the exhaust
outside if at all possible, or use in large spaces
with good ventilation.
The
basic considerations when choosing an engine-driven
welder are:
- Application
- Engine
Type
- Portability
- AC
Generator Power
 |
|
For
AC TIG welding the Lincoln Ranger™
8 and 9 have an AC weld output to which
an optional TIG Module can be attached.
Although the Ranger™ 305 G (shown)
& D, Commanders™ and Vantage™
products do not have an AC weld output,
a Square Wave™ TIG 175 Pro or an Invertec®
V205-T AC/DC inverter can be connected for
AC TIG welding.
|
Application
In
trying to select an engine drive, the first thing
to consider is the application. Ask yourself these
questions:
1.
Is this new construction or a repair job? Also,
what is the size of the project?
2.
Is there a particular welding process you would
like to use? You may want to stick with a process
with which you feel most comfortable, or there
may be a certain process required on the job.
3.
Is this a pipe welding project? The equipment
chosen needs to produce an arc suitable for this
type of work.
4.
Will the job require arc gouging? Arc gouging
is repair work usually done in industrial jobs.
5.
What type of material needs to be welded? Most
of the time the material will be a common mild
steel plate. However, if it's aluminum, the welding
will require different equipment.
Using
this information, match it to the welding processes
described below:
|
Process
Descriptions
Stick
Welding - CC (constant current) stick
welding is the most common choice for field
work. Electrode (welding rod) diameters
most commonly used are 3/32", 1/8"
and 5/32". The simplest equipment will
handle a wide variety of construction and
repair applications. Output is measured
in amps, and up to 200 amps is sufficient
for the electrode sizes mentioned. Most
equipment is DC (direct current) output
for best arc stability. A 200-amp machine
is usually able to get the job done.
Pipe
Welding - Pipe welding is most often
done with stick electrodes. Look for equipment
which specifies it will pipe weld, meaning
that suitable arc characteristics are specifically
provided for this process. Electrode diameters
are typically 5/32" and 3/16",
and 200 amps is sufficient for this process.
Arc
Gouging - Arc Gouging is a process for
removing metal. It is most commonly done
in the stick mode. An arc is used with a
carbon rod to melt metal and compressed
air blows the molten metal away. Gouging
is used to remove bad welds and to repair
cracks. Most operators use equipment with
400 to 600 amps for higher productivity
with 5/16" or 3/8" diameter carbon
rods. However, smaller rods can be used
with lower amperage. For example, a 5/32"
carbon rod can be used with 150 amps. Usually
a separate compressor supplies the air.
A few engine-driven welders are manufactured
with built-in compressors.
Wire
Welding - CV (constant voltage) wire
welding requires a wire feeder. Wire welding's
main benefit is greater productivity: more
weld metal can be deposited than for stick
during the same amount of time. Although
wire welding is much less common compared
to the above processes, the application
is growing. The engine-driven welder must
have a CV-wire capability. Since most engine-driven
welder work is outdoors, self-shielded flux-cored
wire (which requires no shielding gas) is
highly recommended to keep the process simple.
When welding under windy conditions, the
shielding gas associated with gas-shielded
processes (solid wire or gas-shielded flux-cored
wire) may be blown away, resulting in poor
quality welds. Output is measured in Volts
and Amps. Wire diameters are typically .035"
and .045", although 5/64" is often
used for higher productivity. A machine
with 30 volts and 300 amps is usually sufficient
for many applications up to 5/64" wire.
TIG
Welding - a slower, but more precise
type of welding well-suited for thin materials
and unusual alloys. A TIG torch and shielding
gas are required. If welding on aluminum,
an AC weld output is required from the engine-driven
welder and a high-frequency generator is
attached to start and sustain the arc. Or,
an AC TIG welder can often be powered from
the engine-driven welder's AC generator,
if at least 8,000 watts is available. Most
TIG welding is done below 100 amps.
Plasma
Cutting - a metal cutting process which
utilizes an arc and compressed air. The
engine-driven welder's AC generator can
often supply power to a plasma cutter. At
least 8,000 watts of power is recommended.
|
 |
|
The
Lincoln Vantage™ 500 and SAE 400 will
gouge up to 3/8" carbons with a separate
compressor. An SAE 400 Weld 'N Air has a
built-in compressor.
|
Engine
Type
After
the application has been defined and the welding
process has been selected, the next step is to
choose the engine. Diesel, gasoline or liquid
propane gas (LPG) are the choices. A diesel engine
offers better fuel economy than a gasoline engine,
and diesel fuel does not ignite as easily as gasoline.
Refineries almost always require diesel-fueled
machines rather than gasoline-fueled machines.
Another consideration for large jobs is whether
the fuel is being supplied at the job site. If
so, it is usually diesel, but whatever the fuel,
the cost savings will usually determine the engine
choice.
Gasoline
engines are sometimes preferred in cold weather
climates because they start more easily without
extra starting aids, such as ether start kits
and winterized fuel for colder weather.
LPG
is much less common, but becomes an important
alternative choice when diesel and gasoline exhaust
emissions are not permitted for indoor applications.
A
spark arrester may also be required in forest
and oil service areas.
Portability
 |
|
For
pipe welding Lincoln engine-driven welders
include the Ranger™ 250, 305 G &
D, Pipeliner® 200 G & D (shown),
all Classic™, Commander™ and Vantage™
machines, SA-250, and SAE-400.
|
Sometimes
the need for portability will be the main factor
in equipment selection. If an engine-driven welder
needs to be carried or lifted to a work area,
having a small gasoline stick welder will normally
be the best answer.
AC
Generator Power
AC
power is sometimes required on the jobsite for
grinding welds or for lights when working at night.
Normally, 3,000 watts of AC generator power is
plenty of power for these applications. Ground
Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) are recommended
and may be required. An AC TIG welder or plasma
cutter will require more power - typically 8,000
watts minimum.
Additional
Help
Product
literature published by welding equipment manufacturers
provides additional information that cannot be
covered here in detail. Company sales representatives
and the customer service departments are also
excellent sources of information for technical
questions on applications and products.
|
