Syncrowave TIG Machines

[YFZ]

Well, I’m trying to decide between a few TIG machines

Syncrowave 200
Syncrowave 250DX
Syncrowave 350LX

My requirements are:

3/8” Alum
3/8” Steel

Is a cooler necessary?
Will the material need to be preheated, or will the TIG torch do the job with 3/8"?
How does the Lift-Arc function work, or should I go with HF start?
I intend on plugging this into my dryer outlet (230V, 3prong)

Thanks for your help...

[Firey]

Ok what size is it 3/8"xWxL that will make a difference on what machine you will need. stay away from the 200 go with the 250 or 350 you will most likely still need to preheat depending on the size.cuzz other wise you will not get your penetration.The torch Can be Aircooled but it'll get exstremely hot I'd go with the watercooler.you will need HF for the alum as for the power well I'm not the best person to answer that question.I hope this will help "Good luck"

[YFZ]

size of biggest plate is around 3/8" X 4" x 18"

[orphan68]

You also need to see what amperage rating the receptacle has. Better safe than sorry. If the rating is low (30) why not look into an inverter. They require less energy to run and they are light enough to move around without any problems. Just some food for thought.

[halbritt]

The rule of thumb for aluminum is one amp per thousandth of an inch of thickness. With that in mind, you'll need 375 amps to do 3/8" aluminum in one pass. You would absolutely need a water-cooled torch at that level of current. You'd have a hard time getting that much current out of any single-phase welder. Given that, you'll get more current out of an inverter rather than a transformer power supply.

You'll want to bear in mind that even though the Syncrowave 250 and 350 will run off of single-phase. They both draw around 100A at full output on a 240VAC circuit.

[YFZ]

thanks!

I will look into an inverter, a circuit that can handle the input current for it, and get a water cooled gun and HF start.

[Tailshaft56]

Any of the machines you are looking at wil have the HF.

[elderthewelder]

I have the Miller Syncrowave 350LX machine at work. There is no way I would attempt 3/8 aluminum with it. But than agian I am spoiled and also have the Miller Syncrowave 500:cool2: , so I would weld it up with that machine.

[smithboy]

I've done around 1/4 inch (with a bit of preheat) on a dialarc 250 maxed out, single pass...but, more amps would have been a heck of a lot better and much easier. Keep in mind, that my machine is a sinewave machine with no adjustment on the wave form, so I may have been pushing the machine well beyond its limits doing 1/4 AL. (BTW, A 50 amp breaker wouldnt hold my dialarc at full amps in AC...So, that WILL be a problem for your dryer outlet)

Wave form adjustability allows you to weld a little thicker because you can adjust the heat in the puddle. 3/8ths doesnt sound thick, but in aluminum welding it IS thick. The inverter machines push the current closer to DC than any of the transformer machines, allowing them to put more heat into the workpiece/puddle in AC mode than a transformer can. This is another reason to consider the inverter machine...they are supposed to be able to weld the same aluminum thickness at lower AC amps than a transformer machine (if I understand their claims correctly). So, an inverter would reduce breaker size necessary and increase the thickness capabilities simultaneously. By how much??? To answer that, you would have to look at each machine in your price range to find that out. They differ somewhat in their efficiency and adjustability.

On another note, some folks here have some experience welding aluminum in DC and they say it gets the job done on thick stuff, but it's more labor intensive in the cleaning, hot, deep, and fast, so maybe that's an option also. I dont have any experience with this DC method, but I am trying to find a project to give me the excuse to try it.

[Casarez]

Just asking

[CarterKraft]

Not professional, but a fabricator none the less.

[TxRedneck]

how important is it to be a chasis builder?? If you know how to build you know how to build, right?

[riley mcmillan]

Well, I’m trying to decide between a few TIG machines

Syncrowave 200
Syncrowave 250DX
Syncrowave 350LX

My requirements are:

3/8” Alum
3/8” Steel

Is a cooler necessary?
Will the material need to be preheated, or will the TIG torch do the job with 3/8"?
How does the Lift-Arc function work, or should I go with HF start?
I intend on plugging this into my dryer outlet (230V, 3prong)

Thanks for your help...


For welding the .375 aluminum , power is everything. On ac just set the machine to the negative side of the wave. You will get less cleaning action but will concentrate more heat into the material. If you want to weld it really fast, set your machine on dc negative electrode and us helium. It is harder to get your arc started but you will get an instant puddle. It just leaves a little soot which cleans off easily.

welding the steel is no problem with any of the machines you listed. I am a real fan of miller welders.

You really really need a water cooled torch!

[mattc]

one thing that was just touched on was the helium, it will give you a lot better penitration on you weld (or so I have been told, I have not actually tryed tig yet)

[welderburn2000]

ive heard the same that if used helium will let u weld thicker metal

[riley mcmillan]

argon does not work well at all on dc negative electrode when welding aluminum. It is not really understood why helium works and argon doesn't with this setting. The main reason you get the hotter arc is because on negative electrode seventy per cent of the heat is concentrated in the work and thirty percent in the electrode and the helium is the medium for the successful weld. There may be a better understanding since I learned this several years ago.

[Roy Hodges]

The REASON Helium, is the Medium that WORKS is because Helium is ONLY 10 per cent as dense as argon, or C02. Helium allows the heat intensity to get to the work, Argon impedes it . very thin alum,use argon. thick alum.use helium or even a mix of maybe 90% helium, 10% argon ( for cleaning ) the main thing is ,you got to find a procedure THAT WORKS FOR YOU ! you CAN mix your own gasses out of separate bottles , i do . From each flow meter , bring them to a "Y" , each having a check valve in it ,,before they go into the "Y" fitting . Mine works .

[Roy Hodges]

Food for thought . dc reverse polarity COULD weld VERY thin aluminum, but only very thin, because dc reverse wants to blowup the tungsten . you would have to use very large tungsten , and very low amperage to get away with it . it could weld very cleanly . But only on very few projects .

[riley mcmillan]

The only time I tig with dc positive electrode is when I used my gas powered hobart on the light gauge aluminum. When I'm welding with my 330 miller I only use it to get a ball on the end of my tungsten and then weld on ac high frequency.

I have welded with helium on ac high frequency but I couldn't really tell much difference from using argon. I have also experimented with the y setup you mentioned.

Several years ago I asked several people why the helium works so well on dc straight and argon doesn't. The answer I got was it wasn't completely understood. You can readily make a puddle with the argon on dc positive but the bead is a real mess. So even with more heat transfer there is another property involved, I believe.

[riley mcmillan]

The only time I tig with dc positive electrode is when I used my gas powered hobart on the light gauge aluminum. When I'm welding with my 330 miller I only use it to get a ball on the end of my tungsten and then weld on ac high frequency.

I have welded with helium on ac high frequency but I couldn't really tell much difference from using argon. I have also experimented with the y setup you mentioned.

Several years ago I asked several people why the helium works so well on dc straight and argon doesn't. The answer I got was it wasn't completely understood. You can readily make a puddle with the argon on dc positive but the bead is a real mess. So even with more heat transfer there is another property involved, I believe.

I made a mistake on the last part of my above answer. I should have said that you can readily get a puddle on dc neg with argon but is a real mess. The positive setting will quickly melt your tungsten. I stand by the rest.

[FLINTLOCK]

Have Welded .37 Alum With Miller Syc 250 With75/25 Argon/helium Mix. Balance Setting On 10, Gas Flow Set 20-25 Cfh. Used Weldcraft Wc20 Torch With .125 Pure Tungsten. Zirconiated Would Probobly Be Better Choice On The Tungsten. Have Used #8 Cup And #8 Gas Lens. I Liked The Gas Lens Better. This Was Done On Alum Casting, Not 6061

[MAC702]

Try to remember to take it off Caps-Lock. Sometimes the forum software won't convert it to Title Case like it did this time. Thanks.

What was the casting alloy?

[alan levin]

I have a Miller 350Hf. On the front it says, V200/230/460 Amps97/76/38 KW 12.4. What size breaker do I need? I will be using 220V.

[halbritt]

A big one. Seriously, the manual which you can download should have a recommendation for the breaker size on single-phase 240VAC.

This whole thread now strikes me as odd given that I was welding some .250 aluminum the other day with my spoolgun and having a hard time with burnthrough because I had too much heat dialed in.

[Ries]

Your welder says you need a 100amp breaker at 220.
I have a 100 amp breaker on my syncrowave 250, and have never tripped it, but if you do thick aluminum, you need that big breaker.
Aluminum sucks up the amps.

[alan levin]

I plan on 100amp. I`m sure it will be VERY rare that I will do thick alum. I have this for home use, hobby. Mostly tiging up to 3/16 in. Bigger will mostly be stick. The same with alum. 3/16in. I also have a water cooler hook up. Thanks for the reply. Al