TigWelderControlFeatures

SlopeUp/DownSlopeUpiswheretheTigWelderstartstheweldingarcata
verylowcurrent,thensmoothlybringstheweldingpoweruptothelevelsetby
theoperator.SomeTigWeldershaveapresetSlopeUptimethatcannotbe
adjusted,somehavemanualcontrolthatallowdifferentSlopeUptimestobe
set.Slopedownworksinthesamewaybutattheendoftheweld.Whenthe
torchtriggerisreleased,theTigWelderwillfadethepowerdown,insteadof
stoppingitsuddenly.StoppingaTigWelderarcsuddenlycancausethecentre
oftheweldtosink(knownas"Cratering"),sometimeseventotheextentthata
pinholeappears.FadingtheTigWeldersarcallowstheweldpooltosolidify
moreslowlytoavoidCratering.

Pre/PostWeldingGasFlowAsthenamesuggests,PreWeldingGasFlowis
wheretheTigWelderturnsonthegasbeforethearc.Thisensuresagood
weldinggasshield.PostweldingGasFlowiswheretheTigWelderkeepsthe
weldinggasflowingafterthearchasextinguished.Thisisimportantasit
preventsthehottungstenTigweldingelectrodefromoxidisingasitcools.

PulseWeldingATigWelderwithPulsecontrolallowstheoperatortoweldvery
thinmaterialwithalittlemorecontrol.TheprincipleisthattheTigWelderemits
aburstofhigherpowertoachievepenetration,followedbyaburstoflower
powertopreventblowthrough.Pulseweldingcanalsobeusedtoachieve
penetrationonthickermaterialwhilstatthesametime,limitingweldsize.Pulse
weldingisarelativelynewadditiontotheTigWelderandmostprofessional
operatorsstillchoosenottouseit.

ACFrequencyControlAnAC/DCTigWeldermayhaveACFrequency
Control.ThefrequencyisthespeedatwhichthepolarityoftheTigWelding
TorchswitchesfrompositivetonegativeandismeasuredinHz(Switchesper
second).ATigWelderwithfixedfrequencyusuallyswitchesataround70
100Hz.ATigWelderwithvariablefrequencycontrolwilltypicallyhavearange
ofaround50250Hz.Theeffectthefrequencyhasisto"focus"theTigWelding
arc,inthesamewayyouwouldfocusatorchbeam.Thehigherthefrequency,
themorefocusedtheweldingarc.Higherfrequencywouldnormallybeusedto
gaingreaterpenetrationonthickaluminium,repairingacrackinacastingfor
example,whilelowerfrequencywouldbeusedonthinnersheetaluminium
wheretheheatoftheweldingarcneedstobespreadmoretoavoidblow
through.

TungstenTigElectrodes

TwokeytypesofTungstenTigWeldingElectrodeareavailable,Thoriated(red
tip)forDCTigWeldingapplicationsandZirconiated(whitetip)forACTig
Weldingapplications.WhenaTigWelderisinACweldingmode,thewelding
arcwillcausethetungstento"ball"attheend.Thediameterofthisballshould
notexceedthediameterofthetungstenifitdoesalargertungstenshouldbe
used.WhenaTigWelderisinDCweldingmode,thetungstenshouldbe
groundtoapoint.Thispointshouldbeassharpaspossiblewiththegrinding
linesrunningfromthepoint,downthelength,NEVERaroundthepoint.