November 8, 2011

Are you purchasing your welder

Are you purchasing your welder:







A Pragmatic, Informatory Guide for Do-It-Yourselfers




Millermatic 180







You could be the originative type. Or, possibly, you have the handy knack and just looking to tinker around … building and fixing stuff. Perhaps, you have your sights on opening a repair shop. Classic car enthusiast, fabricator, farmer or rancher - there are many occupations - you jsut like to be able to repair something instead of tossing it out.




This article is about the Millermatic 180.




Regardless from your interests, needs, or ambition, you’re a do-it-yourselfer concerned in purchasing your first welder.




Whether you already have former welding experience, or, you’re a welding beginner, you are likely here because you need some help getting started.




Getting Started




Unluckily, there is no single welding process suited for all applications, so let’s begin on an overview of the first processes and highlight the capabilities and advantages of each. This will help us better match a process to your specific needs.




If you have former welding experience, feel free to cut ahead. If you are somewhat of a novice, this section will provide you with a better understanding of the types of welders available, how each performs and degree of welding skill needed to operate each.




MIG Welding




MIG welders utilize a wire welding electrode on a spool that is fed mechanically at a same pre-selected speed. The arc, created by an electrical current within the base metal and the wire, melts the wire and joins it together with the base, producing a high-power weld with big appearance and little need for cleanup. MIG welding is neat, easy and can be used on either thin or thicker plate metals.




MIG are very easy to learn and can create very clean welds on steel, aluminum and untarnished. Both types have the capability to weld materials as thin as 26-gauge.




• Easiest process to discover




• High welding speeds potential




• Best control on thinner metals




• Cleaner welds potential with no slag to clean




Millermatic 180




MIG welding process is ideal for general maintenance and patch up, farm and ranch applications, home repair, and auto body. Key features only to the Millermatic 180 include:




•Auto-Set - A breakthrough control that perfunctorily sets your welder to the desirable parameters. Auto-Set offers all-in-one MIG minus the guesswork. Only set the wire diameter and material thickness and you’re prepared to start welding.




•Standard Built-In Solid-State Contactor Circuit — Makes wire electrically "cold" until trigger is pulled. This makes the unit safer and torch easier to position before beginning to weld.




•Thermal Overload Protection — Shuts down the unit and activates over-temperature lightly if airflow is blocked or duty cycle is exceeded. Automatically resets when fault is corrected and unit cools.