Mig welding can be difficult as it contains several detailed steps to be performed correctly, including setting the wire speed. Want to know how to learn this technique? Jump right in because we will present the most detailed instruction on how to set wire speed on a MIG welder?
What Is The Definition Of Wire-speed On A Mig Welder?
Wire feed speed is one of the three setting elements used to control a welder. These three settings can be listed as:
- Voltage settings
- Wire Feed Speed settings
- Gas Flow Rate settings
These three settings are brought out to control the weld’s heat and to determine what transfer type we are going to use. Please look up MIG Welder Transfer Types to get familiarized yourself with Transfer Types first before you start welding.
MIG Transfer Method
In this article, we will only focus on the following setting: the wire fire speed. The wire feed speed represents modification in the volume and the speed when the wire is fed into the weld joint. The unit measurement for wire feed speed is IPM or Inches Per Minute.
The Wire Speed Adjustment In A Welder
Another purpose for adjusting the wire feed speed is to regulate the amperage. Voltage is one of the fixed setting elements in MIG welding only, which affects the value of amperage to accordingly change due to the wire speed and electrode’s noticeable change.
To make it simple, imagine that the faster the wire is fed into the joint, the better contact it produces, which automatically results in more heat due to the increase of amperage.
After you have set these three settings, they produce a transfer type specifically for welding. A decent transfer type will deliver adequate heat to enter the metal without consuming the joint appropriately.
These settings can be challenging to adjust since the correct transfer type must be achieved through numbers of trial and error in experimentation. Unless a welding engineer covers all the work for you beforehand, it’s time to do things on your own by investigating the MIG Welding Charts, Settings and Guides.
How To Set Wire Speed On A Mig Welder?
The value you set the wire speed to will determine the level of amperage and weld penetration occurred. Each welding situation requires different modifying options. That’s why it is vital to study how to set the wire speed on a MIG welder.
There are two charts from the manufacturer’s (Lincoln Welders and Miller Welding Equipment) representing the recommended value of voltage, wire feed speed and the amount of gas produced for each circumstance. Recall these are affirmative rules and each machine runs differently.
If you are unsure, you can test your settings on a bit of scrap metal that is near the thickness of the metal that you will weld. It ought to likewise be set in the position that you will fuse in.
Lincoln MIG Welding Electrode and Gas Selection Chart Settings
In a particular case, you can also use Mathematics to decide how to set the wire feed speed. Here is the formula you can use:
Wire-feed Speed = (deposition rate)/5 × (weight of wire per foot {lb/ft})
Our final word
And that’s our detailed instructions on how to set wire speed on a MIG welder. This process can be challenging. However, you can always seek help from a welding professional before performing any welding to ensure the best result afterwards, or you can nail it by yourself.
Thank you for reading our article and we hope to see your welding success in the future!