Argon arc TIG welding (or simply TIG welding) is very popular among professional welders. It is widely used not only in large industries, but also in small workshops, for example, car services. It's all about the versatility of this technology: you can easily weld both a thin, aesthetic seam and completely melt thick joints of parts. You are also not afraid of welding copper, or. But it's not that simple. This technology has a number of nuances that need to be taken into account before welding.

In this article we will explain in detail what argon arc tig welding is, what advantages and disadvantages this technology has, how to properly weld tig welding and what equipment is needed for the work.

What is automatic TIG welding or manual TIG welding? Let's start with the acronym itself. TIG stands for “tungsten –Inertgasschweißen” (adaptive translation of “tungsten-protective inert gas”). This acronym contains the whole essence this method welding: a tungsten electrode and protective shields are used in the work.

The tungsten electrode is a key component of TIG welding. It has unique properties: it melts at a relatively low temperature (about 3500 degrees Celsius), so it can be used without problems with all types and. In this case, the “melting” is nominal. The electrode itself is considered non-consumable, which means that it must be sharpened periodically to keep the arc stable and easier to draw. The rod itself is fixed in the burner, and there is no need to worry about the length of the electrode, since the unused length is in a special cap.

At the end of the torch there is a nozzle in which the electrode is held, and protective gas is supplied around the torch using a special button. In most cases, gas is used as protection. If argon is not used, oxygen will enter the weld pool and the quality will be unsatisfactory. The connection will be porous and fragile, and the formation of cracks is possible. Gas prevents all these problems.

Needs to be lit. It will melt the pre-cut edges. If it is possible to arrange the parts as possible closer friend to a friend, then that's good. The seam will be very reliable and airtight. If there is work with gaps or it is necessary to weld an extremely strong seam that can withstand significant mechanical loads, then welders use filler wire.

As a filler material, you need to use a wire made of the same metal that needs to be welded. Using this technology, you can easily do this, which beginners usually have a lot of problems with. At high temperatures, an oxide film forms on the surface of aluminum, which prevents the formation of a high-quality seam. In the worst cases, the film simply prevents you from creating a weld pool and making a seam. Tig welding can solve this problem because the shielding gas prevents a film from forming on the metal surface.

Application

TIG welding with blowing has become widespread also because the arc temperature is quite high. Thanks to this feature, the welder can connect both carbon steel and. At the same time, the quality of the seam will be at a decent level. You can work with aluminum and its alloys, titanium and other metals. The seams obtained when tig welding stainless steel are especially aesthetically pleasing. The seam is immediately clean; there is no need to clean it from splashes.

All these advantages of TIG welding allow this technology to find application in the factories of large automobile concerns, in the food business, in the chemical and oil refining industries, and in many private car service stations and stations. maintenance cars.

Advantages

In addition to all the advantages listed above, there are a number of advantages that cannot be ignored. All of them are connected, of course, with the use of tungsten rods and inert gases. So, the pros:

• Despite the high temperature, there is minimal metal deformation during welding due to the narrow heating zone.
• Argon gas is heavier than oxygen, so air is easily displaced from the welding zone.
• The work is carried out quickly, it is not difficult to learn, even a master without high qualifications can do welding.
• it turns out very neat and even, no mechanical processing of the seam is required.
• You can weld many metals, including problematic ones (like aluminum).
• Significantly less negative influence on ecology.

Flaws

Argon welding is good for everyone, but our article is objective, so we’ll also talk about the disadvantages:

• Welding outdoors in windy weather is difficult because gas is literally blown out of the welding zone (the problem can be solved by installing windproof shields, but gas consumption will increase significantly).
• Unlike other types of welding, tig welding requires careful preparation. The edges must be cleaned, there should be no traces of oil or dirt, the surfaces must be degreased. If you ignore this stage, the seam will turn out porous and of poor quality.
• The burner is designed in such a way that working in a hard-to-reach place can become a real problem. Experts suggest increasing the extension of the rod or cutting the electrode, but all this leads to overheating or other troubles.
• If you use the “TIG lift” function in your machine and ignite the arc outside the welding zone, marks may form on the surface of the metal that must then be cleaned. But this is rather a disadvantage associated with the inexperience of the welder.

How to cook with TIG welding

Remember the most important thing: 50% of success is the correct TIG mode. The extent to which your efforts in selecting an electrode will be justified depends on this. But we will talk about these features later. First, let's talk about metal preparation.

Clean the edges from dirt, paint, oil and corrosion (if any). Even if you think the edges don't need cleaning, don't skip this step. Then you need to select the current strength. How well the metal melts will depend on this. Below is a table with recommendations for setting the current strength.

Then you need to set the polarity. If you work on direct current, then use straight polarity. If you have to tig weld with alternating current, then reverse the polarity.

You also need to sharpen the electrode well. The end of the electrode should be polished. If you need to weld thin metal, then special electrodes are selected, which are then sharpened to a sharp point. If you are welding thick metal, you can change the sharpening angle.

To ignite an arc, you can run an electrode over the metal surface (strike method, similar to matches), you can turn on the TIG lift function, which simplifies ignition of the arc, or use the non-contact ignition method. We recommend using the third method, but it is only available when working with professional, expensive devices.

Now let’s talk a little about the equipment that you will definitely need if you decide to engage in this type of welding professionally. To get started, purchase or find out if your workplace has a machine that has different TIG welding modes, a ground cable, a gas cylinder and a reducer. This is very important.

It would also be a good idea to find out what kind of burner is used in your machine. There are two types: the first is used when working with (up to 3 millimeters), the second, respectively, for all other metals. The torch for thin metals has low power, so it is more convenient to work with, and it cools down quickly. But the second type of burner needs an additional cooling system. For example, a water cooling system, when a tube is built into the burner to supply cold water and alcohol so that the water does not freeze when the cooling system is not used for a long time.

Instead of a conclusion

Tig welding - technologically advanced and modern way welding, opening up new possibilities even for experienced craftsman. Argon welding using a tungsten electrode or filler wire can weld different types of metals, from thin to thick. You have access to fast and high-quality welding of copper, aluminum, cast iron and titanium. You no longer need to spend a lot of time trying to solve all the problems associated with the characteristics of each metal.

TIG welding is the choice of professionals in their field. This technology is in demand in many areas of human activity and craftsmen with knowledge of this technology are constantly needed. By applying our recommendations in your work, you will be able to start welding and successfully complete it. But don’t stop there, study as much theory as possible and then apply it in practice. We wish you good luck in your work!

Of all the manual welding methods available today, argon gas, or TIG, welding is considered the most versatile. Welding in an inert gas environment allows you to achieve a high-quality weld due to the complete isolation of the weld pool from atmospheric oxygen, which makes it possible to weld metals such as magnesium and titanium alloys and aluminum, although they are considered highly active.

Operating principle of argon welding

The operating principle of TIG welding is to heat the welding site with an electric arc created by a refractory tungsten electrode.

Due to the strong heating of argon burners during operation, they use a water cooling system. The electric arc melts not only the joints of the parts being welded, but also the filler wire fed into the welding zone. Wire feeding can be done either mechanically or manually. The welding site is protected from atmospheric oxygen by inert gases, and in most cases argon is used, and therefore this type welding is called argon arc welding, and the inverters used for its implementation are called TIG welding machines.

Features of argon arc welding

TIG welding combines the advantages of other types of welding: continuity and cleanliness of the seam, characteristic of semi-automatic welding machines, the ability to work with deep penetration at high currents, for which manual arc welding is used using piece consumable electrodes. Since the arc is formed without the participation of metal supplied to the weld pool, it is much easier to control the quality of the seam: a seam made with a TIG welding machine cannot be confused with any other.

Welding in an inert environment is performed on any metal; only the filler material and current characteristics differ.

TIG inverter design

TIG welding consists of a torch and a welding power source.

Ignition of the arc and its maintenance with the specified parameters is ensured by the welding current source. A TIG welding machine can be used for welding a wide range of materials, but at the same time requires various adjustments, and therefore combined models of semiconductor inverters with a combined output are used today:

• TIG DC mode is designed for welding copper alloys and stainless steels;
• TIG AC mode - for welding magnesium and aluminum;
• Pulse mode with intermittent current is used for welding parts of small thickness.

The design of such devices is very close to devices for manual arc welding, which leads to the appearance of combined MIG TIG MMA welding machines, in which the type of welding is changed after replacing the welding torch with a holder.

Types of welding

In industrial and domestic conditions, electric arc welding machines are widely used, which differ in the type of technology used in the work and the type of welding.

MMA welding

The simplest and most common method of welding parts made of cast iron, stainless steel and regular steel is manual arc welding using coated electrodes. The principle of operation of such welding is to ignite an electric arc between the edges of the parts and the electrode, which melts the metal being welded. In this case, the electrode material is used as an additive, which allows the formation of a seam. Its coating guarantees stable arc burning and forms a slag protective coating, which is easily removed after the surfaces have cooled.

TIG welding

Argon-arc welding, used when working with steel and non-ferrous metals - nickel alloys, aluminum and copper. The advantage of this type of welding is the absence of slag and a high-quality seam, the disadvantage is the slow speed of work. When working with aluminum and its alloys, there are no alternative welding methods. TIG welding machines use tungsten non-consumable electrodes with automatic or manual supply of filler material in the form of wire.

MIG welding

The wire is used as a filler and electrode at the same time in semi-automatic MIG welding. With this type of welding, you can adjust various parameters in a wide range: wire feed speed, type of gas mixture, operating current and others. Mainly used in body work, forming perfect seams.

SAW welding

Compared to open arc machines, SAW welding, or submerged arc welding, has greater productivity. The process is fully automated, produces a high-quality seam and economically consumes filler wire. The arc burns under a thick layer of powder - flux - thanks to which the welder can work without special protection

Cutting CUT

Air-flame cutting is one of the types of welding used when working with products of small thickness. Inverters for such cutting are compact in size, making this method considered one of the most common in industry and everyday life.

Types of welding inverters

The availability of TIG welding machines is due to dumping by Chinese manufacturers and cheaper power electronics, which is why welding equipment stores offer a wide range of inverters.

Aurora PRO INTER

MMA+TIG welding machine produced by the Russian-Chinese company Aurora. Can use both piece electrodes with protective coating and non-consumable electrodes. Welding light alloys requires the use of an external oscillator since the inverter only has DC current. The welding machine can work in rooms with weak electrical wiring thanks to its low power of 4.5 kW. At the same time, the current adjustment range is from 10 to 200 A, which allows you to work with thin-walled and massive parts. The open circuit voltage is quite high - 60V. The high-frequency ignition circuit of the device makes working with it easier, since sticking of the electrode is almost completely absent. Due to its low price and good characteristics, TIG 200 is an excellent option for learning argon welding.

"Svarog" TIG 160

The TIG AC/DC welding machine "Svarog" is distinguished by its small size and relatively low maximum current of 160 A, but at the same time it has the ability to carry a long load (according to the attached passport - duty cycle 60%) and multifunctionality. The efficiency of the power output stage is 85%, which allows reducing power consumption to 2.7 kW. Welding modes with alternating and direct current are easily switched; in the TIG AC mode, polarity balance adjustment is available, and the time of final and preliminary gas supply is adjustable. For convenience, you can connect a foot pedal. For such functions and characteristics, its price of 44,500 rubles is very reasonable.

PV - maximum burning time of the electric arc in comparison with total time inverter operation. In the case of this device, a duty cycle value of 60% means that for every six minutes of continuous operation it is necessary to take a break of at least 4 minutes.

"Svarog" TECH TIG

Wide-functional TIG 200 AC/DC welding machine with three operating modes (AC, DC and Pulse), a maximum current of 200A and a large number of settings. The device settings are adjusted by 9 knobs, which professional welders will appreciate. This inverter is very popular in repair shops and auto repair shops.

Argon welding at home

When preparing a workplace for argon welding, several rules must be taken into account:

1. Despite the fact that the harmfulness of argon welding is several times less than manual arc welding, it is necessary to use protection: you will need a welding mask, leggings, and overalls. Modern "Chameleon" protective masks are very convenient to use, but they have their drawback - a smaller viewing angle due to the located photocell. The room should have good ventilation, ideally forced exhaust.
2. No flammable substances or materials should be located in the immediate vicinity of the workplace. A carbon dioxide fire extinguisher must be available. It is better not to use powder analogues. Despite their effectiveness, the powder formed during their use is very difficult to remove, and therefore can damage the welding machine.
3. The ventilation openings of the inverter should not be blocked by foreign objects.

Depending on the material and thickness of the parts, the welding current and thickness of the electrodes used are selected. In the case of aluminum alloys, for example, the welding current should be 180-250 A with an electrode diameter of 4-5 mm. This mode will allow you to work with parts with a thickness of 3 mm. Thinner elements are welded in Pulse mode. Compared to working with an argon-helium mixture, the current when working in pure argon is set to 10-20% higher.

To make it easier to control the welding process, the electrode is held at a small angle to the direction of movement, while the additive is supplied strictly perpendicular to the electrode. You can get a strong and beautiful seam if the rod is fed in a fixed position.

Gas pre-supply time is one of the important parameters for setting up a TIG inverter. The maximum time - up to 2 seconds - is set when working with aluminum, titanium and This is done so that the inert gas completely covers the ignition site, otherwise the metal may flare up upon contact with oxygen, forming a cavity. The chemical activity of the metal being welded also affects the delay in turning off the gas: after the arc is turned off, the torch is held above the welding site for a set time to protect the created seam.

Argon welding is one of the most popular welding processes. Affordable prices for TIG MIG welding machines allow you to purchase such devices for personal use. The high demand for argon welding, the performance and efficiency of inverters will quickly pay for all the costs of purchasing such a device.

Argon arc welding (TIG) is most often used where appearance weld or where the metals being welded are thin and precise control of arc parameters is necessary. Argon arc welding allows you to weld aluminum, copper and other non-ferrous metals. Choosing a argon arc welding machine is quite simple if you know what criteria to adhere to.

TIG welding using a tungsten electrode in an argon environment is a very precise welding method that produces a clean, neat weld without metal spatter and without smoke. Argon arc welding is popular among car enthusiasts, restorers, home craftsmen, and is used by metal sculptors.

The TIG method is used to weld thin stainless steel parts, chrome-molybdenum pipes, aluminum and copper parts. These materials require very precise control of the arc, since if it overheats, the part will deform or burn through. TIG welding machines, which produce a stable arc at low amperage, are best suited to solve such problems.

How to choose argon arc welding machines

When choosing a argon arc welding machine, you should be guided by the following criteria:

Current range

When choosing a TIG welding machine, the amperage range should be given special attention. The wider the range of operating current, the better. A machine with a narrow range will significantly limit your ability to weld different materials. A welding machine with a range from 5 to 230 amperes will allow you to weld stainless steel with a thickness of 0.6 millimeters and aluminum with a thickness of 6.3 millimeters.

Welding aluminum parts requires more current than welding stainless steel. A welder with a 200-amp operating range will limit your ability to weld aluminum sheets between 3.2 and 4.8 millimeters thick. Thus, the wider the operating current range of the welding machine, the more different problems it can solve.

Lowest operating current

When choosing a argon arc welding machine, you should also pay attention to the stability of the arc at a current strength of less than 10 amperes. This determines the ease of arc formation and good arc control. Tungsten welding is often used to weld thin sheets of metal. In this case, it is better if the arc is formed without using high frequencies or a hot start.

Some welding machines are equipped with a function for facilitating arc formation - hot start. With a hot start, a higher current is applied to the electrode for a few milliseconds to start the arc. A hot start risks burning a hole if you are cooking thin sheets. In addition, a hot start does not guarantee a stable arc during the welding process and does not allow the welder to accurately control the arc.

The stability of the welding arc is important not only for the formation of the arc, but also for the quality of the welding process as a whole. For example, when repairing a propeller for a boat motor, you need to weld the corner joint. At the same time, it is very important not to burn a hole in the material and it will be extremely inconvenient to work if the arc keeps jumping off.

The stability of the welding arc is also important when completing a weld. In TIG welding, during the completion phase of the weld, the amperage is usually reduced to fill the cavity at the end of the weld.

When welding aluminum, a large cavity at the end of the weld can cause cracks to form in the material as the part cools. Good control of the welding arc with a gradual decrease in the operating current prevents the formation of a large depression at the end of the weld and promotes a smoother cooling of the weld pool (area of ​​molten metal). Some TIG welding machines are equipped with electronics that provide a stable start of the welding arc at low operating current and a smooth reduction in current at the end of the weld, both with alternating and direct current.

AC and DC welding current

If you plan to weld not only steel and stainless steel, the welding machine must be able to weld with both alternating and direct current. Alternating current is used when welding self-oxidizing metals such as aluminum and magnesium alloys. Direct current welds steel, stainless steel and copper.

When welding with alternating current, the current constantly changes from positive to negative. When aluminum is welded, the surface of the metal is cleaned of oxides by a positive current, and melting is carried out by a negative current.

When choosing a TIG welding machine, pay attention to the ability to adjust the balance of positive and negative operating current. This will allow you to change the welding time with a current of a certain polarity. In other words, this will allow you to control the oxide cleaning time and melting time. Not all devices on the consumer market allow you to control this parameter.

Ease of use

Argon arc welding requires a fairly highly qualified welder. A good welding machine is easy to use and has intuitive controls. A wear-resistant, metal pedal for controlling the working current greatly facilitates the welding process and allows you to accurately increase or decrease labor current as needed. The amperage control pedal is a must-have accessory for aluminum welding. Welding cold aluminum requires more amps. However, aluminum heats up quite quickly during the welding process.

A foot pedal allows the current to be reduced as the aluminum heats up. This makes it possible to maintain a good electrode conduction speed and allows you to obtain a high-quality weld with a constant profile. The pedal allows you to smoothly reduce the current at the end of the weld, which ensures correct filling cavities at the end of welding. There are also manual operating current regulators on the market. However, using them is as convenient as using a car without a gas pedal.

What else to pay attention to

TIG welding machines are equipped with fans for cooling. At the same time, the fan can run continuously or be turned on by a temperature sensor when the electronics heat up. A constantly running fan draws in dust and dirt, which shortens the life of the welding machine. In turn, the fan, which turns on when heating, changes the temperature internal environment the appliance from hot to cold, which also puts stress on the electronic components. Ideally, the fan should only cool the boards when absolutely necessary.

Some welders turn on the fan when a welding arc is formed and the fan runs for several minutes after welding is completed. This reduces the amount of dust sucked in as the fan turns on when needed. At the same time, such a system does not greatly change the temperature inside the device.

Replacement burner

Sometimes, during the process of welding with a tungsten electrode, it becomes necessary to change the torch to a lighter or longer one for welding in hard-to-reach places. Some welding machines are equipped with a non-replaceable torch. If the burner of such a device becomes unusable, you must contact a service center to replace it.

Dear novice welders, this article is written for you. We have studied all the frequently asked questions about TIG and MIG welding and made a short article in which we answer these questions. Perhaps this will help you when working with equipment.

For TIG welding you will need:

• Tig welding machine.
• Gas cylinder (Argon or Helium)
• Gearbox.
• Filler rod.

What is the first thing you should pay attention to?

• Most TIG machines weld metals using DC current. If you need to weld aluminum, you need to purchase a machine that welds metals using alternating current AC. A DC machine will never weld aluminum! Only AC current can be used to weld aluminum.
• TIG welding can weld: steel, aluminum, copper, titanium and two dissimilar metals. This process is ideal for welding hard-to-reach seams, S-shape seams, and corners. Welding with a TIG machine will allow you to make very thin and high-quality seams, especially where it is important that the seam is not noticeable. Since you yourself control the entire welding process using a welding torch, you will be able to make cosmetic seams, automotive seams, and weld thin metals.
• Gas. In 99% of cases you will need Argon. Helium is used very rarely, for example, the American Welding Association recommends using Helium for welding copper, but Helium is very expensive and that’s why everyone uses Argon. Gas is needed to prevent air from entering the weld pool, which will destroy the connection. Argon is an inert gas, it is harmless to breathe and non-explosive.
• . As a rule, it is sold in tubes. When you bring the torch to the metal and current flows through the tungsten electrode to the products that you will weld, you will need to insert a filler rod. The current will melt the metal and the filler rod, which in turn will form welding seam. As the torch advances, the seam will cool and weld the product firmly.
• Gearbox. You will need a special one that attaches to the gas cylinder.
• – before you choose a tungsten electrode, you need to understand what metal you will be welding; in principle, there is a universal option WC 20 (gray). If you weld aluminum, then the tip of the electrode needs to be sharpened in the shape of a ball, and if you weld steel products, you need to sharpen it in the shape of a sharp tip. You can sharpen the electrode on any grinding machine.

Buyers' choice. TIG machines for aluminum welding (alternating current AC).

Buyers' choice. TIG machines for steel welding (direct current DC).

MIG welding in semi-automatic mode.

In our opinion, one of the most practical types of welding is semi-automatic welding in an active gas environment.

For the correct operation of a semi-automatic welding machine, you will need carbon dioxide (CO2) or a mixture of inert gases, for example Argon + CO2, a reducer corresponding to the gas, as well as welding wire (solid or flux-cored. During the welding process, welding wire and shielding gas are supplied from the torch nozzle. Task gas - to create a protective shell, pushing air out of the weld pool, thereby protecting the weld from oxygen and nitrogen. A mixture of argon and carbon dioxide helps to increase the stability of the arc, and also improves the formation of a seam when welding thin sheet metal.

To select the diameter of the welding wire, we have provided a universal table below.

At a gas flow rate of 20 l/min. carbon dioxide turns into dry ice. To prevent the reducer from freezing, we advise you to purchase heated gas flow regulators. As a rule, the heating is connected to a 36V socket, which is equipped with most semi-automatic welding machines.

When choosing an apparatus, pay attention to the maximum wire diameter you can use. As a rule, all “household” devices have a maximum diameter of 1.0 mm. The device settings are adjusted to this thickness of the welding wire and correct operation of the device is possible only if this diameter is observed. Industrial machines can weld with thicker wire. If you take the device to the garage or to the country, you will only need a device that produces up to 140A. Many manufacturers make such devices with a maximum current of up to 180 Amps.

Usually inverter equipment is purchased, but some people like to work with transformer equipment. For example, a semi-automatic machine is very often purchased in our online store. The company's inverter machine can weld aluminum.

The TIG welding machine is designed to perform manual arc welding using a non-consumable electrode in a protective environment of inert gases. Since tungsten rods are used as a non-consumable electrode for welding, the most common designation for welding machines in the English segment is TIG (Tungsten Insert Gas), in German the abbreviation WIG is used, which corresponds to the name Wolfram Inert Gas and has the same technical meaning.

Much less often, for this class of equipment the general name Gas Tungsten Arc or abbreviated GTA can be used, which means that the welding machine can additionally provide manual or automatic supply of filler material during operation.

In any case, TIG technology is one of the varieties of argon-arc welding and is designated in our technical literature as ADS.

TIG technique is technological development argon-arc welding and the basic principles of operation are very similar, only more advanced and universal, covering the ability to thermally join all existing metals and their alloys.

The main difference between simple ADS and TIG methods lies in the welding technology and the design of the welding torch. Thus, for TIG welding machines, the design of the torch provides a fixed tungsten electrode with the possibility of a small adjustment range, which is associated with its burning out from the high-temperature arc during the welding process.

Tig welding equipment may also differ in its ability to use alternating electric current (AC) for joining ferrous metals, aluminum and its various alloys, or direct current (DC) for welding parts made of alloy and stainless steels, as well as various non-ferrous metals. It is considered more a norm than an advantage that TIG welding machines have two operating modes, AC and DC.

Any tig welder consists of several main blocks:

• rectifier, in the form of a powerful diode bridge;
• high-frequency powerful transistor inverter, which is used to convert direct current into alternating current;
• high-frequency power transformer;
• electronic control unit for the ability to adjust the strength and frequency of the welding current.

Additional functionality

Depending on the functional richness of these blocks, tig welding machines can have a number of very useful additional functions such as:

• squarewave technology, which reduces AC arc instability to improve weld quality;
• HF technology for non-contact ignition of the arc, since in the absence of an HF oscillator, the arc is ignited by contact, which reduces the initial quality of the weld;
• Lift-Arc technology, which allows, when an electrode touches a part, to gradually increase the arc current until a working value is obtained.

Today, the market offers universal welding machines that, when changing accessories and setting the appropriate modes, can work:

• using TIG technology with a fixed tungsten electrode;
• using conventional GTA technology with automatic feed of filler wire;
• using simple MMA technology with piece coated electrodes.

Device selection criteria

When choosing a machine for tig welding, you need to decide where and for what it will mainly be used and used, therefore, first of all, you should pay attention to the main functionality:

• type of electricity source for voltage of 200 or 380 V;
• availability of welding modes with alternating AC and direct DC current;
• the ability to change the polarity of the welding current from direct to reverse;
• the presence of a PULS pulse mode for welding stainless steel with high viscosity;
• ability to work long time at currents of 180 A and higher for welding metal with a thickness of over 6 mm;
• equipped with a water-cooled torch and the presence of a stationary water cooling device for it;
• the presence of a digital display for visual control of operating modes;
• possibility of two- or four-stroke operating mode;
• possibility of use on automated or robotic production lines;
• ability to work in various TIG, GTA and MMA welding modes.

If you have decided on the main criteria when choosing a welding machine, then the presence in the description of additional functions will be significant advantages and have a positive effect on the quality and productivity of work, namely the presence of:

• HF oscillator unit or non-contact arc ignition function, which allows you to break through the arc gap with a high-frequency pulse of electric current without touching the surface to be welded;
• POST GAS functions for adjusting the blowing delay after the arc is turned off;
• DOWN SLOP functions for a smooth reduction in arc shutdown, which allows you to reduce the crater at the end of the weld;
• BALANCE functions or changing the polarity balance for automatic adjustment of the basic sinusoidal characteristics when welding with alternating current.

The TIG welding machine is complex technological equipment and is intended to be operated only by specially trained experienced welders.

Brief overview of TIG welding models

The leader in the market of compact TIG welders is the German-Belgian company TIGER®. Versatile and efficient, the TIGER 170 DC is unmatched in terms of weight to performance capabilities. This machine can weld both thin-walled steel sheet with a thickness of only 0.2 mm, and sheet material up to 6 mm inclusive, while it has a set of additional functions for adjusting the arc ignition currents, which allows you to weld thin-sheet material without burns. Despite its small size and weight of only 5.4 kg, it is equipped with microprocessor control and memory for saving set welding modes for 99 cells. Setting parameters and operating modes is carried out using a simple and accessible interface, consisting of separate control knobs and a digital display. The advantages of this model include the presence of additional functions: Intelligent Ignition Energy, high-frequency Lift-Arc ignition and the ability to weld using conventional MMA technology with simple electrodes up to 4 mm in diameter.

TIGER 210 AC/DC

The TIGER 210 AC/DC model belongs to the more advanced and high-performance models. It is not only capable of welding in two welding modes with alternating AC and direct DC current almost all types of metals and their alloys, but can also work on automated or robotic production lines. Weighing 8.4 kg, this welding machine has all the advantages of the younger model, as well as the Electronic Stabilized Arc function, thanks to which it is capable of compensating voltage drops for the MMA operating mode with a total length of welding cables of 100 meters and with electrodes up to 5 mm.

HAMER TIG-200DC

Apparatus HAMER TIG-200DC is also designed to work in two main modes, including MMA welding with simple electrodes. It is an ideal option for working with ferrous metals and stainless steel and is adapted for use in garages, private houses, villages and dacha cooperatives, i.e. where fluctuations in the mains voltage are possible. This model is designed to operate at constant welding currents from 10 to 200 A from a mains voltage of 230 V and weighs 9 kg. Its main advantage is its relatively low price with all the necessary tig welding functions.

ELAND TORS-200

The Chinese-made ELAND TORS-200 TIG welding machine has all the same basic characteristics as the previously mentioned models. It has a weight of 9 kg and operating currents of 10-200 amperes, but differs for the better in a set of additional functions, such as easy arc ignition, arc extinction delay, electrode anti-sticking, high-frequency and pulse TIG operating modes. And also distinctive feature This model is almost fully equipped with additional accessories and consumable spare parts for working with both TIG and MMA welding technology, while having a small increase in cost.

In any case, the choice is yours, and if you have your own experience with TIG welding, then share it in the comments section.