Glossary of Welding Terms

Since many of our customers are looking at MIGs, TIGs or Plasmas for the first time, the terms we use to talk about specifications may sound foreign. We've included this list to help you understand exactly what you're looking at and considering buying.

Duty Cycle- The amount of time a machine can be used at a particular output. Expressed as a percentage of a ten minute cycle, a 150 amp machine with a 30% duty cycle will allow 3 minutes of use for every ten and a 60% duty cycle would allow 6 minutes of use for every ten. The duty cycle increases as the power setting decreases so if the 150 amp machine were to be used on a 30 amp setting the duty cycle might be 100% allowing it to be used 10 minutes out of every ten.

Keep in mind, however, that the actual total time a machine can be used continuously is not determined by a timer, but typically by a thermostat within the machine which will shut it off if the machine is too hot and needs to cool down before it does more work. Therefore, even a 30% machine can be used more than ten minutes at a stretch.

Inert gas - Used to shield the electric arc from outside contaminants and gases which may react with the weld. An inert chemical is one with a full outer shell of electrons which do not normally react with other substances. Inert gases include argon and helium. Some other non-inert gases are used for welding such as CO2.

Input Voltage- the nominal number of volts required to power the equipment. 115V is what's known as regular household current. 220V is what would normally be found in home garage, say to power a dryer.

Infrared-The portion of the light spectrum beyond visible red. It produces a penetrating heating effect.

KVA - Kilo Volt Amps. One (1.0) KVA equals 1,000 watts. This measurement is typically used to describe generators and the amount of power they supply.

MIG - Metal Inert Gas welding. Also referred as GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding). The "Metal" refers to the wire which is what is used to start the arc. It is shielded by inert gas and the feeding wire also acts as the filler rod. A semi-automatic process, it is fairly easy to learn and use.

Plasma - The fourth state of matter following solid, liquid, and gas. Plasma is an ionized (electrified) form of gas. In plasma cutting, a gas such as Nitrogen is sent under pressure through the torch where it begins to swirl and is forced out a small orifice at which point it passes through an electric arc and the gas is ionized. The electricity "excites" the electrons of the gas atoms.

Single Phase vs. Three Phase- 220V comes in different ways. Single phase is the type of input voltage that you'll typically find like what's used to run that dryer. It comes in a cord with three wires. One is used for ground, the other two carry 110V each. A three phase cord has four wires, one for ground, and the other three alternate carrying the two 110V legs.

TIG - Tungsten Inert Gas welding. Also called GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) and Heliarc® which was Linde's trade name for the TIG process when it was introduced many years ago. The arc is started with a tungsten electrode shielded by inert gas and filler rod is fed into the weld puddle separately. A slower process than MIG, it produces a more precise weld and can be used at lower amperages for thinner metal and can be used on exotic metals. TIG does require quite a bit more time than MIG to learn. It is similar in technique to gas welding.

Ultraviolet- The portion of the light spectrum beyond the visible blue and violet. Excess UV exposure has been linked to cataracts.

Watt - A watt is determined by voltage times amperage. A 110 volt circuit that supplies 20 amps of power supplies 2,200 watts (110V x 20A=2,200) 1,000 watts can also be expressed as KVA (see above).

Daytona MIG Inc.

933 Beville Rd Bldg 102J

South Daytona FL 32119

800-331-9353 386-767-6675

Prices Subject to Change - Terms and Conditions