Frequency Question

[nick1911]

Hi!

I have a general engineering question about the TIG welding process. I was wondering at what frequencies the AC output generally runs? It seems that 60Hz (what you'd see from the mains in the US) would really be too low and choppy for TIG, and at the same time anything over 70kHz would be getting too close to radio frequencies.

That said, 60Hz to 70kHz is a big range. What do TIG welders generally output?

*Note; I'm not interested in the HF circuit, which I understand can run up into the megahertz. I'm really interested in knowing about AC welding current.

Thank you!

[Zrexxer]

For sine wave and most squarewave machines, the welding output is 60 Hz. Advanced squarewave machines - inverters - can usually supply ~20-400 Hz current.

[nick1911]

Awesome, that's exactly what I'm looking for! Thank you for the information!

-Nick

[Zrexxer]

I guess I should credit my source, and perhaps thereby qualify my facts somewhat... that information came from the "TIG Handbook" published by Miller Electric.

[B_C]

I guess I should credit my source, and perhaps thereby qualify my facts somewhat... that information came from the "TIG Handbook" published by Miller Electric.


I see you have a 175 Lincoln.....Is that one of the Perfection machines?

[Zrexxer]

I see you have a 175 Lincoln.....Is that one of the Perfection machines?I don't know what a Perfection machine is; my Lincoln is a Pro-MIG 175 portable 230V MIG unit.

[obewan]

There are some power supplies that can be set to 1-2khz. The higher frequency, the stiffer the arc. I think the arc cone gets narrower too. I tried an experiment on some orbital tube welders and did not see much difference though. Maybe you need to really crank the frequency to change the arc cone shape.

[B_C]

I don't know what a Perfection machine is; my Lincoln is a Pro-MIG 175 portable 230V MIG unit.


Oh Ok the new non portable machine are called Perfection I think...