It is no secret that many studied welding on their own. There are really a large number of such people, and many of them can use the practical skills acquired at home with high efficiency. Nevertheless, sometimes it is better to first gain theoretical knowledge before getting down to business. Let's talk about what welding is for beginners, how it is characterized, and why it is best for beginners to use an inverter.
Briefly about welding inverters
Inverter - electronic welding machine. Fairly accurate, economical and easy to use. The main load during operation falls on the welding network. The advantages of the inverter, especially for beginners, are that they have storage capacitors. They are necessary to set a certain amount of electric charge, which ensures uninterrupted operation. Many probably noticed that when working with old welding machines, the voltage in the network starts to jump sharply. Under such conditions, any household appliance may burn out. So, with inverter welding there is no such drawback. In addition, a smooth arc start is ensured, which is necessary to ensure the quality of the seam.
Bit of theory
When connecting metal parts, a huge number of processes occur. Most of them are hidden from human eyes, while others are explicit. So, the welding process itself can be divided into several simple stages. At the first, an arc forms, which indicates the closure of the electrode and metal. At the second stage, high temperature is created (up to 7 thousand degrees), which allows melt any metal. As a result of melting of the electrode and the edges of metal products, a connection occurs - a weld is obtained . This ends the process. An important role is played by the electrode. It consists of an alloy on the surface of which a powder composition is applied. The powder is used to maintain uniform arc burning, and the electrode itself is needed to form a weld pool without oxygen.
Inverter welding for beginners: step by step instructions
Before starting work, you will need minimal ammunition. So, it is not recommended to perform work without a special protective helmet and coarse gloves. Well, in addition to this, it is desirable to have an old jacket made of coarse cotton (for example, denim) fabric, which will not burn from a spark.
Next, you need to adjust the welding current and select the electrode correctly. For inverter welding, products with a diameter of 2-5 mm are suitable. The welding current is set based on the thickness of the workpiece and material. To avoid sticking, the electrode is gently brought to the surface to be treated. After that, you can connect the ground terminal to the part.
The welding process begins with ignition of the arc. The electrode with respect to the surface is brought at a slight angle. To activate it, you need to touch the surface to be welded several times. In the process, the electrode must be kept at a distance of its diameter from the surface. In principle, inverter welding for beginners is quite simple. Now let's move on.
Clearance control
Of great importance during welding is the arc gap. This gap is the distance between the electrode and the metal that is formed during welding. If the distance is insufficient, then the seam will be convex, since the metal at the junction will not have time to warm up. If the gap is too large, this will lead to an unstable arc, which, in turn, is fraught with poor quality of the seam. In particular, the connection is obtained in a curve.
For good penetration and high-quality seam, it is necessary to choose the optimal clearance. You can safely say that learning to maintain a constant correct distance is the most difficult skill. But if you learn to do this, soon arc welding for beginners will turn into welding for professionals. Do not forget that in the process the electrode gradually melts, therefore, if you do not move it, the gap will increase. Watch this more closely, and everything will be in order.
The formation of the right seam
I would like to note that welding by a semiautomatic device for beginners implies not only compliance with the necessary clearance. There are several more important requirements that it is desirable to comply with:
- speed and trajectory of the electrode;
- current strength;
- the angle of the electrode.
The welding technique changes when working with various materials. That is why in some cases the electrode is driven quickly, in others, on the contrary, slowly. In this case, the thickness of the metal being joined affects the current strength. The thicker the product, the more current must be supplied to the electrode. And the thickness of the seam and the weldability depend on the angle of the electrode. All this must be taken into account during the performance of work. In principle, manual welding for beginners of simple parts is within the power of everyone. Experience will come only if you constantly practice and train, creating increasingly complex seams.
About welding polarity
It must be understood that there is a direct and reverse polarity. If we are dealing with the first, then the heat input to the metal product increases. Consequently, a narrow but rather deep melting zone is formed. This technology is used in the precise processing of sufficiently thick sheets.
If you want to create a high-quality seam on a thin sheet, then reverse polarity is used. It is characterized by the fact that there is a reduced heat input to the product, therefore, the seam is wide, but not too deep. Currently both technologies are actively applied. It is quite possible that a novice welder at the beginning of the path does not make sense to deal with polarity, but after performing some connections, this knowledge will come in handy.
Manual Beginner Arc Welding : Thin Sheet Work
As noted a little above, it is necessary to work with thin metal products with reverse polarity. This is due to the fact that they are quite easy to burn, which will ruin the workpiece. Reverse polarity is mounted directly on the inverter. In this case, the current strength also decreases to normal. The electrodes in this case are connected with a "plus" to the inverter, and a "minus", respectively, to the metal sheet. This will allow you to get high quality seams and not burn the sheet. However, if you are a beginner, you must choose a workplace so that the seam is visible to you. In this case, you can control the process. Over time, you will perform work on the machine, but this will come only with great experience.
Conclusion
So we talked with you about what is and how the inverter welding for beginners is performed. Resanta, for example, is welding equipment of good quality. Moreover, it is ideal for beginners. This is due to its exceptional ease of use. There are models in the line that are more suitable for amateur welding, and there are expensive professional inverters. The latter option is unlikely to suit a beginner. Such equipment is more commonly used in industry.
Of course, if you are going to work as a welder, then you will need an inverter for professionals. Of course, it costs a lot, but it allows you to perform welding work with a wide variety of materials. Do not forget about personal protective equipment. You can not look without special glasses or masks on the arc. Firstly, eyes are very tired of this, and secondly, it negatively affects vision. That is why the mask must be used necessarily. In principle, this is all that can be said about inverter welding for beginners. There is nothing complicated, but it is necessary to strictly observe the technology, and then the seam will be durable and high-quality.