Power Mode - Lincoln Electric POWER MIG IM736-D Operator's Manual

B-12

POWER MODE™

The Power Mode™ process was developed by
Lincoln to maintain a stable and smooth arc at low
procedure settings which are needed to weld thin
metal without pop-outs or burning-through. For
Aluminum welding, it provides excellent control and
the ability to maintain constant arc length. This results
in improved welding performance in two primary types
of applications.
• Short Arc MIG at low procedure settings.
• Aluminum MIG welding.
Power Mode™ is a method of high speed regulation
of the output power whenever an arc is established. It
provides a fast response to changes in the arc. The
higher the Power Mode Setting, the longer the arc. If a
welding procedure is not established, the best way to
determine the Power Mode Setting is by experimenta-
tion until the desired output result is established.
In the Power Mode two variables need to be set:
• Wire Feed Speed
• Power Mode Trim
Setting up a Power Mode procedure is similar to set-
ting a CV MIG procedure. Select a shielding gas
appropriate for a short arc process.
• For steel, use 75/25 Ar/CO
• For Stainless, select a Helium blend Tri-Mix.
• For Aluminum, use 100% Ar.
Recommended Welding Procedures for Power Mode - Table B.4
MATERIAL
Aluminum 4043 Aluminum 5356
WIRE
E4043
WIRE SIZE
0.035
GAS
100% Ar.
22 ga.
20 ga.
18 ga.
16 ga.
14 ga.
400 / 2.0
12 ga.
10 ga.
500 / 7.0
3/16
570 / 9.0
1/4
700 / 9.1
Not
Recommended Recommended
COMMENTS
below 400
WFS
OPERATION
shield gas.
2
Mild Steel Mild Steel
E5356 L56 L56
0.035 0.025 0.025
100% Ar. 100% CO 75/25 Ar/CO
2
100 / 0.8
Not Recommended
120 / 1.0 120 / 1.0
140 / 1.7 140 / 1.5
190 / 2.0 190 / 2.0
400 / 2.5 260 / 3.0 260 / 3.0
330 / 5.0 330 / 4.5
500 / 7.0
600 / 7.8
700 / 8.5
Not
below 400
WFS
POWER MIG 300
Start by setting the wire feed speed based upon mate-
rial thickness and appropriate travel speed. Then
adjust the Volts/Trim knob as follows:
• For steel, listen for the traditional "frying egg"
sound of a good short-arc MIG procedure to know
you have the process set correctly.
• For aluminum, simply adjust the Volts/Trim knob
until the desired arc length is obtained.
Note the Volts/Trim display is simply a relative number
and DOES NOT correspond to voltage.
Some procedure recommendations appear in Table
B.4.
Mild Steel Mild Steel Mild Steel
L56 L56
0.030 0.030
100% CO 75/25 Ar/CO 100% CO
2 2 2
90 / 1.0
Not Recommended
100 / 0.7 100 /1.0
110 / 1.5 110 / 1.5 100 / 2.5
125 / 2.0 125 / 2.0 125 / 3.0
160 / 2.3 160 / 2.3 160 / 3.8
230 / 3.5 230 / 3.5 200 / 5.0
300 / 6.0 300 / 6.0 240 / 6.5
400 / 7.5 400 / 7.0
Mild Steel Stainless Steel Stainless Steel
L56 L56 E308L
0.035 0.035 0.030
75/25 Ar/CO Tri-mix
2 2
80 / 1.5
100 / 2.5 110 / 2.0
125 / 3.0 140 / 2.5
160 / 3.5 210 / 3.0
200 / 4.5 270 / 5.0
240 / 7.0 325 / 6.5
B-12
E308L
0.035
Tri-mix
50 / 0.5
110 / 2.0
130 / 2.7
190 / 3.5
230 / 6.0
300 / 7.0