Chicago Electric MIG 180 Owner's Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. Chicago Electric Manuals
  4. Welding System
  5. MIG 180
  6. Owner's manual

Chicago Electric MIG 180 Owner's Manual

Feed welder
Hide thumbs Also See for MIG 180:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

See also: Installation Manual
Owner's Manual & Safety Instructions
Save This Manual
operating, inspection, maintenance and cleaning procedures. Write the product's serial number in the
back of the manual near the assembly diagram (or month and year of purchase if product has no number).
Keep this manual and the receipt in a safe and dry place for future reference.
Email our technical support at: productsupport@harborfreight.com
Email our technical support at: productsupport@harborfreight.com
REV 14f
When unpacking, make sure that the product is intact
and undamaged. If any parts are missing or broken,
please call 1-888-866-5797 as soon as possible.
©
Copyright
2014 by Harbor Freight Tools
No portion of this manual or any artwork contained herein may be reproduced in
any shape or form without the express written consent of Harbor Freight Tools.
Diagrams within this manual may not be drawn proportionally. Due to continuing
improvements, actual product may differ slightly from the product described herein.
Tools required for assembly and service may not be included.
Keep this manual for the safety warnings and precautions, assembly,
Visit our website at: http://www.harborfreight.com
Visit our website at: http://www.harborfreight.com
®
. All rights reserved.
Read this material before using this product.
Failure to do so can result in serious injury.
SAVE THIS MANUAL.

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the MIG 180 and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Related Manuals for Chicago Electric MIG 180

Summary of Contents for Chicago Electric MIG 180

  • Page 1 Owner’s Manual & Safety Instructions Save This Manual Keep this manual for the safety warnings and precautions, assembly, operating, inspection, maintenance and cleaning procedures. Write the product’s serial number in the back of the manual near the assembly diagram (or month and year of purchase if product has no number). Keep this manual and the receipt in a safe and dry place for future reference.

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Safety ............2 Welding Tips ..........23 Specifications ..........7 Maintenance ..........27 Setup ............8 Parts List and Diagrams ......30 Basic Welding ..........15 Warranty ............ 32 WARNING SYMBOLS AND DEFINITIONS This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to alert you to potential personal injury hazards.
  • Page 3 Fume and Gas Safety INHALATION HAZARD: Welding and Plasma Cutting Produce toxic fumes. 1. Exposure to welding or cutting exhaust 3. Keep head out of fumes. fumes can increase the risk of developing Do not breathe exhaust fumes. certain cancers, such as cancer of the 4.

  • Page 4: Electrical Safety

    Electrical Safety ELECTRIC SHOCK can KILL. 1. Turn off, disconnect power, and 6. Do not expose welders to rain or wet conditions. discharge electrode to ground before setting Water entering a welder will increase down torch/electrode holder and before service. the risk of electric shock.

  • Page 5: Maintenance

    Welder Use and Care 1. Do not use the welder if the switch does not turn 4. Store idle welders out of the reach of it on and off. Any welder that cannot be controlled children and do not allow persons unfamiliar with the welder or these instructions to with the switch is dangerous and must be repaired.

  • Page 6: Extension Cords

    Grounding TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK AND DEATH FROM INCORRECT GROUNDING WIRE CONNECTION: Check with a qualified electrician if you are in doubt as to whether the outlet is properly grounded. Do not use the welder if the power cord or plug is damaged. If damaged, have it repaired by a service facility before use.

  • Page 7: Specifications

    Symbology Wire Feed (Speed) Volts Alternating Current Amperes Workpiece Ground Cable Open Circuit Voltage Torch Cable Kilovolt Amperes (Volts / 1000 * Amperes) Overheat Shutdown Indicator Inches Per Minute Cooling Fan American Wire Gauge Housing Ground Point Specifications Power Input 240VAC / 60Hz / 24A DCEN/DCEP Welding Output...

  • Page 8: Setup

    Setup Read the ENTIRE IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION section at the beginning of this manual including all text under subheadings therein before set up or use of this product. TO PREVENT SERIOUS INJURY FROM ACCIDENTAL OPERATION: Turn the Power Switch off and unplug the welder before assembly. Note: Remove the protective foam and cardboard from the welder before setup.

  • Page 9: Wire Spool Installation

    Wire Spool Installation 1. Turn the Welder OFF and unplug it before proceeding. MIG 180 WIRE FEED WELDER ITEM 62181 WIRE FEED SPEED 240VAC 2. Pull up on the door latch, Door then open the Door. door latch 3. Remove the Spool Knob, Spool Spring, and upper Spool Knob Spool Plate.
  • Page 10 Flux Core (Gasless) Polarity Setup 6a. Flux Core (Gasless) Wire Setup: Remove the two Knobs securing the cables. DCEN Connect the Black Ground Cable to the rear, red, Knobs positive Terminal using the Knob. – Connect the Red Torch Cable to the front, black, –...
  • Page 11 Feed Feed Swing Tensioner 7. Turn the Feed Tensioner knob counterclockwise to loosen it enough to pull it down to remove tension. (Do not loosen the Tensioner knob too much, or the Tensioner will come apart.) Then, swing the Feed Swing Arm up. Feed 8.
  • Page 12 IMPORTANT: Securely hold onto the end of the welding wire and keep tension on it during the following steps. If this is not done, the welding wire will unravel and create a tangled “bird’s nest”, wasting wire. 9. Cut off all bent and crimped wire. The cut end must have no burrs or sharp edges;...
  • Page 13 2. Do not touch internal welder components while it is plugged in. 15. Do not touch the Torch’s Trigger. Plug the Power Cord into its electrical outlet and turn the welder ON. MIG 180 WIRE FEED WELDER ITEM 62181 WIRE FEED SPEED 240VAC 16.
  • Page 14 If the wire bends from the feed pressure, increase tension then the tension is set properly. until wire bends. 18. TURN THE WELDER OFF. MIG 180 WIRE FEED WELDER ITEM 62181 WIRE FEED SPEED 240VAC 19. Select a Contact Tip that is compatible with the welding wire used.

  • Page 15: Basic Welding

    Make practice welds on pieces of scrap to practice technique before welding anything of value. TO PREVENT SERIOUS INJURY, FIRE AND BURNS: Keep welding tip clear of grounded objects whenever unit is plugged in. MIG 180 WIRE FEED WELDER ITEM 62181 WIRE FEED SPEED Practice your welding 240VAC...

  • Page 16: Control Panel Layout

    Control Panel Layout Overload Indicator Torch Cable Current Dial Power Switch MIG 180 WIRE FEED WELDER ITEM 62181 Wire Speed Dial WIRE FEED SPEED 240VAC Ground Power Cable Cord Overload Indicator: Wire Speed Dial: This lights up if duty cycle work period is exceeded, This controls the speed that the welding wire resulting in overheating the welder.
  • Page 17 Power Switch on, so (or other heat-proof, non-conductive that the internal Fan will help cool the welder. When the MIG 180 WIRE FEED WELDER surface) welder can be used again, use shorter welding periods ITEM 62181 and longer rest periods to prevent needless wear.
  • Page 18 Note: The charts below are only intended to show general guidelines for different wire sizes and for different thicknesses of material. The settings should only be used at the beginning of a weld and must be adjusted after stopping and carefully inspecting the weld. Proper welding takes experience. Flux Weld Settings Metal Thickness DCEN...

  • Page 19: Setting Up The Weld

    Chamfer thick workpieces. Workpiece 3. Clamp Ground Cable to bare metal on the workpiece near the weld area, or to metal work Clean MIG 180 bench where the workpiece is clamped. WIRE FEED WELDER surface to ITEM 62181 Ground bare metal.
  • Page 20 6. Flip the Power Switch to the OFF position, then plug the Welder into a dedicated, 240 VAC receptacle that matches the plug. The circuit must be equipped with delayed action type circuit breaker or fuses. MIG 180 WIRE FEED WELDER ITEM 62181 WIRE FEED SPEED 240VAC...

  • Page 21: Basic Welding Technique

    Basic Welding Technique 1. Press (and hold) Trigger and contact area to be welded with electrode wire to ignite arc. 2. For a narrow weld, you can usually draw the wire in a steady straight line, stringer bead weave bead this is called a stringer bead.
  • Page 22 (or other heat-proof, non-conductive MIG 180 surface) WIRE FEED WELDER ITEM 62181 WIRE FEED SPEED After practice welding for a few...

  • Page 23: Welding Tips

    Welding Tips A typical flux-core wire (FCAW) weld A good way to test welding technique is to before cleaning. examine a weld’s appearance after it has weld bead cooled and the slag has been removed. slag spatter Then, better welding can be learned by adjusting your weld technique to remedy any problems found.
  • Page 24 TO CORRECT: TO CORRECT: TO CORRECT: TO CORRECT: Check Polarity maintain less weld weld than ″ MIG 180 MIG 180 WIRE FEED WELDER WIRE FEED WELDER slower faster stickout MIG 180 MIG 180 ITEM 62181 ITEM 62181 WIRE FEED WELDER...
  • Page 25 Weld Problems Penetration (Workpiece Heat Control) EXCESS PENETRATION OR PROPER PENETRATION INADEQUATE PENETRATION BURN-THROUGH Weld is visible underneath and Weld does not contact the joint Weld droops on top and bulges slightly on top. fully, just on the surface. underneath, or falls through entirely, making a hole.
  • Page 26 Porosity Excessive Spatter Small cavities or holes in the bead. Fine spatter is normal. Spatter that is grainy and large is a problem. VIEW VIEW POSSIBLE CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS POSSIBLE CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS 1. Incorrect polarity: Check that polarity is set correctly 1.

  • Page 27: Maintenance

    Maintenance TO PREVENT SERIOUS INJURY, FIRE AND BURNS: Unplug the welder, rest the Torch on a heat-proof, electrically non-conductive surface, and allow all parts of the Welder to cool thoroughly before service. 1. Periodically remove the Side Panel, and using Torch compressed air, blow out all dust from the interior.

  • Page 28: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting IMPORTANT! Be CERTAIN to shut off the Welder, disconnect it from power, and discharge the Torch to ground before adjusting, cleaning, or repairing the unit. Problem Possible Causes Likely Solutions 1. Insufficient wire feed pressure. 1. Increase wire feed pressure properly - follow step 17 on page 14.

  • Page 29: Please Read The Following Carefully

    Troubleshooting (cont’d) IMPORTANT! Be CERTAIN to shut off the Welder, disconnect it from power, and discharge the Torch to ground before adjusting, cleaning, or repairing the unit. Problem Possible Causes Likely Solutions 1. Tripped thermal protection device. 1. Stop welding and wait about 8-10 minutes with the Power Switch ON for the welder to cool.

  • Page 30: Parts List And Diagrams

    Parts List and Diagrams Wiring Diagram Input: AC 240V 60Hz Output 14D151K Overheat Indicator K1-B 104/630V G5Q-14 DC 12V 0.5A K2-A K1-A HKE CMP8-S-DC12V-C 22uF/50V AC230V/AC12V 7F GH 4069UBF 3.15A 4069UBF MIG1 US3M 3.3V 4069UBF 100K 1N4148 4069UBF 4069UBF 4069UBF 150R 470K 120K...

  • Page 31: Assembly Diagram

    Assembly Diagram Item 62181 For technical questions, please call 1-888-866-5797. Page 31...

  • Page 32: Warranty

    Limited 90 Day Warranty Harbor Freight Tools Co. makes every effort to assure that its products meet high quality and durability standards, and warrants to the original purchaser that this product is free from defects in materials and workmanship for the period of 90 days from the date of purchase.

Table of Contents

Save PDF