Welding Polarity And Duty Cycle - MULTIQUIP GAW180HE Operation And Parts Manual

WELDING POLARITY
Polarity indicates the direction of the current flow in that
circuit. Since DC current moves in only one direction,
polarity is important because the flow of current must be
changed depending on the application.
By changing the polarity, the greatest amount of heat can be
concentrated where it is most needed. With straight polarity
(electrode negative) more heat is directed to the workplace.
When using reverse polarity (electrode positive), more of
the heat generated is directed to the electrode. Reference
Figure 4 below.
S
A L
I N
R M
T E
U T
T P
O U
N G
D I
E L
W
STRAIGHT
POLARITY
WELDER OUTPUT
S
A L
I N
R M
T E
U T
T P
O U
N G
D I
E L
W
REVERSE
POLARITY
Figure 4. Welding Polarities
PAGE 20 — GAW180HE/HEA WELDER-GENSET • OPERATION AND PARTS MANUAL — REV. #1 (10/01/19)

WELDING POLARITY AND DUTY CYCLE

WELDER OUTPUT
TERMINALS
ELECTRODE
CLAMP
WORK
TERMINALS
ELECTRODE
CLAMP
WORK
DUTY CYCLE
NOTICE
The American Welding Society sets all regulations
and procedures for the welding industry. All welders
are subject to the same regulations.
Duty cycle is based on a 10-minute welding period.
Exceeding the duty cycle will have an affect on the welding
process. The amperage will start dropping off and the
welding process will not have the proper amperage required
to proceed. If the duty cycle is exceeded, damage can
occur to the welding machine.
The 10-minute duty cycle period means 100% welding.
If the duty cycle is 60%, then you can only weld for six
minutes and the machine must cool down for four minutes
(Reference Table 5 below).
Table 5. 10-Minute Duty Cycle
Duty Welding
Cycle % ON Time (Min)
100 Continious
85 8.5
70 7
60 6
55 5.5
50 5
1
40 4
The GAW180HE/HEA welders have a 50% duty cycle @ 170 amps
1
Welding
Cool Down
Current
Time (Min.)
(Amps)
N/A 120 or Less
1.5 130
3 140
4 150
4.5 160
5 170
6 180
.