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Wire Feeder Selection Dave Fink CWA Ottawa Chapter Feb 27, 2008

Background n n n 1967 -1970 Lincoln Electric 1970 -1972 Canron Structural Steel 1972 -1997 Hobart Brothers of Canada Ltd 1997 -2006 Panasonic Factory Solutions Oct 2006 retired

Generic n n I do not represent any manufacturer My presentation should apply to any & all manufacturers I have spent almost 40 years in the welding industry and still play around at it in retirement Tonight’s presentation will cover some of the things I learned about feeders over the years

TYPE “A” One driven one idler 20 deg Idler Driven Idler generally a smooth roller, driven has a 20 degree included angle

Type “B” two driven Two driven rolls included angle 60 to 90 degrees

Type “C” two driven two idlers idler driven Two driven, two idlers included angle 20 - 60 degrees

Type “D” four driven Included angle 60 to 90 degrees

Fish Scale n n n for less than $10 you can buy a fish scale with a range of 0 -50 lbs A scale is an excellent tool for diagnosing wire feed problems Don’t be without one

Power Scale How much pull can you develop without the motor stalling or the wire slipping in the drive rolls

Samples n n n 4 roll – 2 driven two idlers with tack feed back, high end industrial feeder, with 20 degree included angle , . 035 mig wire pull recorded 46 lbs ( 21 kg) 2 roll – 1 driven one idler, no tack feedback , light industrial feeder ( Gunslinger) 20 degree included angle, . 035 mig wire- pull recorded 22 lbs (10 kg)

Load n n Back off the drive rolls Use fish scale to pull wire through torch Load should be under 10 lbs A good spread should exist between the power of the feeder and the Load being applied to have a trouble free system

Factors affecting load n n n Gun length Liner size Liner condition Tip condition Spool tension Number of bends in gun

Samples n n n 10 ft gun 3 -4 lb of force required to pull wire through gun 12 ft gun 4 -5 lbs of force to pull wire through gun 12 ft gun with 12” loop 8 -9 lbs of force to pull wire through gun

Alignment n n Is the back end of the gun properly aligned with the output of the drive rolls This is absolutely critical especially with soft wires such as Aluminum

Gun Length n Keep length a short as practically possible Locate feeder near work Use booms to move feeder closer to work n Recommendations n n Steel 10 ft ideal 15 ft max n Al 6 ft ideal 10 max n

Liner n n n Make sure your liner is the recommended size for the wire being used. For Al use a nylon or Teflon liner preferably with a metal jump liner in the gooseneck portion of the gun For stainless use a galvanized metal liner or a Teflon coated metal liner

Liner Condition n n Use fish scale to determine when a liner needs to be changed. Once data is collected for given brand of wire you can then change after “X” number of spools or number of lbs. n All wires are not created equal. n Look at performance not just price when buying wire.

Tip Condition n When ever the arc condition seems to deteriorate change the tip. Determine the life of a tip in terms of lbs and set up a change interval so that the tip gets changed before it causes down time. Interval should be determined for your wire and your application, the interval will vary from one shop to the next.

Tip Size n n n Consult manufacturer to make sure you are using correct tip size. The ideal hole size in the tip will be determined by the application. Different gas mixtures require different tip sizes. Different metals such as AL will require a different hole size than steel for same wire size. Flux core requires different hole size that solid wire for same wire size.

Spool Tension n Adjust so as to have minimum tension to stop over run

Sharp Bends= poor feeding Sharp bend

Better feeder stand= improved feeding

Bends in Gun n If feeder is on power source mount it at 30 - 45 degrees to reduce the bend in cable as it comes out of feeder. Use booms so that guns may be kept as straight as possible. Use fish scale to see how dramatically load increases with bends in gun.

Booms n n n One of the greatest productivity tools available to the general fabrication shop Purchased booms are available from some of the welding supply people Home made or custom made booms often are a good solution

Canron Boom n n Electric driven carriage moved on a wall mounted track 50 ft to each side of the power source. A 22 ft boom made of garage door track was attached to the carriage so that it could be swung out of the way of the overhead crane Feeder could move in & out along boom 2200 sq ft of coverage from one feeder

Booms n n n The lack of booms in Canadian industry is frightening. Welding costs are much higher than they need to be. We need to get your welders making sparks not wrenching their guts out lugging feeders.

Summary n n Type “A” ( one driven one idler) low cost , highly effective with solid wire. Type “B” (two driven) low cost better choice than type “A” for flux cored or Aluminum when used with proper “knurled” or “U”shaped drive rolls

Summary continued n n Type “C” a compromise feeder ( two driven two idlers) that is quite versatile Type “D” ( four driven) best for flux cored wire with knurled drive rolls, or Aluminum with “U” shaped drive rolls. Not as good as type “A” or Type “C” for solid wire.

Smooth “V” with 20 degree included angle n n Used with type “A” or type “C” feeders provides the ultimate in feed ability for solid Mig wire & stainless Not used with types “B” and “D” feeders

Other smooth “V” rolls n A compromise but may be used with type “B” & type D feeders

Knurled rolls n n Best choice for flux cored & metal cored wires. Care should be taken not to over tighten drive rolls as indentations in wire from drive rolls quickly increase friction. Works best with type “D” feeder Works reasonably well with type “B”feeder

“U” rolls n n Best for soft solid wires such as aluminum Works best with type “D” or Type “B” feeders

Geared drive rolls n n n Seldom seen today Bests for very soft flux cored wire Best when used with type “D” feeder

Which feeder is best? n n n Depends on the application I hope this presentation will help you better understand how to pick the best feeder for your application. I hope some of the tips included here will help you use your feeders more efficiently.

Thank you Dave Fink 11 Rock Haven Dr Bonfield, ON P 0 H 1 E 0 Tel: 705 -471 -5054 E-mail: cadafink@hughes. net