AC Triangle Wave Welding Output (27)
Reduced heat input for same current setting. Especially useful for welding thin metal.
AC Square Wave (28)
Focused arc for maximum penetration, fast travel speed with best directional control.
AC Sine Wave Welding Output (29)
Traditional AC TIG welding wave form. Quieter, ‘soft’ arc characteristic.
TIG Arc Starting Modes
TIG HF/ Lift Ignition Modes (31,32)
For TIGwelding process, contact of the torch tungsten to the workpiece will cause contamination of
the tungsten and the workpiece that will adversely affect the weld quality, especially when the
tungsten is electrically energised.
HF Ignition
(High Frequency) sends a pulse of high energy electricity through the torch system that is
capable of ‘jumping’ between the tungsten and the workpiece, ensuring arc starting without any
contact between the tungsten and workpiece. The disadvantage of HF ignition is that the high ener-
gy electrical pulse creates significant electrical and radio signal interference, which limits its use
around sensitive electronic equipment such as computers.
Lift TIG
Ignition is a compromise that minimises tungsten contamination while eliminating the electrical
interference of HF start systems. Lift arc starting works by lightly resting the tungsten on the work piece,
activating the torch trigger signal and then lifting the tungsten off. The control circuit will sense when
the tungsten is removed from the work piece and send a low powered pulse of electricity through the
tungsten that will cause the TIG arc to initiate. Because the tungsten is not ‘live’ when it is in contact
with the work, contamination is minimised.
Program/Job Memory
The welding machine has 9 memory/ job spaces that parameters can be saved to for easy recall.
To access a saved program, press and hold in the control knob (24) and the program number 1-9 will
show on the display, the ‘JOB’ indicator will be lit. Adjust to the program number required by rotating
the control knob. Once the program is accessed, it will automatically load. To return to normal
parameter settings, press the control knob again (which will also load the selected program) To save
parameters set as a program, press and hold the control knob for a few seconds and the display will
blink. The settings are now saved in the last program space that was selected. If setting parameters to
save as a program, ensure that you start with a program number that the data is OK to overwrite, as
the previous settings saved to that memory space will be lost.
Pulse welding
Pulse welding mode switches the welding output between a high and low current output in a cyclical
manner. When used correctly this function has substantial benefits in the TIG welding process including
greater weld penetration for less work heat input and greater control of the weld pool.
The basic theory for setting the base current using pulse mode is that the base current should be
sufficient to maintain the existing molten weld pool, while the peak current is sufficient to melt new
metal in order to move/ expand the molten weld pool. Increased pulse frequency will have the effect
of making the arc more tightly focused which is useful for fine stainless work and similar.
Pulsing can also be used to help move the weld pool, this technique is useful for welding out of position
or with materials that have higher viscosity weld pool. Higher pulse duty setting will give greater heat
input, while lower pulse duty will have the opposite effect.
Water Cooling
The welding machine ca ne supplied with the integrated water cooler. The correct coolant to use is a
mixture of Mono Propylene Glycol and water in a 1:3 ratio (25% propylene glycol. Pure water may
be used as a coolant liquid, though it is not recommended for the long term reliability of the water
cooling system as it does not have the lubrication properties of glycol and does not provide protection
against freezing. Ready to use coolant fluid can be purchased from authorised Strata dealers.
Do not operate a water cooled torch without the cooling system operating!
