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April 28, 2006

FABRICATOR 251

1.01

Arc Welding Hazards

   WARNING

ELECTRIC SHOCK can kill.

Touching live electrical parts can cause fatal shocks or
severe burns. The electrode and work circuit is electrically
live whenever the output is on. The input power circuit
and machine internal circuits are also live when power
is on. In semiautomatic or automatic wire welding, the
wire, wire reel, drive roll housing, and all metal parts
touching the welding wire are electrically live. Incorrectly
installed or improperly grounded equipment is a hazard.

1. Do not touch live electrical parts.

2. Wear dry, hole-free insulating gloves and body protection.

3. Insulate yourself from work and ground using dry insulating mats

or covers.

4. Disconnect input power or stop engine before installing or

servicing this equipment. Lock input power disconnect switch
open, or remove line fuses so power cannot be turned on
accidentally.

5. Properly install and ground this equipment according to its Owner’s

Manual and national, state, and local codes.

6. Turn off all equipment when not in use. Disconnect power to

equipment if it will be left unattended or out of service.

7. Use fully insulated electrode holders. Never dip holder in water to

cool it or lay it down on the ground or the work surface. Do not
touch holders connected to two welding machines at the same
time or touch other people with the holder or electrode.

8. Do not use worn, damaged, undersized, or poorly spliced cables.

9. Do not wrap cables around your body.

10. Ground the workpiece to a good electrical (earth) ground.

11. Do not touch electrode while in contact with the work (ground)

circuit.

12. Use only well-maintained equipment. Repair or replace damaged

parts at once.

13. In confined spaces or damp locations, do not use a welder with

AC output unless it is equipped with a voltage reducer. Use
equipment with DC output.

14. Wear a safety harness to prevent falling if working above floor

level.

15. Keep all panels and covers securely in place.

   WARNING

ARC RAYS can burn eyes and skin; NOISE can damage
hearing. Arc rays from the welding process produce
intense heat and strong ultraviolet rays that can burn
eyes and skin. Noise from some processes can damage
hearing.

1. Wear a welding helmet fitted with a proper shade of filter (see

ANSI Z49.1 listed in Safety Standards) to protect your face and
eyes when welding or watching.

2. Wear approved safety glasses. Side shields recommended.

SECTION 1:

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS

!

    WARNING

PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS FROM POSSIBLE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. KEEP CHILDREN AWAY. PACEMAKER WEARERS KEEP
AWAY UNTIL CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR. DO NOT LOSE THESE INSTRUCTIONS. READ OPERATING/INSTRUCTION MANUAL BEFORE
INSTALLING, OPERATING OR SERVICING THIS EQUIPMENT.

Welding products and welding processes can cause serious injury or death, or damage to other equipment or property, if the operator does not
strictly observe all safety rules and take precautionary actions.

Safe practices have developed from past experience in the use of welding and cutting. These practices must be learned through study and
training before using this equipment.  Some of these practices apply to equipment

connected to power lines; other practices apply to engine driven equipment. Anyone not having extensive
training in welding and cutting practices should not attempt to weld.

Safe practices are outlined in the American National Standard Z49.1 entitled: SAFETY IN WELDING AND CUTTING. This publication and other
guides to what you should learn before operating this equipment are listed at the end of these safety precautions. 

HAVE ALL INSTALLATION,

OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR WORK PERFORMED ONLY BY QUALIFIED PEOPLE.

Summary of Contents for 251 FABRICATOR

Page 1: ...208 208 V V 230 230 V V 60 60HZ FABRICATOR MIG WELDING MACHINE 251 Operating Manual Version No AD 01 Issue Date April 28 2006 Manual No 0 4847 Operating Features...

Page 2: ...ons They will help you to avoid potential hazards that may exist when working with this product YOU ARE IN GOOD COMPANY The Brand of Choice for Contractors and Fabricators Worldwide Thermal Arc is a G...

Page 3: ...ew Hampshire USA 03784 603 298 5711 www thermalarc com Copyright 2006 by Thermadyne Industries Inc All rights reserved Reproduction of this work in whole or in part without written permission of the p...

Page 4: ...lity 2 2 2 08 Duty Cycle 2 3 2 09 Specifications 2 3 2 10 Included Items 2 5 2 11 Optional Accessories 2 5 SECTION 3 INSTALLATION 3 1 3 01 Environment 3 1 3 02 Location 3 1 3 03 Ventilation 3 1 3 04 M...

Page 5: ...peration 4 12 4 09 Gas Selection for Gas Metal Arc Welding 4 13 4 10 Welding Setting Selection Guide 4 14 SECTION 5 MAINTENANCE TROUBLESHOOTING 5 1 5 01 Routine Maintenance Inspection 5 1 5 02 Basic T...

Page 6: ......

Page 7: ...ocations do not use a welder with AC output unless it is equipped with a voltage reducer Use equipment with DC output 14 Wear a safety harness to prevent falling if working above floor level 15 Keep a...

Page 8: ...ires and burns Accidental contact of electrode or welding wire to metal objects can cause sparks overheating or fire 1 Protect yourself and others from flying sparks and hot metal 2 Do not weld where...

Page 9: ...1 Use equipment outside in open well ventilated areas 2 If used in a closed area vent engine exhaust outside and away from any building air intakes WARNING ENGINE FUEL can cause fire or explosion Eng...

Page 10: ...ce on strategies to minimize or avoid potential risks To reduce magnetic fields in the workplace use the following procedures 1 Keep cables close together by twisting or taping them 2 Arrange cables t...

Page 11: ...se Decrease Circuit Breaker AC Auxiliary Power Remote Duty Cycle Percentage Amperage Voltage Hertz cycles sec Frequency Negative Positive Direct Current DC Protective Earth Ground Line Line Connection...

Page 12: ...la mise en marche En soudage automatique ou semi automatique avec fil ce dernier le rouleau ou la bobine de fil le logement des galets d entrainement et toutes les pi ces m talliques en contact avec l...

Page 13: ...ce confin que s il est bien ventil sinon portez un respirateur adduction d air Les gaz protecteurs de soudage peuvent d placer l oxyg ne de l air et ainsi causer des malaises ou la mort Assurez vous q...

Page 14: ...pez le fil au tube con tact lorsqu inutilis apr s le soudage 11 Portez des v tements protecteurs non huileux tels des gants en cuir une chemise paisse un pantalon revers des bottines de s curit et un...

Page 15: ...U ET LES YEUX Les accumulateurs contiennent de l lectrolyte acide et d gagent des vapeurs explosives 1 Portez toujours un cran facial en travaillant sur un accumu lateur 2 Arr tez le moteur avant de c...

Page 16: ...t Tension Hertz cycles sec Fr quence N gatif Positif Courant Continue DC Terre de Protection Ligne Connexion de la Ligne Source Auxiliaire Classement de Prise Source Auxiliaire Art A 07639 115V 15A t...

Page 17: ...can also be downloaded at no charge in Acrobat PDF format by going to the Thermal Arc web site listed below and clicking on the Literature Library link http www thermalarc com 2 02 Equipment Identific...

Page 18: ...n damp ground when welding For more complete safety advice please read section 1 2 06 Protective Filter Lenses Protective filter lenses are provided to reduce the intensity of radiation entering the e...

Page 19: ...10 minute period 60 of 10 minutes is 6 0 minutes During the other 4 0 minutes of the 10 minute period the Power Supply must idle and be allowed to cool The thermal cutout will operate if the duty cycl...

Page 20: ...Cycle 300A 31 7V 40 300A 31 7V 40 100 Duty Cycle Output Rating 195A DC at 24V 195A DC at 24V Duty Cycle Period Number of Output Voltage Values Mild Stainless Steel Aluminum Flux Cored Wire Feed Speed...

Page 21: ...Y Work Lead 10ft 3m Y Cable Stowage Hooks Y Regulator Flow Meter Argon Mix Gases Y Tweco Weldskill MIG Gun 300 Amp 15ft 4 5m Y Fitted Feed Roll for 035 045 0 9 1 2mm solid wire Y Accessories Box Y Fab...

Page 22: ...FABRICATOR 251 2 6 April 28 2006...

Page 23: ...ably reduces the skin resistance of the human body and the insulation properties of accessories Environments with increased hazard of electric shock do not include places where electrically conductive...

Page 24: ...G 40 Amps 10ft 3m 230V 250A 60 Table 3 1 Factory Fitted Input Power Supply Leads Fitted to the Fabricator 251 3 05 Alternative Mains Supply Voltages WARNING The Fabricator 251 input power supply lead...

Page 25: ...they are secured to the input voltage selection block Loosen the set screw for both voltage locations 3 Remove the blue wires from the current location and Insert them into the new voltage location Se...

Page 26: ...chosen wire size 7 Fit the electrode wire spool to the wire reel hub located behind the electrode wire compartment door 8 Fit the TWECO Weldskill MIG gun and trigger wires through to the front of the...

Page 27: ...TOR 251 April 28 2006 3 5 Regulator and Flow Meter Cap Cracking 1 2 3 4 5 Gas Hose Art A 07278 Shielding Gas Shielding Gas Stowage Hook Shielding Gas Shielding Gas 1 1 8 Figure 3 2 Gas Cylinder Instal...

Page 28: ...hop welding 30 40 CFH Outdoors welding 40 50 CFH NOTE All valves downstream of the regulator must be opened to obtain a true flow rate reading on the outlet gauge Welding power source must be triggere...

Page 29: ...Art A 07142 Set up Chart Figure 3 4 Door Panel Opening NOTE Lubricate the O ring on the quick connect fitting of the gun cable with grease Dow company 4 com pound or equivalent or Thermal Arc 903910...

Page 30: ...06 Trigger Receptacle Front Panel Access Hole Art 0 7148 Figure 3 5 Route Gun Cable Through Front Panel Access Hole and Connect Trigger Loosen Thumbscrew Art A 07149 Tighten Thumbscrew Figure 3 6 Moun...

Page 31: ...hat will be the groove closest to the motor and the one to thread To ensure proper wire feed the groove closest to the motor must match the electrode wire size being used 045 1 2mm Groove Art A 07150...

Page 32: ...mating hole in the wire spool 4 If using a 10 lb wire spool place the spring on the exposed hub Do not use the spring for larger wire spools that cover the entire hub 5 Replace the Wire Spool Hub Nut...

Page 33: ...g used Second part of Figure 3 10 4 Pass the wire through the outlet guide and into the Gun liner of the Gun Cable Second part of Figure 3 10 5 Close the Pressure Roller Arm Figure 3 11 6 Swing the Sp...

Page 34: ...e rapid wear of the feed roller motor shaft and motor bearings NOTE Genuine TWECO contact tips and liners should be used Many non genuine liners use inferior materials which can cause wire feed proble...

Page 35: ...s hose to the 10 pin socket and the Spool Gun Gas Outlet on the front of the unit Refer to Figure 3 13 Front Panel Rear Panel Spool Gun Gas Input Connection Main Gun Gas Input Connection Spool Gun 10...

Page 36: ...tainless Steel Aluminum gas shielded Flux Cored electrode wires 1 D C Electrode Positive DCEP Reverse Polarity 1 Connected to Pos output terminal 1 Connected to Neg output terminal 2 FCAW Gasless Flux...

Page 37: ...5 b Remove both terminal knobs by rotating counterclockwise c Set up the desired lead polarity as per Table 3 3 and as shown in Figures 3 14 or 3 15 d Place the Work Lead cable on the opposite termina...

Page 38: ...FABRICATOR 251 3 16 April 28 2006 NOTES...

Page 39: ...skill 13V 16V 17V 21V 22V 31V Thermal Overload Indicator Wire Feed Speed Control Power On Off Switch Coarse Voltage Selector Switch Fine Voltage Selector Switch Spool Gun Gas Outlet Spool Gun Interfac...

Page 40: ...omponents are at Mains voltage potential Digital Display The Digital Display allows for accurate monitoring 5 tolerance of welding current and voltage to facilitate precise welding condition adjustmen...

Page 41: ...325 Current Amps Wire Speed IPM 030 STEEL 035 STEEL 045 STEEL 0 2 3 S T E E L Art A 07451 STEEL Figure 4 3 Steel AMP to IPM Conversion 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 20...

Page 42: ...its duty cycle the thermal overload will not activate Refer to section 2 09 for an explanation of duty cycle and section 2 10 for the power supply specifications Wirespeed Control The Wirespeed Contr...

Page 43: ...cle is used to connect the two wires from the torch gun to the Fabricator 251 Only pins 1 and 2 are used for this To make connections align keyway insert plug and ro tate threaded collar fully clockwi...

Page 44: ...nuous weld When the MIG gun trigger switch is depressed welding com mences When the MIG gun trigger switch is released welding ceases WELD MODE WELD MODE 2T 2T SPOT SPOT STITCH STITCH 4T 4T Art A 0742...

Page 45: ...the Weld Spot Stitch knob controls the duration of a single spot weld WELD MODE STITCH When the Weld Mode control is in the Stitch posi tion the Weld Spot Stitch knob controls the length of the stitch...

Page 46: ...be converted to TWECO Weldskill Not only will this give greater reliability and hence greater productivity but it will reduce stockholding of consumable parts See your Thermal Arc distributor for det...

Page 47: ...he Connector Plug the raw end of the conduit will protrude out of the open end of the gun conductor tube Trim the conduit as shown in Figure 4 14 The trimmed end which seats in the Gas Diffuser must b...

Page 48: ...ging to a different electrode wire diameter different control settings are required A thinner electrode wire needs more Wire Speed to achieve the same current level A satisfactory weld cannot be obtai...

Page 49: ...hoice of electrode wire size in conjunction with shielding gas used depends on Thickness of the metal to be welded Type of joint Capacity of the wire feed unit and power supply The amount of penetrati...

Page 50: ...100 FAS 1240 1550 1 Bore Inside Corner Arc Spot 24A 75 IAS 1240 1531 3 4 Bore Outside Corner Arc Spot 24A 75 IAS 1240 1532 3 4 Bore Automotive Stud Nozzle N A 4 08 Spot Welding Operation Fit an optio...

Page 51: ...than 3 32 See below Spray transfer 92 Argon 8 CO2 or minimum 80 Argon 20 O2 Flat HV Fillet Reduces undercutting Higher deposition rates and improved bead wetting Deep penetration and good mechanical p...

Page 52: ...6mm 030 0 8mm 035 0 9mm 045 1 2mm 030 0 8mm 035 0 9mm 045 1 2mm Aluminum Aluminum 4043 ER 5183 ER 5356 ER 100 Ar 25cfh 030 0 8mm 035 0 9mm Stainless Steel Stainless 7 5 Ar 90 He 2 5 CO2 35cfh ER308LS...

Page 53: ...7 75 H 3 5 75 H 4 5 5 H 4 3 H 4 6 5 H 5 7 H 5 3 25 H 5 7 25 H 7 7 5 H 6 3 5 2 25 1 25 L 8 4 L 7 3 25 M 2 4 25 L 8 4 5 M 5 5 M 5 4 5 H 1 7 H 2 6 75 H 2 3 5 M 6 3 H 3 7 75 H 4 5 H 5 5 75 H 6 6 25 M 2 1...

Page 54: ...FABRICATOR 251 4 16 April 28 2006 NOTES...

Page 55: ...ow air into the Power Supply during cleaning Blowing air into the Power Supply can cause metal particles to interfere with sensitive electronic components and cause damage to the Power Supply To clean...

Page 56: ...torch Consumable parts Weekly Visually inspect the torch body and consumables Visually inspect the cables and leads Replace as needed 3 Months 6 Months Replace all broken parts Visually check and use...

Page 57: ...REMEDY 1 Gas cylinder contents and flow meter a Ensure that the gas cylinder is not empty and the flow meter is correctly adjusted to 25CFM 15 litres per minute 2 Gas leaks a Check for gas leaks betwe...

Page 58: ...to the pressure roller adjuster Swarf can also be produced by the wire passing through an incorrect feed roller groove shape or size Swarf is fed into the liner where it accumulates thus reducing wir...

Page 59: ...penetration 4 Weld speed too fast a Reduce weld speed C Lack of fusion 1 Voltage too low a Increase voltage by increasing voltage selection switch position 2 Weld speed too fast a Reduce weld speed 1...

Page 60: ...1 Faulty rectifier unit a Have an Accredited THERMAL ARC Service Agent to test then replace the faulty component 2 Loose welding cable connection a Check all welding cable connections B Cold weld pudd...

Page 61: ...y control PCB or Tweco Gun a Have an Accredited Thermal Arc Service Agent investigate the fault F Wire feeds when the gun trigger switch is depressed but arc can not be established 1 Poor or no work l...

Page 62: ...FABRICATOR 251 5 8 April 28 2006 NOTES...

Page 63: ...p 60 Spool Gun 25ft 90906 Gun assembly with 25ft cable 300 Amp 60 ACCESSORIES Victor Regulator Flow Meter Mixed Gases 0781 2723 Medalist 1400 Series HRF Flow Meter Regulator Argon Argon CO2 mix gases...

Page 64: ...A BLK 9 BLK 10 10A RED 10 RED 10C RED 11 11A GRY 14 14A BLU 208VAC 15 15A ORN 230VAC 4B BLUE 1D RED 1C RED 1B RED J E 1 J E 2 2 2A PNK BURNBACK 100K TS1 TEMP LED1 J A 2 J A 1 FABRICATOR 251 3 ORN 30 B...

Page 65: ...2 BRN 52 A BRN 53 WHT 57 VIO 55 BLK T1 TRANS 251US COIL T3 T4 SWITCH POSITION 1 2 3 X X X X X X 1 2 6 5 4 3 8 9 7 11 10 12 SWITCH 3 FINE 5 6 4 X X 7 X 8 X X X X X X X X X X X X X 13 14 18 17 16 15 20...

Page 66: ...5980 031 030 035 0 8 0 9mm 375980 001 375980 003 375980 010 030 035 045 0 8 0 9 1 2mm 375980 028 375980 029 035 0 9mm 375980 040 375980 032 035 045 3 64 0 9 1 2 1 2mm 375980 030 045 1 2mm 375980 002 3...

Page 67: ......

Page 68: ...herwise shall not exceed the price of the goods upon which such liability is based No employee agent or representative of Thermal Arc is authorized to change this warranty in any way or grant any othe...

Page 69: ...including but not limited to relays switches contactors solenoids fans electric motors 1 year 1 year PLASMA WELDING EQUIPMENT WARRANTY PERIOD LABOR Ultima 150 Original Main Power Magnetics 5 years 3 y...

Page 70: ......

Page 71: ...trict Shanghai PR 200052 Telephone 86 21 69171135 Fax 86 21 69171139 Thermadyne Asia Sdn Bhd Lot 151 Jalan Industri 3 5A Rawang Integrated Industrial Park Jln Batu Arang 48000 Rawang Selangor Darul Eh...

Page 72: ...World Headquarters Thermadyne Holdings Corporation Suite 300 16052 Swingley Ridge Road St Louis MO 63017 Telephone 636 728 3000 Fascimile 636 728 3010 Email sales thermalarc com www thermalarc com...

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