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5 important things to consider before buying a MIG welding machine. MIG welders are one of the most popular welders because they are easy to use and can work on variety of metals: aluminium, stainless and mild steel. They are the most recommended welders for beginners as the skill can be learn in a few weeks at most and many take just a few days. However, before purchasing a MIG welder it is great to know the things below to decide which type is best for you.

Before I give 5 things you need to consider when buying a MIG welding machine, it is important to know that there are two types of MIG welders—Gas and Gasless. The gas type requires external shielding gas whilst the gasless doesn’t. Gasless MIG welders uses flux-cored wires that includes vapour forming compounds that produce the gas shield needed to protect against oxidation.

The decision on which type of MIG welding machine to buy depends on these following factors.

1. Location

Think about where you mostly work—indoor or outdoor? Gasless is a good choice when welding outdoors as you don’t have to worry about the wind that can affect the quality of weld. Gas MIG welders are not suitable for windy location because you can lose the shielding gas which will create porosity or tiny holes on the weld bead. You don’t have to worry about porosity in gasless as its flux core forms the shield around the weld to keep the oxygen out.

2. Materials

You need to consider the thickness of the materials to be welded. Flux-cored welding has an impressive strength however it is not recommended for thin materials. With gas welding the temperature of the weld can be consistent as long as you weld at a steady pace. In flux-cored welding the temperature can be unstable and may cause to burn through in thinner materials.

3. Speed

The deposition rate and welding speed of machines with shielding gas is much faster than the gasless type.

4. Convenience

The gasless MIG welding machine is more convenient for many reasons. It is more portable as there is no need to carry a gas cylinder. Also, there is no need to clean and shine the surface before using a gasless welder as you can weld through rust or galvanized surfaces.

5. Fumes

Gasless produces more fumes but this can be easily handled by wearing protection at all times during the welding process.

 

As a welder you need to be flexible as clients have different circumstances and needs. A gasless MIG welding machine is a good addition to a workshop as they are convenient and easy to use. However, there are also situations that it’s better to use the gas MIG welders especially when they give better welding results. Realistically, you need machines to cope with different demands of your clients. Fortunately, there are now MIG welding machines which have dual functions that can be used either as gas or gasless.

If you are looking for a machine that has both gas and gasless functions check out this MIG welding machine from Hitbox. It comes with solid and flux-cored wire, has a smart design with full digital control and can operate in 220v electrical socket. Some of its features includes: built-in polarity conversion, over-heating protection, fan with auto-sleep function and low power consumption. It is rated 4.1 out of 5 on Amazon and has good reviews like: “Welding is very easy and has good quality with this machine” and “… I recommend this welder and why I would buy again!”.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 6th, 2018 at 9:07 am and is filed under Blog, Welder links. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.