Welding is used for rapid and reliable fastening of metal parts. If you plan to do welding work itself, is related to the selection of the apparatus seriously.

Range of welding machines is very wide: in the catalog descriptions and prices E-Katalog presents more than 1000 models of domestic and foreign manufacturers. We will help you quickly navigate the abundance of options and choose quality and reliable welding machine.

Type of machine

First decide, what type of device you need. Welding machines can be divided into 4 categories.

• Inverters. The inverter apparatus is compact and relatively light. Give stable current and high welding quality. Drawback — high price.
• Transformers. If you need the unit to perform simple tasks (including household), your best choice would be to purchase a welding transformer. This is the most cheap and simple in a constructive manner the apparatus used for work with black metals.
• Gas semi-automatic. Have a wider scope compared to a transformer apparatus, because they can use during the welding process the protective gas. Plays the role of the electrode wire is automatically fed to the weld.
• Semi-inverters. Universal devices that combine the best quality gas semi-automatic (the use of wire for welding) and inverter units (compact, stable current). Semi-inverters are very convenient to use, but, unfortunately, are not cheap.

Having defined the type of unit, proceed to the selection of a suitable model. We recommend you to use the site E-Katalog: with it, you will be able to compare prices in online stores and features of different devices. What kind of settings is it?

Input voltage

Single-phase devices can be connected to any AC outlet with a voltage of 220 V. the Disadvantage of these models is low power compared to three phase units, working voltage is 380 V. as the network with the voltage most often found in industrial workshops and other specialized facilities, it is three phase welding machines are used there. Also in E-catalog presented by universal devices, providing the ability to connect to single-phase and three-phase networks.

Welding machines (except for the inverter models) are sensitive to voltage drops. If the voltage is decreasing their capacity, while increasing the unit can alarm be switched off. Remember, any welding machine creates a heavy load on the grid, so use it only if you are confident in the quality of the wiring.

The open-circuit voltage

The open-circuit voltage is in the range of 40-70 V. It shows what the output voltage of the device without load. What it is, the faster the arc is ignited and it burns more stable. Pay attention to the idle voltage of the welding unit should be when purchasing electrodes: some of them are in need of low voltage, others in high.

The maximum welding current

In simple units for home use maximum current may range from 20 A to 200 A. In professional models (most often three-phase) current sometimes reaches 500 A.

What affects the value of the maximum current? The higher it is, the wider the scope of the particular unit. Powerful welding machines allow the use of thicker electrodes and, in General, to cope with more difficult tasks.The thicker welded elements, the greater the current required for their connection.

The frequency of inclusion

Technical characteristics of the welding apparatus is indicated and the periodicity of the inclusions. This parameter is measured in percent, and it allows to judge about the “endurance” of the unit.

The average duration of the working cycle of the welding machine in 10 minutes. The device with the frequency of inclusion 30 % after every 3 minutes of operation is necessary to provide a 7-minute break. Devices for home use have a frequency of inclusion of up to 40 %, professional devices — 60 % and above.