Oxford welder best offers: MIG welders use a wire welding electrode on a spool that is fed automatically at a constant pre-selected speed. The arc, created by an electrical current between the base metal and the wire, melts the wire and joins it with the base, producing a high-strength weld with great appearance and little need for cleaning. MIG welding is clean, easy and can be used on thin or thicker plate metals. Similar to MIG welding, flux-cored arc welding (FCAW)* is a wire-feed process but differs in that self-shielded flux-cored welding does not require a shielding gas. Instead, flux-cored wire is used to shield the arc from contamination. This is a simple, efficient and effective welding approach, especially when welding outdoors, in windy conditions or on dirty materials. The process is widely used in construction because of its high welding speed and portability.
To us solid build & rugged reliability & long lifespan is just as important as welding performance! By designing our machines to be very electrically efficient we achieve performance levels much higher than other machines on the market, for example 400A + MIG welding on 230V single phase, Plasma cutting up to 36mm steel on 230V single phase, etc. Our OXFORD range now extends to around 50 different models & includes MIG, TIG, PLASMA, PULSE MIG & multi-process machines with ARC (MMA) MIG & TIG functions. Despite the ever increasing amount of low cost cheap imports available, our sales continue to grow year on year & we now have a good share of the UK market with additional export business. See extra info on Oxford Mig Welders.
Keep in mind that heavy-duty MIG welding often produces a lot of heat, sparks and spatter, and requires a lower degree of dexterity than some other forms of welding. Therefore, using thick, stiff leather gloves that provide a higher level of protection is smart. Similarly, choose leather footwear that covers your entire foot and leaves as little room as possible for spatter to fall along your ankle line. High-top leather shoes and work boots often provide the best protection. Finally, always be sure you have adequate ventilation per OSHA recommendations and check material safety data sheets (MSDS) for each metal being welded and filler metal being used. Use a respirator whenever required by the MSDS.
One of the “cardinal sins” that almost every shop commits is over-welding. This means that if the drawing calls for a 1/4″ fillet weld, most shops will put down a 5/16″ weld. The reasons? Either they don’t have a fillet gauge and are not exactly sure of the size of the weld they are producing or they put in some extra to “cover” themselves and make sure there is enough weld metal in place. But, over-welding leads to tremendous consumable waste. Let’s look again at our example. For a 1/4″ fillet weld, the typical operator will use .129 lbs. per foot of weld metal. The 5/16″ weld requires .201 lbs. per foot of weld metal – a 56 percent increase in weld volume compared to what is really needed. Plus, you must take into account the additional labor necessary to put down a larger weld. Not only is the company paying for extra, wasted consumable material, a weld with more weld metal is more likely to have warpage and distortion because of the added heat input. It is recommended that every operator be given a fillet gauge to accurately produce the weld specified – and nothing more. In addition, changes in wire diameter may be used to eliminate over-welding. Find a few extra details at www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk.