Tig Welding How To - Tig Welding Aluminum Castings with A Miller Dynasty 200 Amp Inverter

Using a little Miller Dynasty 200 a/c d/c inverter Tig welder, you may learn how to weld thick aluminum castings with minimal amperage, which is useful if you are welding on thin aluminum castings. I've had the chance to work with two of the most popular Tig welding inverters on the market, the Miller Dynasty 200dx and the Lincoln Invertec v205t, both of which are capable of Tig welding aluminum utilizing either 115v or 230v electricity. The output of both of these welding machines is restricted to around 200 amps, despite the fact that they are both high-quality power sources. Being confined to 200 amps encourages you to weld more intelligently rather than hotter. As opposed to just turning up the amperage to 275 and forging forward as you would on a heavy-duty Tig Welding Machine, you must think critically about what you are doing. Preheating thick aluminum pieces before welding has been shown to lower the amount of current needed. However, if you are working in your garage and do not have access to a heat treat furnace or an oxy-fuel torch, how do you pre-heat your materials? So, here are a few tips and techniques I've picked up along the way:

Make use of a Tig welding gas grill. However, you must ensure that the metal portion to be welded does not include anything toxic that may contaminate the burgers you may choose to prepare the following week. (A inexpensive grill specialized in preheating aluminum components might really be an excellent idea in this case.)

Wrap the component in aluminum foil and heat it on a medium heat on the stove until the heat is able to pass through the part completely. (It will take around one or two beers before the portion will be heated enough to weld.)

Use a tiny propane torch and move it around the component until it becomes sufficiently hot. (A temperature that is just hot enough to sizzle spit should be sufficient.)

Tig welding aluminum using a 50/50 or 80/20 argon/helium gas mixture is another method of lowering the amperage required for the job. The addition of helium makes a significant effect. As a bonus, not only will you use less current, but the aluminum puddles more quickly and cleanly than pure argon does. You may put your trust in me on this one!

Finally, I suggest using a Tig cup that is as small as possible. Some people refer to them as Tig welding nozzles, but in any event, it is the ceramic tip that is attached to the end of the Tig torch and guides the shielding gas to the weld while also protecting the tungsten electrode from oxidation. The use of a tiny Tig cup necessitates the use of less shielding gas. For example: a #7 cup may need 15-20 cfh, but an equivalent #4 cup may require just 8-10 cfh. The fact that there is much less gas flowing on the item makes a significant difference in the amperage needed. In addition, since the arc energy that is wasted in the form of cathodic etching (also known as cleaning action) will only go where there is gas shielding, there will be excess arc energy available to be aimed at the weld puddle throughout the welding process.

The other night, when welding a 4 inch machined ingot of 6061 aluminum using a Miller Dynasty 200 amp Tig welding inverter, I was reminded of all of the advice above. I needed to replace some material that had been incorrectly cut by a machine shop on a prototype product that had previously been subjected to a significant amount of machining time. I utilized the exact same welding techniques that I discussed before in this piece: I put the item on the burner and warmed it to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit (exactly one beer). I utilized a 50-50 argon/helium mixture, as well as a 3/32-inch diameter thoriated electrode and a #4 ceramic Tig nozzle for this project. I was pleasantly delighted to see that, despite the fact that the component was so large, I only need around 170 amps to complete the task.