First, Kevin adjusts the settings. He starts in synergic mode, which means the machine is making some of the decisions.
The torch trigger is set to 2T and .030 diameter wire. He’s running 4043 alluminum wire and single pulse MIG. Preflow is set at .2 seconds.
Inductance is set at 3. welding amps at 143, with the volts set to a -3.7. So that’s 3.7 percent less than the machine says he should have depending on all the other settings – he wanted to cool it down just a little bit. The burnback is set at 0.1, and the volts set at -5 simply because, with aluminum, he doesn’t want any burnback because there’s hardly enough sticking out as it is. Post flow is set at 4.7 seconds.
On the welding gun end of everything, Kevin has a Teflon liner installed in the gun and the cable. With the .030 wire he is running a .035 tip, which is a little bit bigger. That’s because as the wire starts getting hotter as you�re welding, you don�t want it to seize inside the tip.
Now he’s ready to put his helmet and welding safety gear on and make some sparks!
As he welds, Kevin explains that he is running some 1/8″ 4043 aluminum. First he gets a couple tacks on the metal, and then he runs a bead across the aluminum. After finishing welding, he shows where the tacks were and the bead itself and says, “That’s kind of purty!”
So it works well on single pulse, but how about straight MIG welding? Kevin goes back to the control panel and changes it from single pulse to straight MIG. It’s in synergic setting at 128 amps, 20.5 volts, so he leaves it at those settings. Now he’s ready to give it a shot!
Kevin welds another two tacks and a bead on that same 4043 1/8″ aluminum. This is just straight MIG with aluminum running straight argon. That’s pretty damn good!
Next Kevin shows the two welds – with and without pulse – side by side. The straight MIG is actually flatter and smoother. He may have had the settings off just a little bit in the single pulse weld. For a MIG welder with a stock torch with a Teflon liner in it pushing it out about 8 – 10 feet, that’s impressive.
So those are just some of the aluminium capabilities on this Everlast Power i-MIG 253DPi. The only thing Kevin hasn’t yet really played with on this machine yet is stick welding (arc welding) function, so he’ll just have to do that at another time.
Kevin really appreciates you watching. Before you go, stick around for a moment to see Kevin Caron remember something … briefly … sort of ….