255EXT Aluminum Tig Pulse Settiing Comparison/Suggestion

Figured I'd start a thread showing my results with settings to get & give input as I have noticed that exact settings with experimentation and results with photos are somewhat lacking. I recently upgraded from my Lincoln Tig200 to a long awaited 255EXT as the Lincoln was limited in it's ability to adjust parameters especially pertaining to the pulse parameters.

All of the welds have been done on a positioner with a stationary torch holder (manual) as I'm trying to dial in settings while minimizing the human element as I'm not that good with holding the torch due to a hand injury. I have notice that even the slightest adjustment in torch position has a dramatic effect on the weld bead. Positioner speed set just slightly below 1/8" per/second, material is 3/16 6061 aluminum tube. A/C balance set to 20 for all welds, 1/8" 2% Lanthenated sharpened to a point.


Attachment 13802
From left to Right:
1. 205AMPS/34% time on/15%BG (Background) amps .8PPS/250 Hertz
2. 205AMPS/36% time on/20%BG amps/1PPS/250 Hertz
3. 205APS/36% time on/20%BG amps/.5PPS/200 Hertz
4. 155AMPS/40% time on/10%BG amps/1.5PPS/200Hertz (This one was slow very slow to start and was difficult to keep the puddle out ahead)

5. 175APMS/50% time on/10&BG amps/.5PPS/200 Hertz
6. 175AMPS/50% time on/BG amp all the way down/.3PPS/200 Hertz

My goal was to find the best setting without wicking over the edge and to evaluate the bead appearance.(Oh how we all love a stack of dimes)

Please comment with your opinions and suggestions and we'll see where this thread goes.

I like #3 the best. You should have told us that you did this all by hand. Just kidding!

I know right? Wish I was that good. Maybe someday. However, I will say it took a lot of welds and a long time to get these results even with the equipment I have it still took a lot of practice and trial and error. I'm still really struggling to keep the puddle out ahead enough to dab the filler without dipping and screwing everything up. I have a huge pile of failed attempts that I did not want to show pictures of LOL.

4 from the left. It's filled and smooth.

Now, why the high hertz on AC? Not really necessary. If you want to control the wicking, you should work with pulse frequency more.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by performance

4 from the left. It's filled and smooth.

Now, why the high hertz on AC? Not really necessary. If you want to control the wicking, you should work with pulse frequency more.

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Hey Mark, thanks for the reply.
I had the Hertz set high trying to focus the arc on the joint and keep a narrow bead. If your thinking its not needed I will dial it back and try something else. I agree with you that #4 looks the best #3 is really good too. Unfortunately, I've got something going on and cant seem to get repeated results, it's almost like I'm not getting enough amperage on any of the same settings I used to produce the welds in the pictures?

So, if I dial back the Hertz as you suggest, do you have any other recommended adjustments to my settings? Please let me know and I will give it a shot and post up the results.

Thanks

Ultra high hertz on AC or on Pulse is just unpleasant, and the weld turns really sluggish. I like rapid wet in. When you turn up the pulse and the AC frequency, you begin to get a less progressive puddle. Now on thin material, that is good. But I like a pulse set around 90 to 100hz personally. For Pulse, no more than 150Hz is really good. 30-50% setting on balance (pulse time on) and 50 to 75% on pulse amps. That makes the most sense to me for good travel speed.

Did you get to talk with the guys today? One of them had to leave early...stomach virus or something. And it was a busy day when I talked with them around lunch time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by performance

Ultra high hertz on AC or on Pulse is just unpleasant, and the weld turns really sluggish. I like rapid wet in. When you turn up the pulse and the AC frequency, you begin to get a less progressive puddle. Now on thin material, that is good. But I like a pulse set around 90 to 100hz personally. For Pulse, no more than 150Hz is really good. 30-50% setting on balance (pulse time on) and 50 to 75% on pulse amps. That makes the most sense to me for good travel speed.

Did you get to talk with the guys today? One of them had to leave early...stomach virus or something. And it was a busy day when I talked with them around lunch time.

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Yes I did and got everything figured out and running like a champ! (It was more operator error than anything) I was not aware that on advanced A/C Pulse that the amps were ratio'd out as I thought the welding amps were determined by the main amperage and only the background amps were controlled by the pulse settings. So basically speaking I had too much of a spread between the settings to achieve the desired results. Took your suggestions and dialed in from there and now getting consistent results every time.

I settled in on:
155 AMPS, 60% pulse time on, 30% Pulse amps (background),.8 PPS at 140 Hertz and just a little slower than 1/8" P/S travel speed.Attachment 13803Attachment 13804

One wouldn't think that 155 amps would be enough for 3/16 aluminum but based upon travel speed that works for me to keep up with it works very well. One thing that I forget to mention in my set up is I do run 75%argon/25%helium pre-mix from my supplier and it just makes EVERYTHING with aluminum go better IMO, cost a little bit more but I think its worth it. You were spot on about the HZ, by dialing it back a bit really helped keep the puddle out ahead!

That's good to see you got it worked out. You settings are a bit different than what I'd use, but you may be going for a different look.
I keep preaching to customers that Pulse is for effect. Yes, it is for heat control...but isn't that an effect? You adjust it to how you want the pulse to perform. There's not a real preset or ideal setting for any one customer or any one application.

I put it like this: Pulse is another tool in your welding tool box. Sometimes in toolboxes, you have more than one wrench the same size. You may have an adjustable wrench even that can fit a variety of different situations. How do you make a recommendation to use an adjustable wrench or why do you select one wrench over the other? For example, why would you choose an offset box end 9/16 over a stubby flex ratchet with a deep well socket on the end? It would entirely depend upon the exact situation and to a large extent, the user's preference. No manual has ever been written (that I know of) that tells a mechanic which tool to choose in every situation. Sometimes, you can even use a butt end of a screw driver to do a Hammer's job. All this is also true with Pulse and other functions. I personally don't recommend much helium, due to arc starting and instability issues, but some guys hit it with 75% He. But it's not needed. To sum up, To make an exact recommendation for any customer will likely result in frustration on the customer's part.