Inverter Machines Ideal for Welding Thin Aluminum Material

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products (Florence, SC) offers a family of Heliarc machines for high-quality AC/DC GTAW (TIG) and SMAW (Stick) welding. Three Heliarc TIG welding machine models are being offered: the Heliarc 281i – a 280 A unit for single-phase 230 connections, the Heliarc 283i – a 280 A unit for 3-phase 460 connections , and the Heliarc 353i – a 350 A 3-phase 460 unit for more power when welding thicker materials.

All three machines use inverter technology, which delivers increased energy efficiency and superior functionality – all in a package that is lighter, smaller, and less expensive than old technology SCR machines. The Heliarc family of machines has everything you need for advanced AC/DC TIG welding in all types of materials. Furthermore, they offer outstanding AC and DC SMAW (Stick) performance, including cellulosic (E-XX10, E-XX11) electrodes.

Heliarc offers easy-to-control arc heat input, which results in high quality welds. Heliarc’s pulse current allows for lower heat dissipation, better control of the weld pool, and less plate deformation. DC pulsing, with square wave, cuts current peaks and provides symmetric power, a stable arc, and perfect interfusion between base and filler material. AC pulsing up to 2 Hz makes Heliarc ideal for welding thin aluminum material.

In AC mode, the arc is designed to only use high frequency at the start, reducing electrical noise and the risk of interference with surrounding electronics. High frequency can be switched completely off in favor of an electronic live TIG start when welding in areas where high frequency is not permitted due to electronic disturbance issues.

Heliarc’s control panel is easy to setup and operate. Five clear sections on the control panel allow the operator to choose the options and settings needed for fast set up and excellent arc control.  The machine’s internal communication is entirely digital for high accuracy and repeatability.

All of the controls are centrally located. Easy-to-use buttons provide slope down, pulse current, background current, pre-gas, post-gas, pulse and duty options. The machine’s memory can store and recall up to 60 user-defined welding programs.

Choose between Stick, TIG 2- and 4-stroke mode (trigger latch), TIG spot, and trigger-enabled peak to background current, which can be used as a manual pulse to decrease heat and better control puddle fluidity while welding.

In stick mode, the submenu allows for access to Hot Start and Arc Force settings. The Heliarc 281i AC/DC is a single-phase 50/60 Hz unit with 208-230V input and a maximum TIG AC/DC output of 250 A at 100 percent duty cycle. The Heliarc 283i AC/DC is 3-phase 50/60 Hz unit with 460V input and a maximum TIG AC/DC output of 280 A at a 100 percent duty cycle. The Heliarc 353i AC/DC is 3-phase 50/60 Hz unit with 460V input and a maximum  TIG AC/DC output of 280 A at a 100 percent duty cycle.

The Heliarc 281i and 283i are available as ready-to-weld air-cooled and water-cooled packages and include the power source, 25 ft torch, foot control, work cable, regulator flowmeter (ArCo2), and cart.

The Heliarc 353i is available in a water-cooled ready-to-weld package and includes the power source, cooler, 25 ft torch, foot control, work cable, regulator flowmeter (ArCo2), and cart.

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products, PO Box 100545, 411 South Ebenezer Road, Florence, SC 29501, 843-679-5823, Fax: 843-664-5607, www.esabna.com.