Semiautomatic welding for body works: reviews, photo, characteristics

In the life of every owner of a vehicle that has a used car, sooner or later there comes a time when body repair is needed. There are two ways out of this situation: go to the service station or buy a semi-automatic welding for body works and patch up your iron horse on your own.

In this article we will try to help to implement the second method, namely, we will tell about what these devices are, explain the values of their main indicators. In addition, we will give some recommendations on how to make the right choice of a welding semi-automatic for bodywork, because today the market offers many different tools.

What is the unit

Welding semi-automatic is an apparatus that is designed for welding with a metal wire in a shielding gas environment. The principle of operation is that the welder should only direct the burner to the desired location, and all other operations (power-on, wire feed start) will be performed by the device.

Welding semi-automatic is most often used for joining thin materials - corners, sheet iron and so on. That is why it is the most optimal option for performing bodywork when repairing machines or welding various metal structures from thin metal elements.

Semiautomatic welding is possible only under the following conditions:

• In the environment of active (abbreviated MAG) gases. The protective gas is carbon dioxide.
• In the environment of inert (abbreviated MIG) gases. A mixture of gases or argon is used.

Many semi-automatic welding machines support the welding regime without any shielding gas, using a "flux" wire (this will be discussed later).

When welding in the MIG or MAG modes, an electric arc appears between the material being welded and the wire. The shielding gas is fed through the welding torch of the welding semiautomatic device and protects the obtained seam from the effects of oxygen, since it is a very powerful oxidizer and can significantly worsen the result. The seam is not only unstable, but can quickly become rusty.

Semi-automatic welding for body works: photo and main types

Welding semiautomatic machines are divided into 3 classes - professional, semi-professional and household. Their difference consists in the maximum current given by the power source, as well as in the percentage of operating time (abbreviated as PV). Professional welding semiautomatic machines include aggregates capable of producing welding current of 300 A and more, semi-professional - up to 300 amperes, and to household ones - up to 200. Such a parameter, as a percentage of the operating time, will be considered further in the article.

Also, a semi-automatic welding machine for bodywork may have a power source belonging to one of three types. They may be:

• Inverter;
• Transformer;
• Rectifiers.

Inverter semiautomatic devices

The cost of such units is higher, but at the same time they have much less mass and dimensions, which is of no small importance in the work. Also in inverter technology such functions as smooth ignition of arc, anti-sticking of wire and possibility of smooth regulation of welding current are provided. Such a semi-automatic welding for body works reviews of users has the most positive.

Transformer units

They are used in places where there is no need for frequent transportation of the device and there is enough space for its installation.

Design and characteristics of the welding semi-automatic

The device we are considering constructively consists of the following elements:

• Power supply (transformer, rectifier or inverter);
• Current and wire control system;
• Wire feeder;
• Welding hose for gas and wire feeding;
• Burners.

In addition, the welding machine is equipped with a cable mass. Some units are equipped with a welding function using simple piece electrodes and are equipped with a special cable-holder of the electrode.

And for welding, it is also necessary to purchase a reducer and a shielding gas cylinder. These accessories, as a rule, semi-automatic welding are not completed, and they should be purchased separately.

There are the following types of wire feeder:

• Pushing when the drive located in the machine pushes the welding wire into the sleeve;
• Pulling mechanism when the drive is in the handle of the burner.
• Pulling-pushing or combined type in household devices is used extremely rarely.

Welding wire

The diameter of the welding wire can be 0.6-2.0 mm. It is wound on a reel, which is installed inside the welding unit. The wire passes through the feed mechanism, the welding sleeve and the burner.

There are wires:

• Steel;
• Stainless;
• Aluminum.

Each type has a different chemical composition and is designed for welding under various conditions.

When joining a black metal, the welded seam is made more quality if a steel wire with a copper coating is used, due to which the best electrical contact is provided. During operation, the voltage and current jumps decrease. Feedback from masters confirm this.

When cooking aluminum, it is necessary to use a suitable wire and argon mixture or argon as a shielding gas.

Still there is a powder (flux) wire, the work of which is possible at all without protective gas. It looks like a thin tube, inside of which there is a flux. When it burns, a gas is formed, which protects the welding site from oxidation. The seam that is obtained when using a flux wire is not as good. The only plus is the lack of a balloon with protective gas.

Main settings

• The duration of the start-up (abbreviated PT) is a parameter that indicates the percentage of the welding machine's operating time within 10 minutes. So, for example, the MF 60% at a current of 300 A means that at a given current, before the shutdown, the unit is able to work for 6 minutes, after which it will switch off by overheating, and it will require some interruption to work for cooling. Therefore, the higher this value, the better the semi-automatic welding for bodywork.
• Power consumption is a value that indicates how much power a welding machine consumes from the electrical network. Based on this parameter, you can find out whether the connected unit will withstand the dacha or garage network.

How to choose a welding semi-automatic machine?

In order to make it easier to determine which semi-automatic welding machine is best, you first need to know the tasks that this device will perform. If it is planned to cook extremely thin sheet metal, it is recommended to purchase the most ordinary unit. For cooking thick metal structures it is better to pay attention to welding semiautomatic machines having the functions "2 in 1". They can cook with conventional piece electrodes.

When buying, pay your attention to the power consumption of the model and find out whether the electric grid will sustain such a consumer. Also determine how often the transfer of the welding semi-automatic is planned. If you do not plan to move frequently, you can purchase a semi-automatic welding transformer for bodywork. Ask the seller about the availability of spare parts and consumables for the chosen model.