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What is the Duty Cycle in Welding?
Duty Cycle
In this video Andrew Bosco from Dynaweld explains the welding duty cycle.
At Dynaweld we are Welding Supplies Experts and can help you out with all your welding needs.
Whatever size your job is, we can offer expert and caring advice.
What is the Duty Cycle in Welding?
The concept of a welding Duty Cycle can be hard to understand for many people who are new to it.
The duty cycle is very important on a welding machine. It is the proportion of time that a device on intermittent duty is operating, rather than remaining idle.
Basically it is how long you can run the welder over a given amount of time. It is the measurement of the welder’s performance over a 10 minute cycle.
How is it calculated?
The time is expressed as a percentage on the specification plate of a welding machine. The duty cycle is that measurement of time – of the machine’s welding performance – at a particular amperage. The Australian Standard calls for a 10 minute period calculated at 40 degrees centigrade.
For example: A DIY welder on a smaller job may have a 20% duty cycle at the maximum amperage of the machine, possibly 150 amps. 2 minutes is 20% of 10 minutes which means the machine can weld non stop at those 150 amps. 30% would mean 3 minutes.
Another quoted duty cycle on the specification plate refers to what amperage the welder can weld at for 100% of the time. This is for a full 10 minutes. This is good to know if you need to weld nonstop for that time. It is informing you what amperage you can do that on safely.
What else the duty cycle tells you
The duty cycle also indicates the remainder of time the machine would need to cool off. Temperature sensors shut the machine off at the duty cycle. This prevents overheating.
The duty cycle goes up the lower your amperage is.
Which means you have more welding time.
Welding machines and varying duty cycles are matched to the welding task at hand. If you have a lot of welding hours to do all in one session – then you’re going to need the highest duty cycle that you can get.
Understanding the different duty cycles
A DIY welder working on small jobs with shorter welding runs – ie. working on a car panel – would find that a low duty cycle is more than adequate. For gutsier jobs – ie. structural steelwork and long beams that support buildings – a machine that has a much higher duty cycle is required.
In Australia our temperatures change dramatically with the seasons and across locations. From the heat of the desert in the middle of Woop Woop to down south in the snow.
This too, can impact the duty cycle of the machine that you are working with. In the cooler months of winter, the machine will perform for longer. During summer, this can change to shorter periods because the machine needs more time to cool down.
There’s a bit of mathematics in it but it’s all very important info to know. Getting the right advice that you can understand helps!
At Dynaweld we can help you wrap your head around the duty cycle.
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