EWM Phoenix 330 Expert

[Hood]

Got my new (to me) welder from Jim at RH Davey. My step brothers sons had decided to take a trip down to the Isle of Wight to check on the progress of their new 10m Cheetah Catamaran and they picked it up for me on their way home.
Went up this morning to have a try and to be honest I wasn't making much of a job of it, everything was just so different from what I have used before with Alu Mig welding. Have never had a Pulse Mig and although the R-Tech was supposed to be synergic I could never get it working until I tried it in manual mode.

Just couldn't get the EWM dialled in, the pulsing needs a totally different technique it seems and I was struggling
Pic below of my first few welds.

As you can see they are horrendous

 

[Hood]

Well I knew something was far wrong , wire feed seemed far too low as the arc was way inside the torch and I melted the wire to the tip, in fact I actually also melted the tip

Went back to look at the machine, it was kind of dark in the shed where I had it as it was being shaded by the boat. Cleaned my specs and noticed it was on the pure Alu setting Shifted it to Alu Mag and things seemed a bit better but again not great.

Wire feed still seemed low but at least it was improving.
Wound up the wire feed but the welds were way too hot but at least there was an improvement. They were very porous though.

Messed around about reducing the voltage and with widening and focusing the arc and started to get better.

Went back to the welder and noticed the wire feed was on 1.2mm rather than 1mm. I was sure I had had it on 1mm but maybe when I changed to AliMg the machine set it to 1.2 or maybe I am just an idiot.
Set it to 1mm and further improvements and starting to look like a weld.

Still not as good as I hoped but definite improvements.

 

[Hood]

Now that I was kind of getting there started messing around again with voltage settings, focus etc and seemed to find some pretty good settings. The welds, at least to my eyes, were starting to look good.

Bit more messing and I was getting happier

Needed to go and get some work done on the Cheetah Cats wiring so decided I would try one more weld but on 1/4" 6082 rather than the 5mm 5083 that is in the above pics.
Left everything the same except wound the wire feed up so that the machine said 6.5mm and gave it a go.
Came out quite good so finished messing with the EWM for the day and went and did some boat electrics/electronics wiring.

 

[Jim Davey]

When you change a setting it can jump out of program. They all seem to do that sometimes even the newer ones. So it's worth checking its in the right mode/ wire diameter after making a process change.
Looks like good progress, pulse sounds very different and a lot of welders judge a weld largely by sound so it will take a bit of getting used to.
One thing they hate is welding dirty/oxidised metal, so try and keep it on the clean side if you want best results (standard practice on ally anyway)

 

[Hood]

Yes big difference in sound.
Brought the welder home with me tonight as I am taking a day off from the boats so will hopefully get a chance to head to the workshop tomorrow for a wee bit more messing around.

 

[Hood]

BTW all the alu pellets you see in the pics were from the early attempts where I was messing around with the voltage, once I started to get things dialled in there was no spluttering and spattering

 

[Jim Davey]

I like to run a volt or two less than default on ally as I like a bit of wire stick out, I'm not keen on too long an arc as it promotes porosity and you risk melting the end of the tip and a wire jam if the arc gets too long. Plus I find it easier to see if the wire is nearer the puddle.

 

[Hood]

Yes was definitely getting the best results with the voltage slightly less than the default.

Think I need to bump up the Hot Start a bit though as it was just a bit cold for my liking on some of the welds. Never had the machine switched off until I finished messing around so not sure if I change things in the programme whether they will stay that way or not, will find out tomorrow though.


It is going to take some getting used to as all I have ever used is standard Mig welders for Alu but I think I am liking it already and hopefully once I get a bit of practice I will be asking how I ever managed without it

It is heavy though, well probably more awkward than heavy, will have to see if I can rig up a carry strap to throw over my shoulder. Normally when I am moving migs around I haul out the spool gun which makes things easier but with the push/pull I don't really want to have to do that so a strap may help, and I will be able to throw the push pull over the other shoulder

 

[matt1978]

With any type of Pulse welding from any type of manufacturer, you need to have the "arc length" which is the distance from the end of the wire too the weld pool set so the wire is around 1mm off the weld pool. You should occasionally hear the odd crackle.

If you have it too long you will have results like your first posts and if the arc length is too short you will hear a very coarse noise and lots of spatter. Aluminium Pulse is a little harder to master because you will get a very coarse noise of the current is too low and obviously the Aluminium doesn't change colour with heat so it takes a bit of practice to learn to read the weld pool.

Looks like your improving all the time tho

 

[Hood]

Yes pulse is a different animal all together but I was happy with what I achieved today with the hour or so I had messing around.
It was also good in the respect that I was able to see what altering the settings would do, it should be easier tomorrow, if I make it to the workshop, as the welder will be closer and I can adjust them quicker

 

[Hood]

Sadly doesn't look like I am going to make it to the workshop today. Found some mushrooms growing in the cupboard in the upstairs bathroom and have since discovered, after ripping up the flooring, that there is a burst pipe. Have that sorted but need to get it all dried out. Worst part is the mushrooms are not the kind that make you happy

While I was at Screwfix getting some fittings I bought a sack truck. Lightweight Alu folding one, supposed to handle 80Kg and the EWM is just over 45Kg. It does seem a bit flimsy though so I have my doubts but have been needing a lightweight truck anyway so it won't go amiss if it is no use. Will end up making a trolley of some sort when I get a chance anyway.

I bought the R-Tech MTS to get away from heavy welders (Esab L405 @150Kg+) and now I have just started going heavier again with a bloody EWM, I am sure it is going to be worth it though

 

[Hood]

Calling all electrically minded people
Going to get some cable for making an extension lead. The one I have at the moment is ancient with no outer protection at all and it is only 4 core.
I am thinking of the extension being 50m long and it will be 5 core as I like to have a neutral as well but what CSA should I be looking at for this machine and that length? Would 4mm2 be ok? Fuse size in manual is 16Amp.
I was thinking SY or possibly CY would be a decent choice, wee bit of protection but not bulky like SWA.

 

[Jim Davey]

No, you'll need 6mm at least and also it should be 2x 25 metre lengths rather than 1x 50.

 

[Jim Davey]

Ah, 4mm is ok for 16 amp over that length, I'd stick with the 32 amp if it were me though.

 

[Hood]

No, you'll need 6mm at least and also it should be 2x 25 metre lengths rather than 1x 50.

Ah, 4mm is ok for 16 amp over that length, I'd stick with the 32 amp if it were me though.

Ok, probably best with the 6mm, place I was looking only lists 5 core up to a max of 4mm, that was why I was wondering if it would be enough. They do 4 core in 6mm but I really want a neutral so not an option
What would be the reason for 2 x 25m? Just that it can be used as 25m if that is all that is required but can be extended if needed?

 

[Jim Davey]

What do you use that requires a neutral?

And yes, you can get five core in any size you want.

 

[Jim Davey]

You'll have a hell of a time coiling up a 50 metre lead. Also there are rules governing lead lengths, it's to do with voltage drop and not getting enough of a current flow through the earth in the event of a fault to blow a fuse if the cable is too long.

 

[Hood]

What do you use that requires a neutral?

Was just thinking it would be handy to have a 13Amp socket on the end, as well as the 3 phase socket, for a grinder.

[/quote]And yes, you can get five core in any size you want.[/QUOTE]
Yes, was just saying the place I looked at only went up to 4mm and don't like RS's prices

 

[Hood]

You'll have a hell of a time coiling up a 50 metre lead. Also there are rules governing lead lengths, it's to do with voltage drop and not getting enough of a current flow through the earth in the event of a fault to blow a fuse if the cable is too long.

Ok, maybe I am thinking I need longer than I actually do need, will have to measure the one I have at present to see as it is just the about right length.

 

[henry Kadzielski]

Calling all electrically minded people
Going to get some cable for making an extension lead. The one I have at the moment is ancient with no outer protection at all and it is only 4 core.
I am thinking of the extension being 50m long and it will be 5 core as I like to have a neutral as well but what CSA should I be looking at for this machine and that length? Would 4mm2 be ok? Fuse size in manual is 16Amp.
I was thinking SY or possibly CY would be a decent choice, wee bit of protection but not bulky like SWA.

Good morning hood, good to see you have your toy.
I use 4mm 5core leads. I have an extension of 30 meters as the max, as Jim has said above 'try coiling a 50 meter lead'. There is a significant weight problem. Here in Australia we have 415v three phase and 4mm is rated for that. Yes voltage drop has to be concidered, however you are not pulling 32amps through it contneously. The commercial vessels I work on have finally changed over to 6mm flexi leads due to the contineous draw of current. This leeds to heating of the leads and plugs, plugs especially when not fitted correctly. Welding in itself does produce these contineous demands, so I use 4mm without drama. Here 4mm can on short bursts carry more than 32amps.