The welding inverter is a technological solution that implements a power circuit according to a new principle. As a result, more stable operation of the device is ensured, which is due to an easier process of igniting the electric arc, as well as high level stability of its combustion.
Application area
Initially welding work could be carried out only through two types of equipment: transformers and rectifiers. But each of these options is characterized by certain nuances that make their operation difficult, for example, large dimensions. Inverter devices First of all, they stand out from a number of similar equipment due to their relatively small size, which allows you to freely use them at home.
Another significant advantage of such devices is the ability to use them without any special restrictions. So, welding inverter freely used in different types welding (electric arc, plasma). This can be a process of manual arc, argon-arc, plasma, or semi-automatic welding. Devices of this type deservedly gained wide popularity due to their light weight and easy control.
Review of existing versions
The welding inverter is characterized by step-by-step energy conversion:
- the power supply voltage supplied to the device is rectified, for which a rectifier is provided in the design;
- DC voltage is converted back into an AC equivalent, but with different characteristics - high frequency;
- then the value of this parameter decreases;
- the high-frequency voltage is rectified again.
These difficulties in the process of operation made it possible to make the welding inverter small-sized, making it possible to carry out welding at home. The classification of such devices is carried out on the basis of differences in operating current values:
- Household executions.
- Professional purpose.
- Industrial inverter devices.
Classification of inverters
When wondering which of the options just named is better, you must first know what they are fundamental differences. For example, household versions are more suitable for use at home or in the garage, since they are not intended for prolonged use. If you choose this option, the welding current will vary from 120 to 200A. Moreover, in most cases, 160 A is sufficient for operation.
A professional device produces operating current greater value: from 200 to 300A. Such an inverter can be used for long-term loads, for example, for pipe welding and installation work.
An even more productive design option is industrial welding machines, which is due to a wide range of current values: from 250 to 500A. This type of equipment is not intended for home use. In addition, there are different designs that differ in the type of current: single-phase and three-phase versions.
What parameters to pay attention to
First of all, the tasks that are planned to be solved using equipment of this type are determined. If necessary, such devices are usually designed for 20-30 minutes. welding, after which you need to take a break. Next, a model with a suitable range of operating current values is selected. This parameter is influenced by the quality of the mains voltage: the less stable it is (read, it drops lower in value, for example, to 210V), the higher the welding current is required.
In these conditions, it is necessary to pay attention to 200A welding machines. In addition, when choosing such equipment for your home, you should also take into account the thickness of the metal with which you plan to work: the higher the value of this parameter, the greater the welding current should be.
The “phase” of the device is also taken into account. If you choose a single-phase version, you can connect it to the mains via a regular outlet. Three-phase versions, in turn, provide higher quality work. Another important parameter– method of wire feeding. You can choose an inverter for your home with a built-in mechanism, but there are also models with a remote wire feed unit.
In addition to other parameters, the range of electrode diameters declared by the manufacturer with which the device can work is also taken into account. It is equally important to pay attention to additional features, for example, whether there is protection against voltage surges. Most of these devices are also characterized by the “anti-stick” “forced start” function.
The best manufacturers
When deciding for yourself which option is better to choose, you should also take into account the brand of the device. One of the leaders is the manufacturer FUBAG. The main feature of its products is its very wide range supply voltage: from 85 to 265V. In addition, the design provides special protection, which makes the welding inverter for the home practically insensitive to changes in the network.
manufacturer FUBAG
The best devices of this type are produced by the manufacturer Brima. This brand has been on the market for a very long time. And the popularity of the product is due to high quality welding, which is not affected by changes in the network. Whenever short circuit During operation, the voltage will drop to a minimum. Another one famous brand- Kemppi. But it is quite possible to choose Russian analogues of this type, for example, Fast and Furious, Neon.
Their distinguishing feature– high-quality components, sophisticated design. If the task is to choose welding machine for the home, in some cases it is better to turn to Russian designs; in addition, their cost is lower than their foreign analogues.
Nuances of operation
The operation of such equipment is designed for certain conditions. Typically, the manufacturer specifies the temperature range at which welding is allowed. In addition, it is necessary to work intermittently. If the welding machine is turned on in hot weather (30-40 degrees), the operating time should be shorter, and the machine’s “rest” time, on the contrary, should increase.
Some models have automatic switching on fan only when heated. You should not rely on automatic shutdown of the device in case of overheating, because there is a risk of the temperature sensor failing and then you may not know that it is time to take a break.
An inverter for a home is selected based on the degree of protection; accordingly, the device should be operated in dusty rooms very carefully. It is necessary to ensure that water does not get inside either. When connecting the device, it is recommended to avoid cables that are too long (more than 5 m), as well as wires of inappropriate cross-section (less than 1 sq. mm).
The device is periodically purged compressed air, which allows you to remove accumulated dust. It is better to check the connection of the welding cable (current inserts), otherwise they may burn, and monitor the condition of the wire insulation.
Thus, for work at home, you should select inverter versions within the operating current of no more than 200A, sometimes a lower value is sufficient. The most popular model is the 160A device. When deciding which option is better, you should pay attention to the brand of the product, the current flow (single-phase, three-phase), as well as the method of wire feeding, the presence additional functions. But careful operation will help extend the life of the device.
Connection diagram of a 3-phase network to the Svarog TIG 200P AC_DC inverter
The work algorithm will be like this:
1. If you plug a standard plug into 220v, then the starter K1 (25A per contact) is triggered, which with one pair of contacts restores the wire we cut that goes to the ON/OFF switch of the welding machine.
And its second pair of contacts will close the track cuts we made to printed circuit board, which supply power voltage to a standard single-phase full-wave rectifier.
K1 is not needed for anything else. It only restores the original power circuit of the welding machine after cutting two wires and two tracks. (although there is one more function - K1 does not allow the standard swarApp plug to be energized when it is connected to three-phase power. This is very good!)
2. Starter K2 (10A per contact) is used to connect the three-phase power supply to the device circuit. It is smaller and cheaper, since it requires the short circuit of only two wires, which we will pass through paired 10A contact groups. Actually, that's all.
First, I bought three-phase sockets 3p+N+E, which means four phase and neutral contacts and a fifth ground. I bought a four-core wire with a diameter of 2.5 mm per core. I planned to place the rectifier diodes on the radiator inside the svarApp. However, as I worked, I came up with a more elegant and secure solution.
The idea was that I would place a 3-phase rectifier in a separate box directly next to the input panel, and send the already rectified voltage to the welding unit through one wire, through the second any of the phases to the SwarApp electronics startup circuit (without this there is no way), through the third NULL, and I still have a fourth wire left, through which I will attach a real honest GROUND from the input panel to the body of the device (I actually have it in the input panel).
This way I can provide all types of security for the user and svarAppa, plugs and sockets can be supplied with four pins, i.e. 3p+E. I found this more convenient.
To prevent the diodes from being energized “day and night” in the panel, and for convenience, of course, I connected them through a cheap 40A load switch. This is not an automatic machine, they are enough together with the RCD in the main panel, it is just a three-pin switch. The diodes are suitable “for every taste and color,” I had D242B from one batch in the trash, I paralleled them and screwed them onto a radiator from some old computer processor.
I took copper wires, also collected scraps from around the house, folded the thinner ones in pairs - put one end into a screwdriver and twisted them: it came out in a nice, stiff braid. The total cross-section of copper is 2mm2. Doesn't make much sense anymore. It is very convenient to take copper with one thick core. It will immediately serve as a rigid structure and will be clamped more correctly into the terminal blocks. Yes, and prepare a soldering iron of 60-100 watts so that you can do the assembly efficiently wherever necessary, we are not Chinese.
Now, we call upon all our attentiveness to help and do as I said:
(for those who are still swimming in our topic and have forgotten the rules of sapper equipment)
STEP 1.
Upgrade STEP 1
We place the 25A starter in a place convenient for it (we don’t even fasten it if the wires are rigid), estimate by eye at what distance it is better to cut off the phase and neutral in the condom that go to the ON/OFF switch and... feel free to cut it off with a saber!
We clean the resulting stumps from the braid, beautifully tin them and clamp them into the two upper terminal blocks K1 in the photo.
Hint - before step 1, prepare and screw a suitable wire to the K1 coil and immediately solder it to the ends of the neutral and phase coming from the RF interference filter (this is the lower cut piece in the photo).
Feel free to clamp these ends to the starter coil terminals in any
ok. If you have done step 1, then you can plug the welder's wire into the socket and make sure that it continues to work as before, the only thing that pisses us off at first is that when the wire is plugged into the socket, the starter click is heard. This makes you flinch at first, but then you get used to it.
Upgrade STEP 2
We take a hacksaw blade in our hands and carefully, with a width of at least 1.5 mm, deeper into the textolite, we cut the tracks that go to a pair of fours of yellow wires in the connectors. Here, closer, pay attention - there is a small yellow circle around the varistor contact, which we cut (the black line indicates the former track). And the red stripe is a jumper that you need to remember to solder later! Otherwise, transient pulse voltage surges will not be suppressed.
On the right, the contacts of the relay (white) are circled in an oval, which closes with some delay after power is supplied to the svarApp. These, in fact, are all the control points to which our attention will be drawn in further manipulations. And then we lay out the wires from K1 to close the cut we made with its contacts. Without completely turning off our heads, we trust our straight hands...
That's where we laid it out, and here we soldered the ends. (NOT FORGETING ABOUT THE JUMPER FROM THE VARISTOR! Not visible in the photo?)
Turn on the device again and make sure it is full time job from a single-phase network.
And now, a simple but very important moment. We solder to the ends of the cut tracks (the ones on the left most in the photo, going to the rectifier) a two-core, thin wire that goes to the K2 coil. We connect the K2 contacts in pairs with four short (orange) jumpers.
In the photo, we twist the right contacts of K2 with short wires and clamp them together with the contacts of K1, going to the same place from where the wire was thrown onto the K2 coil.
The wire that is in " ordinary life“goes first to the “white rely”, the black one, we will put on it (in three-phase connection) any phase we select for powering the svarAppa starting electronics. And we solder the wire that goes without a break from ON/OFF (thick red) to the standard rectifier through the yellow leads in the white connectors to the NULL-left wire from our three-phase socket.
We carefully look at the diagram and, with a smart expression on our face, poke the tester into the terminals, checking that the wiring matches the diagram.
If you are completely convinced that “everything is according to the scheme”, then assemble\neatly bend the reins from K1 and K2, place the SwarAppa inside, admire and once again make sure that it still works from one phase! There's no need to be lazy...
Upgrade STEP 3
STEP 3. The most interesting and exciting.
I first did it right on the operating table. The blue braided wire, trimmed by the frame, is soldered to the yellow/blue braided wire and screwed to the radiator (plus) of the three-phase rectifier (it is temporary). This power plus goes to the paired contacts of the K2 starter (clearly visible in the photo). On K1 from a 3-phase socket there is a phase/zero pair and a power zero.
ATTENTION!
Let me remind you that in this PHOTO there is a socket with 5 contacts; later, when I move the rectifier into the panel, the socket will be four-pin. (see diagram)
SO, we supply three phases to a homemade welding machine, and switch ON/OFF to ON! The starters clicked... And everything worked!!
Upgrade STEP 4
We plug in the power cables, unscrew...
Wow! on the 202A current handle, in the barn we find the thickest and oldest electrode. My 4 turned out to be rotten with mold since perestroika.
Homemade three-phase welding machine: STEP 4 - Homemade welding
We grab a black piece of iron, where it is 10mm thick, shamelessly push it and press the electrode... In the first moment it sticks, water and mushrooms boil out of it with a hiss (really, it smells like soup!) and...... with full pressure for three to four seconds Let's burn the through hole! We experience our first joy/pride, and over the next couple of evenings we thoughtfully and slowly experiment with our beauty in different poses and modes…..
Upgrade STEP 5 (Cleaning and packaging the assembled circuit)
We carefully and finally lay out the wires and starters. Sparing no effort, we will pull in different sides simulating a hard fall of SwarApp from the roof. If no starter touches the surrounding pieces of iron with its contacts, then everything is reliable.
The final touch is to tighten it where possible, with tourniquets (I had green ones, I don’t remember where I expropriated them). We admire it and get to work designing the wire output for the three-phase socket.
We bring out four wires approximately to the center of the top of a homemade three-phase inverter. This is a +250v wire from a three-phase rectifier, NULL, any one phase, and we screw the yellow wire with a green stripe to the device body, this will be our “honest ground”. We remove a small piece of braid from the power cable and wrap it around all the cables in the place where they will pass through the hole in the inverter cover, and wrap it with insulation.
Below is a photo of the new four-pin sockets/plugs, a 40A load switch and cozy house for radiator with rectifier diodes from MAKEL (by the way, with a poetic name - “siva-ostyu-sigorta-kutusyu”). In Russian, everything is more prosaic - Electrical panel of the Invoice.
Using a 14th drill, we drill a hole in the svarApp cover for the output of our power leads, screw one of the sockets, screw the ends of the wires, etc. and so on…
Here's what happened:
Homemade three-phase welding machine: What happened...
Homemade three-phase inverter from Svarog
We make preliminary preparations for the connection of the second socket and the panel with the rectifier and load switch, use a tester to check that there are no tangled wires in the sockets and go to screw the panel onto the wall.
This is what happened in the “panel room”.
The right connector - there is a 3ph + N + E socket - this is for connecting ordinary 3-phase devices. But the left one is exclusively for our delight.
That's all, actually. Currently, I burned an argon cylinder while playing with SwarApp in 3 phases. Works flawlessly.
Check out the reviews store:  SVAROG ARC 205 CASE, welders about the operation of the device — check if there is a discount on the device today — find reviews about other equipment. |
Answer:
Only one thing can be said for sure - there are no household three-phase inverters, so you are going to purchase a semi-professional or professional level. These models are characterized by;
. Large range of output welding current (up to three hundred Amperes for semi-professional machines and over three hundred Amperes for “professionals”);
. Ability to weld metal large thickness(up to 1 centimeter for semi-professional models and very thick for professional inverters);
. Ability to work with different thicknesses electrodes (for household models, the wire diameter is limited to 4 millimeters, and most often the welder is forced to work in threes);
. Great functionality (including various security functions and functions that increase user convenience during operation);
. Higher level of protection from external influences;
. Large weight and dimensions (the weight of a “professional” can reach 50-60 kilograms, while household welding inverters weigh on average from 4 to 7 kilograms);
. Higher cost of the equipment itself.
Be that as it may, three-phase welding machines open up enormous possibilities for the welder and sometimes allow them to work real miracles. If you really want to purchase a three-phase welding inverter and your budget allows it, then it is better to choose a professional model of a well-deserved domestic or European manufacturer. Among domestic “professionals” we advise you to make a choice in favor. And if you prefer a European instrument, then ideal solution will become Finnish.
If the budget is not calculated for a professional model, and there is no point in buying it, then look for a semi-professional three-phase welding inverter among or. And Svarog and Kemppi also have quite decent semi-professional tools in their assortment, it’s just that FoxWeld, for example, has a larger selection of such equipment.
The Kuvalda.ru online store offers three-phase welding inverters that meet the requirements and quality standards. With us you can pay for goods by non-cash payment or in cash or by card. The catalog of three-phase welding inverters is constantly expanding and supplemented with the newest models. Our online store offers convenient and fast delivery throughout Moscow and the Moscow region. To quickly search for products, use the search function by categories, sections and subsections, as well as in the search bar by search word or number. Experienced managers will help you navigate the presented products and tell you technical details and delivery conditions. Thanks to our wide range of three-phase welding inverters, you will find everything you need. We are happy to answer your questions about our prices and range. We welcome your suggestions and wishes to improve our service.
380-volt welding machines are common in manufacturing and construction because of their power and ease of use. The use of three-phase devices allows you to work with electrodes of large diameters and metals of maximum thickness.
Welding is softer compared to single-phase machines. When working as part of production lines, three-phase equipment is also used.
Three-phase welding machines come in three types:
- transformer;
- rectifying;
- inverter
Welding equipment of the first type is based on a three-phase transformer. The primary winding consists of three windings connected in a star, and the secondary step-down winding is connected in a delta.
If used for welding alternating current, then a reduced voltage is supplied from each phase of the secondary winding via a separate wire to the electrode through the inductor. Compared to single-phase welding transformer welding is softer, the electric arc becomes more stable, and the voltage drop is less.
The rectifiers at the output of the secondary winding have three half-bridge circuits assembled from powerful diodes. As in the first case, current is supplied from each rectifier to the welding electrode.
Compared to a rectifier in one phase, pulsations are significantly less; accordingly, the welding current is more stable, which affects the quality of welding.
In three-phase inverters with the same welding power, you can use less powerful diodes and transistors, but this is practically not done. On the contrary, the use of three-phase voltage makes it possible to obtain high-power devices with small dimensions and weight.
Advantages and disadvantages
All three-phase welding equipment belongs to the category professional devices. Many of them are capable of welding in continuous mode, that is, the duty cycle is 100%. In construction, three-phase transformer and rectifier welding machines still have no alternatives.
They are not afraid of dust, dirt, and work at low temperatures, which is contraindicated for inverters. Single-phase transformer-type devices can also operate under the same conditions, but they have less power and more current ripple.
Accordingly, they cannot compare with three-phase devices in terms of welding quality, electrode diameter and thickness of the metal being welded.
The use of three-phase current in inverters also has its advantages. Using the same element base, you get a more powerful device with higher welding currents, which allows you to work with almost any product.
The device circuit differs slightly. The same pulse width modulator is used. The conversion of high to low voltage occurs at a frequency of about 40-100 kHz.
The only drawback of these devices is that it is not always and not everywhere possible to connect to a three-phase 380 V power source, and their price is much higher than that of single-phase devices.
Popular models
380 V is the most common device among professional devices. Unlike transformer devices, they have small dimensions and weight.
The Czech-made TESLA MIG 350 semi-automatic welding machine has proven itself when working in difficult conditions. In case of unstable or reduced supply voltage, it provides a stable welding arc, operates at a voltage of 380 V, and the maximum welding current is 350 A.
Feed mechanism welding wire The device has two rollers, power consumption is 11.9 kW. The power reserve allows the use of long cables up to 20 m. Bayonet plugs ensure reliable and quick connection of the torch to the device. The manufacturer provides a three-year warranty on the equipment.
Another example of a professional three-phase inverter is Svarog ARCTIC ARC 315 (R14). It works in harsh conditions, allows you to weld in intensive manual mode and perform surfacing. Thanks to the use of the latest inverter technology, the device can operate at temperatures down to -30 ⁰С. There is a “hot start” function.
Separate installation of power transistors increases the maintainability of the device. At maximum welding current 315 A inverter can use electrodes with a diameter of 6 mm. This allows you to weld metals up to 17 mm thick. With a power of 12 kW it weighs 22 kg.
The three-phase inverter welding machine "Resanta SAI-315 380V" has approximately the same characteristics as the "Svarog", but fewer additional functions. It is simpler, therefore cheaper and weighs only 10 kg.
Connection
Unlike single-phase welding equipment, three-phase welding equipment has a four or five-pin plug at the end of the power cable. If the room has an appropriate outlet, you just need to connect the welding machine through it.
But sometimes, especially in construction conditions, when there are no appropriate sockets, the ends of the cable through bolted connection connected to phases diesel generator or transformer substation.
When choosing equipment for welding in a home workshop and the presence of a three-phase power supply at the site, it is worth choosing a three-phase welding machine. At the same time, it must provide manual modes arc welding and in protective gases (MMA, MAG/MIG).
Then he will give practically unlimited possibilities in welding. Since they are intended for professionals, they have many additional functions and settings.
As you acquire skills, you can master new capabilities of the device, which will undoubtedly be very useful for the owner. Unlike a single-phase device, it will not sag voltage during operation, distributing the load across all phases, and accordingly there will be no complaints from neighbors.
