Grizzly H8154 owner manual Operations, Operation Safety, Welder Duty Cycle

SECTION 4: OPERATIONS

Operation Safety

Damage to your eyes and lungs could result from using this machine without proper protective gear. Always wear safety glasses, welder's helmet, and a respirator when oper- ating this welder.

NOTICE

If you have never used this type of machine or equipment before, WE STRONGLY REC- OMMEND that you read books, trade maga- zines, or get formal training before begin- ning any projects. Regardless of the con- tent in this section, Grizzly Industrial will not be held liable for accidents caused by lack of training.

Welder Duty Cycle

As the welder produces the desired power output for the welding operation, some of the power is converted to heat. In order to protect the welder components from over-heating, each welder has an established duty cycle. The duty cycle is vari- able depending upon the amperage output being used.

A duty cycle is the number of minutes out of 10 minutes that the welder can safely operate at the current amperage output without over-heating. For instance, the Model H8154 has a stick duty cycle of 35% at 130A output. This means that the welder can operate continuously for 3.5 minutes at 130A output, then the arc must be stopped for at least 6.5 minutes to allow the welder to cool off before starting the arc again. It is important to leave the main power to the welder ON so that the cooling fan can speed the cooling process.

The Model H8154 operates with an efficient cool- ing fan (at the rear of the welder) and has an internal thermostat that will shut the welder down if the maximum duty cycle has been reached. Shutdown will be evident by the loss of welding circuit and the illumination of the yellow warning light on the face of the welder. When the welder has cooled sufficiently, the internal thermostat will re-establish the welding circuit and the yellow warning light will go out.

Note: Most electrodes used with stick welding are consumed within a few minutes, so the welder has a chance to cool down when the welding cir- cuit is stopped to install a new electrode.

However, with TIG welding, the operator needs to plan his work within the duty cycle constraints of the welder.

Always treat the welding components as if they carry live welding current, even when the welder reaches the duty cycle limit and shuts down. When the welder re-establishes the welding current, the electrode and work leads will immediately carry live welding cur- rent. Ignoring this warning could result in death or serious personal injury.

-10- H8154 AC/DC Stick/TIG Welder