Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm waiting for delivery of a new Millermatic 255, so I've been passing time reading about different modes of transfer. I found a short article about the use of .045 metal-core wire with 90/10 gas being used on pulse transfer for mild steel down to .060". That really caught my eye, if it can really be done?

What I was looking for was information about running out of position welds on pulse and stumbled onto this article saying that metal-core wire could be run downhill on everything .060-.500". Never having run any pulse weld, I'm really looking forward to doing some experimenting. The thought of a .045" wire welding on .060" material seems pretty far out there to me, but I guess it might be because the wire is essentially hollow?

Anybody ever do or see anything close to that before? My imagination sees maybe 1/4-1/2", but thinner than that?

no idea with metal core, but i do have pulse aluminium mig and thats does thin metal. i've done 0.078" and thats the biggest it does on pulse. incidentally thats using similar sized wire.

i havn't tried it on steel. this machine is a basic one and only has al pulse program.
family got a EWM machine that will do pulse on everything which i will have to have a play with one day.

I have always heard of metal core wire being used for high deposition applications like rebuilding excavation equipment. I have never seen it used on gauge thickness material. Can you post a link to the article?

The big Miller XMT's have pulsed-metal core programs, so it definitely is possible. Your MM255 doesn't have it pre-programmed though.

Metal core wire is spray transfer. Not the best for light material. Flat and horizontal only for metal core wire.

snoeproe wrote:Flat and horizontal only for metal core wire.

Except when ran using pulsed-spray.