Lincoln Electric POWER WAVE 455TM IM583-A - Manual (Page 17)

B-5 OPERATION B-5
WELDING ADJUSTMENTS
All adjustments are made on the system component
known as the control box, which contains the switch-
es, knobs and digital displays necessary to control
both the Power Wave and a Power Feed wire feeder.
Typically, the control box is supplied as part of the
wire feeder. It can be mounted directly on the wire
feeder itself, or mounted separately, as might be done
in a welding boom installation.
Because the control box can be configured with many
different options, your system may not have all of the
following adjustments. Regardless of availability, all
controls are described below. For further information,
consult the Power Feed wire feeder instruction manual.
1. WFS / AMPS:
In synergic welding modes (synergic CV, pulse
GMAW) WFS (wire feed speed) is the dominant
control parameter, controlling all other variables.
The user adjusts WFS according to factors such as
weld size, penetration requirements, heat input, etc.
The Power Wave then uses the WFS setting to
adjust its output characteristics (output voltage, out-
put current) according to pre-programmed settings
contained in the Power Wave. In non-synergic
modes, the WFS control changes the wire feed
speed according to the desired procedure.
In constant current modes (stick, TIG) this control
adjusts the output current, in amps.
2. VOLTS / TRIM:
In constant voltage modes (synergic CV, standard
CV) the control adjusts the welding voltage.
In pulse synergic welding modes (pulse GMAW
only) the user can change the Trim setting to adjust
the arc length. It is adjustable from 0.500 to 1.500.
A Trim setting of 1.000 is a good starting point for
most conditions.
3. WELDING MODE:
May be selected by name (CV/MIG, CC/Stick Crisp,
Gouge, etc.) or by a mode number (10, 24, 71, etc.)
depending on the control box options. Selecting a
welding mode determines the output characteristics
of the Power Wave power source. For a more
complete description of the welding modes avail-
able in the Power Wave, see the explanation
below.
4. ARC CONTROL:
Also known as Inductance or Wave Control. Allows
operator to vary the arc characteristics from “soft”
to “harsh” in all weld modes. It is adjustable from -
10.0 to +10.0, with a nominal setting of 00.0. (The
nominal setting of 00.0 may be displayed as OFF
on some Power Feed wire feeder control panels.)
See the Welding Mode descriptions, below, for
detailed explanations of how the Arc Control affects
each mode.
DETAILED WELD MODE DESCRIPTIONS
CONSTANT VOLTAGE (CV/WELD, CV/MIG,
CV/FLUX CORED) PROCEDURES
For each wire feed speed, a corresponding voltage is
preprogrammed into the machine through special soft-
wares at the factory. This preprogrammed voltage is
the best average voltage for the procedure at the
given wire feed speed. If the wire feed speed is
changed on the wire feeder, the voltage automatically
changes with it.
In some cases, the operator may want to change the
preprogrammed voltages; for example, to compensate
for cable and fixture voltage drops. The preset volt-
ages can be adjusted on the wire feeder’s Voltage
display. When a change is made to the voltage at
one wire feed speed, this change is applied to all
other wire feed speed settings. For example, if the
operator turns up the voltage by 10 percent, the
machine automatically increases the preset voltages
at all the other wire feed speeds by 10 percent. The
preset voltage, programmed at the factory, may be
changed with the wire feeder VOLTS adjustment.
The Arc Control adjusts the inductance. (This adjust-
ment is often referred to as “pinch”. Inductance is
inversely proportional to pinch.) Increasing the Arc
Control setting decreases the inductance, which
results in the arc getting colder and pinched tighter.
Decreasing the Arc Control setting increases the
inductance, which results in the arc getting wider
(reduced pinch).
GMAW PULSE PROCEDURES
In these procedures, the actual voltage greatly
depends on the waveform used. The peak currents,
background currents, rise times, fall times, and pulse
times all affect the actual voltage. The actual voltage
for a given wire feed speed is not directly predictable
unless the waveform is known. In this case, it is not
practical to preset an actual voltage for the procedure.
Instead, an arc length adjustment is provided. The
machine “knows” what the best arc length is at the
given wire feed speed but allows the operator to
change it.
POWER WAVE 455