Tweco 201 ts Thermal Arc - Manual (Page 16)

THERMAL ARC 161 STL, 201 TS INTRODUCTION
Introduction 2-2 Manual 0-5203
2.06 Duty Cycle
The rated duty cycle of a Welding Power Source, is the percentage of a ten minute time period that it may be operated
at its rated output current without exceeding the temperature limits of the insulation of the component parts. To explain
the 10 minute duty cycle period, suppose a Welding Power Source is designed to operate with a 30% duty cycle at
160 amperes and 26.4 volts. This means that it has been designed and built to provide the rated amperage (160A) for
3 minutes, i.e. arc welding time, out of every 10 minute period (30% of 10 minutes is 3 minutes). During the other 7
minutes of the 10 minute period the Welding Power Source must idle and be allowed to cool.