MK Products CobraMAX - Manual (Page 7)

CobraMAX™ Owner's Manual - Page iii
acute sunburn; those from gas-shielded
arcs are more severe and painful.
DON’T GET BURNED; COMPLY WITH
PRECAUTIONS.
1. Protective Clothing
Wear long-sleeve clothing in addition to
gloves, hat, and shoes. As necessary,
use additional protective clothing such
as leather jacket or sleeves, flameproof
apron, and fire-resistant leggings. Avoid
outer garments of untreated cotton.
Bare skin protection. Wear dark,
substantial clothing. Button collar to
protect chest and neck, and button
pockets to prevent entry of sparks.
2. Eye and Head Protection
Protect eyes from exposure to arc. Eyes
may be damaged by radiant energy
when exposed to the electric arc, even
when not looking in the direction of the
arc. Never look at an electric arc without
protection.
Welding helmet or shield containing a
filter plate shade no. 12 or denser must
be used when welding. Place over face
before striking arc.
Protect filter plate with a clear cover
plate.
Cracked or broken helmet or shield
should NOT be worn; radiation can be
passed through to cause burns.
Cracked, broken, or loose filter plates
must be replaced IMMEDIATELY.
Replace clear cover plate when broken,
pitted, or spattered.
Flash goggles with side shields MUST
be worn under the helmet to give some
protection to the eyes should the helmet
not be lowered over the face before an arc
is struck. Looking at an arc momentarily
with unprotected eyes (particularly a high
intensity gas-shielded arc) can cause a
retinal burn that may leave a permanent
dark area in the field of vision.
3. Protection of nearby Personnel
Enclose the welding area. For production
welding, a separate room or enclosed
bay is best. In open areas, surround
the operation with low-reflective,
noncombustible screens or panels. Allow
for free air circulation, particularly at
floor level.
Viewing the weld. Provide face shields
for all persons who will be looking directly
at the weld.
Others working in area. See that all
persons are wearing flash goggles.
Before starting to weld, make sure that
screen flaps or bay doors are closed.
B. Toxic Fume Prevention
Comply with precautions in 1-2B.
Generator engine exhaust must be
vented to the outside air. Carbon
monoxide can kill.
C. Fire and Explosion Prevention
Comply with precautions in 1-2C.
Equipment’s rated capacity. Do not
overload arc welding equipment. It may
overheat cables and cause a fire.
Loose cable connections may overheat
or flash and cause afire.
Never strike an arc on a cylinder or
other pressure vessel. It creates a brittle
area that can cause a violent rupture
or lead to such a rupture later under
rough handling.
D. Compressed Gas Equipment
Comply with precautions in 1-2D.
E. Shock Prevention
Exposed electrically hot conductors or
other bare metal in the welding circuit,
or in ungrounded, electrically-HOT
equipment can fatally shock a person
whose body becomes a conductor. DO
NOT STAND, SIT, LIE, LEAN ON, OR
TOUCH a wet surface when welding
without suitable protection.
To protect against shock:
Keep body and clothing dry. Never
work in damp area without adequate
insulation against electrical shock. Stay
on a dry duckboard, or rubber mat when
dampness or sweat cannot be avoided.
Sweat, sea water, or moisture between
body and an electrically HOT part -
or grounded metal - reduces the body
surface electrical resistance, enabling
dangerous and possibly lethal currents
to flow through the body.
1. Grounding the Equipment
When installing, connect the frames of
each unit such as welding power source,
control, work table, and water circulator
to the building ground. Conductors must
be adequate to carry ground currents
safely. Equipment made electrically HOT
by stray currents may shock, possibly
fatally. Do NOT GROUND to electrical
conduit, or to a pipe carrying ANY gas or
a flammable liquid such as oil or fuel.
Three-phase connection. Check phase
requirement of equipment before
installing. If only three-phase power
is available, connect single-phase
equipment to only two wires of the
three-phase line. Do NOT connect the
equipment ground lead to the third (live)
wire, or the equipment will become
electrically HOT - a dangerous condition
that can shock, possibly fatally.
Before welding, check ground for
continuity. Be sure conductors are
touching bare metal of equipment frames
at connections.
If a line cord with a ground lead is provided
with the equipment for connection to
a switch box, connect the ground lead
to the grounded switch box. If a three-
prong plug is added for connection to a
grounded mating receptacle, the ground
lead must be connected to the ground
prong only. If the line cord comes with a
three-prong plug, connect to a grounded
mating receptacle. Never remove the
ground prong from a plug, or use a plug
with a broken ground prong.
2. Connectors
Fully insulated lock-type connectors
should be used to join welding cable
lengths.
3. Cables
Frequently inspect cables for wear,
cracks, and damage. IMMEDIATELY
REPLACE those with excessively worn
or damaged insulation to avoid possibly
lethal shock from bared cable. Cables
with damaged areas may be taped to
give resistance equivalent to original
cable.
Keep cable dry, free of oil and grease, and
protected from hot metal and sparks.
4. Terminals and other Exposed
Parts
Terminals and other exposed parts of
electrical units should have insulating
covers secured before operation.
5. Electrode Wire
Electrode wire becomes electrically HOT
when the power switch of gas metal-arc
welding equipment is ON and welding
gun trigger is pressed. Keep hands
and body clear of wire and other HOT
parts.
6. Safety Devices
Safety devices such as interlocks
and circuit breakers should not be
disconnected or shunted out.
Before installation, inspection, or service
of equipment, shut OFF all power, and
remove line fuses (or lock or red-tag
switches) to prevent accidental turning
ON of power. Disconnect all cables from
welding power source, and pull all 115
volts line-cord plugs.
Do not open power circuit or change
polarity while welding. If, in an
emergency, it must be disconnected,
guard against shock burns or flash from
switch arcing.
Leaving equipment unattended. Always
shut OFF, and disconnect all power to
equipment.
Power disconnect switch must be
available near the welding power
source.