Mig Welding Wire Speed And Voltage Chart

MIG welding is definitely one of the most popular metal joining processes in the industry right now and it is widely used for a wide range of applications. MIG welding is currently popular for professional as well as personal applications. A lot of DIY enthusiasts also prefer using MIG welding for their projects since this welding method produces strong and reliable joints.

However, you won’t get satisfying results with the process if all the parameters are not set up correctly. While the MIG welding process is definitely easier compared to other welding methods, you will need a core understanding of the process as well as the importance of some crucial factors to get the results that you desire. A lot of MIG welders have trouble with the wire speed and voltage regulation of the machine, both of which can greatly impact the end results.

So, we will be discussing the importance of welding wire feed speed and voltage regulation in detail in today’s guide. Here, you will also find a reference chart that can guide you with perfect values for both feed speed as well as voltage levels for your project. So, make sure you refer to our MIG welding wire speed and voltage chart provided here. We will also discuss some more important factors regarding the same in this guide, so make sure you don’t miss that.

MIG Welding Wire Speed & Voltage Chart

In these charts, we will be comparing the appropriate voltage and wire speed needed for the job. So, you can get a pretty good deal about the setup needed for your project and expect good results by using these wire speed and voltage settings.

But before that, you should make sure that you have the correct welding wire according to the amperage of the machine. Otherwise, changing the voltage or feed speed wouldn’t offer much of a difference. Here’s a basic table for reference according to the usual thickness of the wire.

Now that you have a basic idea about the appropriate wire size for the job, check out this chart to get an idea about the correct voltage level according to the thickness.

You can also get an idea about the suitable wire feed speed based on the comparison presented in the following table. For that, you will also have to consider the voltage and amperage of the setup along with the thickness.

How To Determine MIG Welding Wire Feed Speed?

Even though you can get an approximate idea about the appropriate wire feed speed for your job from the reference table provided above, you can easily calculate the exact wire feed speed that will be perfect for your job. By applying a simple formula and basic multiplication, you can find out the correct wire feed speed to get flawless welds on your job.

To do that, simply multiply the required current of the welding machine by the flame rate by which the wire is being fed to the job. This will give you direct value for appropriate feed speed in inches per minute, or meters per minute based on your unit system.

Ex. Consider that you are working with a 100 amps welding setup and it offers 3 inches flame rate. So to determine the welding speed, simply multiply the 2 units, which will give you 300 inches per minute, the ideal wire feed speed for the job.

Formula For MIG Welding Efficiency

In case you are wondering how long it will take you to finish a certain job based on your wire feed speed, you can do that by applying another simple formula. This formula will basically tell you about the efficiency of your process, based on the welding length and possible length welded per minute.

It is a pretty simple calculation as you only need to count the approximate time taken to finish an inch of the weld and divide it by the total welding length. So if the welding rate is about 4 inches per minute and you are willing to cover about 40 inches of weld, it will take you around 10 minutes to finish the job.

However, keep in mind that this is an approximate calculation and the actual time needed for the job may vary based on many different factors. The time needed to cover an inch of the weld will not be constant throughout the length. Also, you need to consider the duty cycle of the MIG welder for larger jobs in order to get a better idea of the total time required to finish the job.

How To Set Up Wire Feed Speed & Welding Voltage?

Setting up the wire feed speed and the voltage level of the machine is pretty easy. Almost all modern MIG welders have a digital meter to offer precise settings for both the voltage level as well as the wire feed rate. But as for how to select the correct values, it will take you a little bit of experience and understanding of the machine. You can follow some helpful tips that will surely help you along the way.

• Select a common amperage for all welding wires.
• Make sure that the thickness of the workpiece is below 8 inches.
• As for the welding time, consider managing all the settings to get 250 inches per minute feed speed.
• Once you start the welding process, set the voltage level according to the requirement.
• Keep an eye on the tension nuts before starting the process.
• Start the welding again with the right parameters.
• Now, you can easily set up the wire feed speed and voltage based on the results.

Voltage Requirement For MIG Welding

There are many different schools of thought on this particular matter. While a lot of users will suggest that 220 or 230 Volts are required for MIG welding, there are some that believe 240 Volts to be the right voltage level for this job. To be on the safe side, we will also recommend you use 240 Volts for MIG welding on a single-phase connection.

With that being said, you don’t actively need to look out for a MIG welder that specifically says 240 Volts. Technically, 220, 230, and 240 Volts are pretty much the same thing. So, you can buy a 220 or a 2230 Volts MIG welder without any worries and then convert it later to a 240 Volts to get better welding results.

Supported Thickness For 180 Amp MIG Welder

Right now, the most popular MIG welders on the market are 180 Amps MIG welders. If you have also recently purchased a 180 Amps MIG welder, you must be wondering the capabilities of the machine and whether it is suitable for your task or not. In the majority of cases, the compatibility issue is regarding the supported workpiece thickness.

If you have a 180 Amps MIG welder, you should know that these machines are capable of welding up to 3/16 inch or 4.7 mm thick workpiece. The thickness of the weld on the other hand would be around 0.035 inch.

Impact Of Voltage On MIG Welding

The voltage is one of the most crucial factors of MIG welding and it has a drastic effect on the end results, whether it is the reliability of the weld or the compatibility of the given job. The voltage level of the welding process will alter the length of the arc. The arc is basically the gap between the filler wire and the welding surface. As you increase the voltage level, the MIG welding ball will also grow and have an increasing effect on the ratio of width to depth of the weld.

Conclusion

We hope that you have found all the necessary information about MIG welding voltage level and wire feed speed in this guide. Here, we have discussed the importance of both of these factors along with some helpful tips which will surely come in handy for a beginner. You can also refer to our charts for MIG welding wire speed and voltage and get an idea about the suitable parameters for your job. But, you should know that the best way to get a hang of the process is to experiment with different settings around the approximate values to find out the perfect options according to your workpiece material, thickness, and welding length.