A welding cable is a piece of equipment used in welding processes to transmit electrical current from a power source (welding machine) to a welding electrode or welding gun. Welding cables should be highly flexible. This way you can not only make your work easier, but also speed it up. Today we will tell you what welding cables to choose and what to consider when choosing.
Check out welding cables at the Onninen installation wholesaler
Differences between welding cables
Welding cables must be resistant to damage and abrasion. At the same time, it must be remembered that welding works involve the use of current, often with a really high intensity. You should also remember that they should be selected depending on the method you work with. Welding cables may have different poles. We distinguish, for example, a welding cable that has a positive pole. In this case, in addition to the cable, a welding wire must also be connected to the handle.
An alternative to this solution is a mass cable. In this case, the negative pole is most often used. When choosing the right cable, you also need to pay attention to its finish. Thanks to it, it can be attached to the welded element. The next type are connection units. In addition to the supply cable, they also have a wire or gas feeder. Remember that the MIG method uses argon, while the MAG method uses carbon dioxide.
How thick should a welding cable be?
The welding cable should be made of copper or its alloys. This way you can achieve maximum work precision. The ending, which takes the form of a handle, is equally important. It is responsible for stabilizing the electrode. If your welding machine has a rating above 350 A, it is best to choose a 50 mm2 welding cable. However, devices with an even wider range of applications, which operate at a maximum current above 500 A, require the use of cables with a larger cross-section, i.e. from 95 to 120 mm2. The cross-section of the cable cannot be too small. At the same time, you must know that at a welding current of up to 100 A, the cross-section is only 6 mm2, while at a current from 100 to 120 A, the cable should have a diameter of 10 mm2.
When the welding current is even higher, e.g. 200 A, a 16 mm2 welding cable should be used. If you use smaller welding machines with a current ranging from 200 to 300 A, just choose a welding cable with a diameter of 35 mm2. The type of wire is also important. SG2 has less silicon and manganese, which ensures maximum versatility, while SG3 is resistant to contamination. For a sheet of metal with a maximum thickness of 1 mm, the wire should have a diameter of 0.8 mm. However, if the sheet metal is 2 to 8 mm thick, then a wire with a diameter of 1.2 mm should be used. In the case of sheet metal with a thickness of 8 to 16 mm, it is best to use a wire with a diameter of 1.6 mm. However, even thicker sheets require the use of wires with a minimum diameter of 2 mm.
What length will be optimal for the welding cable?
The minimum length of welding cables cannot be less than 5 meters. If we measure it from the pressure measurement point to the burner, it should not exceed 20 meters. If you use longer cables, you must correct the power supply. In this case, pressure drops must be taken into account. As the cable length increases and the cross-section remains constant, the resistance and inductance increase. Choosing a longer cable can speed up the work because there is no need to wind it around the coil. For example, for a 160 A welding machine, it is enough to use a 3-meter long cable. Of course, you can also use an extension cord, e.g. for 20 linear meters of cable you should use an extension cord with a 4 mm2 core, for longer lengths the wire should be 6 mm2 or 8 mm2.
Welding cables at the Onninen wholesaler
We recommend high-quality welding cables at the Onninen electrical wholesaler . You can choose the TOP Marki OS1/ONS 1x16 (H01N2-D) welding cable, Top Marki drum . It is made of thick copper wires. As a housing, the manufacturer used a rubber mixture that is oil-resistant and does not spread flames. It works very well in both dry and humid interiors. The permissible ambient temperature when installing this cable is from minus 25 to 80 degrees Celsius. The nominal cross-section of the conductor is 16 mm2.
Also noteworthy is the TOP Marki OS1/ONS 1x50 (H01N2-D) welding cable, Top Marki drum . It has similar strength parameters to the previous cable, but the diameter in this case is 50 mm2. It is intended for connecting welding apparatus with an electrode holder. Work can be performed even in humid conditions, as well as outdoors.
A good choice may also be the TOP Marki OS1/ONS 1x95 (H01N2-D) welding cable, Top Marki drum . Its diameter is 95 mm2. It is made of galvanized copper wires. In this case, the separator is an estrophol tape placed on the vein. The rated voltage is U: 100V.
Check out welding cables at the Onninen installation wholesaler