A welding cable is a piece of equipment used in welding processes to transmit electric current from the power source (welder) to the 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 them.
Check out the 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 during welding work, current flow is used, often with really high intensity. It must also be remembered that they should be selected according to the method you are working with. Welding cables can differ in polarity. We distinguish, for example, the welding cable, which has a positive pole. In this case, in addition to the cable, the welding wire should also be led to the handle.
An alternative to this solution is a ground wire. In this case, the negative pole is most often used. When selecting the right cable, you also need to pay attention to its finish. Thanks to it, it can be attached to the welded element. Another type is connection units. In addition to the supply cable, they also have a wire feeder or gas. Remember that the MIG method uses argon, while MAG uses carbon dioxide.
How thick should a welding cable be?
The welding cable should be made of copper or its alloys. In this way, you can achieve maximum precision of work. The end, which is in the form of a handle, is equally important. It is responsible for stabilizing the electrode. If your welding machine is above 350 A, it is best to choose a 50 mm2 welding cable. On the other hand, devices with an even wider range of applications, which operate at a maximum current of over 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 need to know that at a welding current of up to 100 A, the cross-section is only 6 mm2, while at a current of 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 welders, where the current is in the range of 200 - 300 A, it is enough to choose a welding cable with a diameter of 35 mm2. The type of wire is also very important. SG2 has a smaller amount of silicon and manganese, which ensures maximum versatility, while SG3 is resistant to contamination. For sheet metal with a maximum thickness of 1 mm, the wire should have a diameter of 0.8 mm. However, if the sheet metal is from 2 to 8 mm thick, then a wire with a diameter of 1.2 mm should be used. For sheet metal from 8 to 16 mm thick, 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 diameter of at least 2 mm.
What length will be optimal for a 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, you must take into account pressure drops. With the increase in cable length and constant cross-section, resistance and inductance increase. Choosing a longer cable can speed up work, as there is no need to wind it on a coil. For example, for a 160 A welding machine, it is enough to use a 3-meter cable. Of course, you can also use an extension cord, e.g. for 20 running meters of cable, an extension cord with a 4 mm2 core should be used, for longer lengths, the core should be 6 mm2 or 8 mm2.
Welding cables at the Onninen wholesaler
We recommend high-quality welding cables in the Onninen electrical wholesaler . You can choose the TOP Marki OS1/ONS 1x16 (H01N2-D) Top Marki welding cable drum . It is made of thick copper wires. The manufacturer used a rubber compound as the housing, which is oil-resistant and does not spread flames. It will work very well in both dry and humid interiors. The permissible ambient temperature during installation of this cable is from minus 25 to 80 degrees Celsius. The nominal cross-section of the core is 16 mm2.
Also worth noting is the TOP Marki OS1/ONS 1x50 (H01N2-D) Top Marki drum welding cable . It has similar strength parameters to the previous cable, but the diameter in this case is 50 mm2. It is designed to connect welding machines with an electrode holder. Work can be performed even in humid conditions, as well as outside buildings.
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. The separator in this case is an estrofol tape, which is placed on the core. The rated voltage is U: 100V.
Check out the welding cables at the Onninen installation wholesaler