Get the Most Out of a Cigweld TIG Welder and Other TIG Welders

Posted by Kym Morgan on July 16th, 2016

Cigweld is a brand name that is synonymous with the ideas of Australian business enterprise and quality. Its roots go back almost a century, and over the years, the several companies that Commonwealth Industrial Gasses Inc. acquired has grown into a modern business that manufactures some of the best welding and cutting equipment in the world.

Cigweld boasts of a large catalogue of products that fulfil every need a professional or amateur welder may have. Their robust support and community outreach programme network also provides safety, quality, and skill training in addition to product assistance. They are even in the process of formally launching an online welding training project.

Cigweld welders have always set the standard for the industry. The various models are suited for various needs, from amateurs to professionals. Whether one operates as a tradesman or a niche welding expert, they are bound to find Cigweld welders with just the specifications that they need. This is also true for other brands, but perhaps no other manufacturer has quite such a large offering as Cigweld does. To get the most out of one’s choice, it is important to assess some things long before you actually buy a TIG welder. There are two considerations that determine if you can maximise the use of your TIG welder.

Needs
It helps to list down the kind of operational requirements for the work one normally undertakes, whether as a part of their business or as a hobby project. Then go on to define how long you will be using it at a time. These two questions will determine the type of TIG welder you would need. If you mostly work with steel and have no plan or a need to weld magnesium or aluminium, a simple DC TIG welder will suffice. This also gives you the option to look at multifunction welders that can be used for multiple welding methods. For instance, a MIG-MMA welder that also has the functionality to handle TIG welding will be a decent choice that also gives you some leeway to use other methods. The amount of time you will spend welding determines what additional features you will need. If you plan to spend several hours in the workshop, consider a TIG welder that has cooling fans, electronic systems, and IGBT-based circuitry. This will also aid portability. For shorter work, a traditional transformer based design may work just fine.

If you need to weld aluminium you will need to look for a specialised TIG welder with AC (Alternating Current) functionality. Ideally your AC welder will also have High Function start. This feature will also you to strike you arc without directly contacting the metal. A good AC welder for professional level aluminium welding will also incorporate Pulse for variable output control, foot pedal compatibility, AC Balance Control and Square Wave.

Budget
An important consideration is the budget you will need to allocate for your new TIG welder. It is not surprising that additional features come with higher prices. But some of these features are more than quality-of-life improvements. Features like AC balance and high-frequency output are important for professionals who need finesse in their results. The working conditions and type of work is also affected. Consider the welding needs on a farm. If you just need it for repairing vehicles and other large farm machinery, a lower end machine will work fine. But if you want to weld dairy pipes and advanced machinery, you will have to look for more features. Adjust your budget accordingly. It is better to be safe than sorry, but even in the worst case, you can always hire a specialist if your own welding equipment does not meet the requirements. A one-time charge may be cheaper than investing for a feature you might rarely, if ever, need.

High Function TIG welders also have features that allow the control of amperage and voltage for different kinds of torches, TIG cups, filler wires, electrode type, etc. The more the amount of control, the more versatile a TIG welder will be. However, it also means higher cost. In a number of modern TIG welders, an inbuilt computer can compute the optimal output after entering the basic values. This can be useful for learners, and in some cases, for professionals too. Once you know what you want and need, finding and purchasing a TIG welder is a seamless affair.

About the author:
Kym Morgan is the marketing director of eWelders.com.au, a leading online specialty welding site in Australia. They sell a massive range of MIG Welders, TIG Welders, ARC Welders, Inverter Welders, Multi-Purpose Welders, High Function TIG Welders, AC/DC TIG Inverters, Spot Welders and Engine Driven Welders in Australia. Their mission at eWelders.com.au is to gather Australia’s best range of welders and put them under one roof.