Other Tungsten types for TIG process.

[Sean Brown]

Andy,

I have recently been making the switch over to lantenated tungstens (for 1010 and 4130), and have thus far been pleased with the results. I have also tried these with AC on aluminum and I was surprised to find how well they worked with much better current carrying capacity etc, compared with pure.

My question is, are there any reasons to not use them for aluminum (it seems to work well)? How do other types like Zirconium or Ceriated compare performance wise?

I should mention that this is an old Dialarc HF machine (wp-20 torch), AC is 50-50 with high frequency controlled by arc-gaps.

Thank you,

Sean

[ASKANDY]

Sean,
The Lanthanated and Ceriated tungsten work well with AC and DC. I prefer them to the Pure. The Zirconiated tungsten is better than Pure for higher amperage Aluminum or other AC TIG. It will not work well on DC. I like the Ceriated and Lanthanum for all around welding. These two tungsten are also the recommended tungsten for inverter TIG machines.

Andy

[Sean Brown]

Thanks Andy,

Is there any reason to choose one over the other? Like cost, current carrying capacity or resistance (hot-cold arc)? I've found I can often use a lower amperage range with Lantanated sharpened to a point, would that change with ceriated?

Is Miller working to phase-in inverter technology to more applications? I'd love to see the syncrowave series (or something along those lines) come standard with this type of technology.

Thank you again,

Sean

[ASKANDY]

Sean,
The Lanthanated and Ceriated will run very pretty much the same. The costs of each will depend on your distributor and where they get them. Most times I see the Ceriated cheaper, but that is not always the case. Ceria is the most abundant of the rare earth elements used to alloy with tungsten. It should be cheaper.
As far as the inverter technology getting into the Syncrowaves, I wouldn't look for it for quite a few years. It is standard with our Dynasty and Aerowave series. It is intended to give people a variety of technology to suit their needs. Some people don't like the inverter units. I prefer them and have sold my Syncrowaves for Dynastys.

Andy

[Will]

TIG

Here is a site that explains the reccommended use for each type of TIG electrode:

http://www.diamondground.com/diamondground/Tungstenmaterial.html