Millermatic 252 Eats Tips and about 1 in 10 bad Starts

[Richard Baird]

I have a Millermatic 252 and it eats tips like M & Ms This is very annoying and expensive any Ideas

[H80N]

I have a Millermatic 252 and it eats tips like M & Ms This is very annoying and expensive any Ideas

tough to speculate without...

what you are welding.. material & thickness

machine settings

gas & flow rate

wire type and size... brand...

contact tip size and style...

wire stickout

not to mention some pics of the "eaten tips"

[cruizer]

If your using real Miller tips, you likely won't have this problem. If you are then its obvious that your wire is slipping.

See, we don't read minds, absloutely no idea how old your gun is, if you've ever changed a liner, if your using clone (cheap) tips, condition, or correct size of your driver rollers,

[JSFAB]

How is it eating tips? Is it burning back and fusing the wire, or actually melting the tip?

[JSFAB]

Sorry, I just went back and re-read your original post, and the title. Sounds like you are burning back and fusing the wire to the tip.

If it is not due to incorrect voltage/wire speed settings, open the machine up, check your capacitors. This happened to me with my LN-25, the capacitors were broke loose, bouncing around at the bottom, we replaced them with new, more secure mountings, no more burning back, or wasting tips.

[cruizer]

Extremely unlikey in a 252, it would mean that his drive is bouncing around, and that would throw an error. His wire is slipping to eat tips. Whether or not its a failed liner, rolls, to cheapo tips is an unknown.

[Synchroman]

A welder such as the MM252 could burn tips and stick the wire if, as mentioned above, the wire is slipping in the rollers. Also, the user could have set way too much voltage and too little wire speed. It could also be a dirty liner or corroded wire.

On my MM252, I changed the outer cover on the original torch to the one that permits a 1/8" recess for the tip. This shields the tip a bit more. I've yet to burn a tip, however, after a year of intermittent usage. I use only original Miller parts.

[ericher69]

A welder such as the MM252 could burn tips and stick the wire if, as mentioned above, the wire is slipping in the rollers. Also, the user could have set way too much voltage and too little wire speed. It could also be a dirty liner or corroded wire.

On my MM252, I changed the outer cover on the original torch to the one that permits a 1/8" recess for the tip. This shields the tip a bit more. I've yet to burn a tip, however, after a year of intermittent usage. I use only original Miller parts.

I did just the opposite. Tip flush and no issues

[cruizer]

I did just the opposite. Tip flush and no issues

The idea behind reccesing the tip, is for gas to wire coverage, and to prevent the tip from shorting to the work. Flush means that your working in a PERFECT enviroment, ie, no outside air movement, kinda silly really, as you may be using more gas than is required.

[ericher69]

Millermatic 252 Eats Tips and about 1 in 10 bad Starts

It is PERFECT! In the shop with NO air movement.

Silly is chastising someone without knowing what works for them.

[H80N]

It is PERFECT! In the shop with NO air movement.

Silly is chastising someone without knowing what works for them.

Gee.... if it were me...

I might have a tendency to listen to Cruizer's voice of experience.

instead of getting all chafed......

[ericher69]

Millermatic 252 Eats Tips and about 1 in 10 bad Starts

Just stating what works for my use.

Home hobbyist
No air movement
3/8-1/2" steel
0.035 wire
No production work
No issues

[walker]

I bought off brand tips for my M-25 gun, as the LWS didnt have any Miller tips. I have been having similar issues with the gun using them. It keeps shorting to the tip, and I have gotten a bunch of birdnesting with .035 wire. I have never had issues with birdnesting with.035 before. Going to change back as soon as I get to the weld shop again. What a pain.

[johnnyg340]

Guys-

Recessed and flush is all about transfer mode. Are you short arcing or spraying? Very important to get the arc length right. If i spray arc with an M25, flush 1/2" nozzle, i'm sure i would get lots of burnback.