Passport Plus and the 100 Spoolgun

[West Coast]

I did a little aluminum welding this weekend with my new Passport Plus and my new spool gun. I had .030 wire and tried to weld 1/4" plate with not much luck. Not getting enough penetration. Then I noticed on the welding chart on the inside of the Passport door that .030 is only good up to 1/8. and .035 would be for 1/4'. Will the .035 wire really weld a lot better on the 1/4". What makes aluminum wire so material thickness specific? I just figured the .030 aluminum wire would handle the 1/4 plate with no issues. I figured I would just need a little more heat? Thanks....

[BBchevy396]

It is a bit confusing, but with mine,.. I determined that you can increase the voltage with the bigger wire, and achieve better penetration.

The .030 is too small to add additional voltage, with it's limited wire speed.

IMO,.. Miller made a mistake by not allowing for a higher wfs in the aluminum mode.

IIRC with .030 wire,.. the highest voltage is "7", with wfs maxed at 100%, even with .035,..... the voltage is "9", with 100% wfs.

WTF Miller,....... we cant even max the voltage with .035 wire, because of the lack of feeder speed. Kind of messed up with that one.


Other than that glitch,... It seems to be a very good machine, and is quite handy for the small portable pita alum jobs.

[SignWave]

whats going to burn through quicker? a tooth pic or a fencepost?

the same theory hold true for wire. that 5 thou difference makes alot of difference. as does swtching brands of wire or grade of wire. the harder the wire, the more heat you need to melt it. so 5356 will handle more current than 4043. If im wrong in my theory somebody interject and set this fellow and myself straight.

[KB Fabrications]

Regardless of the parameters, if you are going to try and weld 1/4" aluminum plate with your passport you might want to consider giving the material some preheat. Doncha think???

[West Coast]

Regardless of the parameters, if you are going to try and weld 1/4" aluminum plate with your passport you might want to consider giving the material some preheat. Doncha think???

Gave it plenty of pre heat. Still did not help the penetration. But thanks for the obvious.

[Broccoli1]

Veggie look at door chart first

[Broccoli1]

I just figured the .030 aluminum wire would handle the 1/4 plate with no issues.

Why you figger?

[BBchevy396]

Mine seems to weld 1/4" just fine, and have welded 3/8" with success.

[BBchevy396]

Regardless of the parameters, if you are going to try and weld 1/4" aluminum plate with your passport you might want to consider giving the material some preheat. Doncha think???

Not necessarily, alot depends on the type of joint. Edge joints or small pieces will take less heat to melt, than the middle of a plate.

[FusionKing]

Regardless of the parameters, if you are going to try and weld 1/4" aluminum plate with your passport you might want to consider giving the material some preheat. Doncha think???:

If I had bought one of these machines and needed to pre-heat to weld 1/4" I would be VERY dissapointed with my purchase unless he is in the middle of some huge part. If he's talking about say something made out of 1/4" x 2" bar stock it should do that ok I would think

Gave it plenty of pre heat. Still did not help the penetration. But thanks for the obvious.

If I had bought one of these machines and penetration did not increase GREATLY with pre-heat on 1/4" I would either be getting it checked out or learn what in the heck I did NOT understand!! If either didn't work I would certainly send it down the road! Not having enuff power to do the job is the most frustrating thing about so many newer machines out there. I'd be calling MILLER before the sun set
The HH210 is rated for the same thicknesses as the PP+ but everybody on the Hobart Board praises its capability.
What voltage are you running on anyhow????

Are you saying that your Passport + will NOT weld 1/4" aluminum set at max even with pre-heat and taking your sweet time welding it???
I don't see much need for a machine you would have to LOOK for jobs it might handle once in a while.