What is a good duty cycle for a MIG welder?

Rated Welding Outputs – Integrated MIG/Stick/TIG Inverter

Process/ Rated Output	Duty Cycle, 1 phase (230VAC Primary)	Duty Cycle, 3 phase (230VAC Primary)
Total Range	5 – 300A	5 – 350A
MIG	285A/28V @ 40%	285A/28V @ 50%
Stick	260A/30V @ 40%	285A/31V @ 40%
TIG	285A/21V @ 40%	285A/21V @ 50%

Do MIG welders have a duty cycle?

Duty cycle is the amount of arc-on time within a 10-minute period. One MIG gun manufacturer may produce a 400-amp MIG gun that is capable of welding at 100 percent duty cycle, while another manufactures the same amperage MIG gun that can weld at only 60 percent duty cycle.

What is the duty cycle of a welder?

Duty cycle is the percentage of time that a machine will safely operate (or weld), within a certain time period, at a given amperage. This means that it will operate at 200A for 3 minutes within a 10 minute time period. For the remaining 7 minutes, the machine will switch to thermal overload to cool down.

What is a 30% duty cycle?

Duty cycle refers to the period you can run your welding machine at the recommended amperage. It is usually measured in ten minutes. For example, at 200 amps with a 30% duty cycle, you can run the welding machine for 10 minutes. In the first 3 minutes, run the machine continuously while maintaining 200 amps.

How long can you weld with 20 duty cycle?

For example: A DIY welder on a smaller job may have a 20% duty cycle at the maximum amperage of the machine, possibly 150 amps. 2 minutes is 20% of 10 minutes which means the machine can weld non stop at those 150 amps. 30% would mean 3 minutes.

Why should a welding machine never be overloaded?

Do not overload an electrical circuit while using a MIG welding machine. Doing so can create a fire hazard. Do not operate in an enclosed location. You could kill yourself from the inhalation of dangerous gasses.

What is a 20 duty cycle on a welder?

What does 20 duty cycle on a welder mean?