All MetalShaping

Go Back   All MetalShaping > General Metal Shaping Discussion > Welding Sheet Metal
  Today's Posts Posts for Last 7 Days Posts for Last 14 Days  

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 02-24-2022, 10:46 AM
exline exline is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: warfordsburg,PA
Posts: 5
Default Resistance spot welding, amps required?

I need to spot weld together 2 pieces of 16 gauge. Drilling a hole and welding it with the mig is getting old now that I need to make many of the same part. I have been looking at resistance spot welders but I am having a hard time finding information on the amps needed. I need to use 18 inch tongs with a 3/16 tip. I can purchase a miller spot welder used locally that is sec. Amps 3600 with 18 inch tongs but I am not sure if that is enough.
How can I figure out what size welder I need?
Thanks
__________________
kenny.E ,southern PA
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 02-24-2022, 02:32 PM
rustreapers rustreapers is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 132
Default

Not sure of the amp but I do know from experience that a 240 volt will be needed. 120 volt is about 2 pieces of 20 gauge. Just keep reading the specs until you find up to .125" of welding thickness (.1196 to be exact)
__________________
John Phillips "bustin rust and eating dust"
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-24-2022, 05:51 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
MetalShaper of the Month October '14 , April '16, July 2020, Jan 2023
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Western Sierra Nevadas, Badger Hill, CA
Posts: 4,388
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by exline View Post
I need to spot weld together 2 pieces of 16 gauge. Drilling a hole and welding it with the mig is getting old now that I need to make many of the same part. I have been looking at resistance spot welders but I am having a hard time finding information on the amps needed. I need to use 18 inch tongs with a 3/16 tip. I can purchase a miller spot welder used locally that is sec. Amps 3600 with 18 inch tongs but I am not sure if that is enough.
How can I figure out what size welder I need?
Thanks

I have a Miller MSW 42 spot welder with 18in tongs and the 12in tongs.
It is 240V.
It will barely do 20 ga at the 18in distance... with all connections tight, the tips clean, bright and tight, and dimpled sparkling metal.
The 12in tongs will do 18 ga.
I can spot-preheat 16 ga and get it to weld, with the 12in tongs.


Good Luck,
__________________
Kent

http://www.tinmantech.com

"All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-24-2022, 09:05 PM
Chris_Hamilton Chris_Hamilton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Southisde Virginia
Posts: 329
Default

I've got quite a bit of experience using several "Pro-Spot" spot welder models in collision repair. Voltage is Three Phase 480. Total amperage of the machine is over 12500 amps. They are also expensive over $25000. These units have the power both in amperage and clamping force to make OEM like spot welds. The little hand held units do not. The size of the spot weld with the hand held units is much smaller than what the OEM's do. If that suits your job great, but if you are expecting a spot weld like on a vehicle then you will be disappointed.
__________________
Chris (trying to be the best me I can be)
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-24-2022, 10:29 PM
Marc Bourget Marc Bourget is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North Ca
Posts: 716
Default

This may help

Spot Welding Parameters.pdf
__________________
Marc

Last edited by Steve Hamilton; 02-25-2022 at 09:47 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-25-2022, 01:15 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
MetalShaper of the Month October '14 , April '16, July 2020, Jan 2023
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Western Sierra Nevadas, Badger Hill, CA
Posts: 4,388
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris_Hamilton View Post
I've got quite a bit of experience using several "Pro-Spot" spot welder models in collision repair. Voltage is Three Phase 480. Total amperage of the machine is over 12500 amps. They are also expensive over $25000. These units have the power both in amperage and clamping force to make OEM like spot welds. The little hand held units do not. The size of the spot weld with the hand held units is much smaller than what the OEM's do. If that suits your job great, but if you are expecting a spot weld like on a vehicle then you will be disappointed.

Yes, the math really does work.

$$450. = small portable that will do 20, 22, 24, 26 ga.
or
$$$$$25,000 that will do commercial grade components.

Spend more $ = get more machine.
Every time.



(or... spend cheap... and add buckets of extra shop time to modify UP - at 25cents/hour ... like doing the cheap bandsaw mods, Wheel mods, beadroller mods .... and etc. ...

.... I had to add 7 hours to modUP a Chi-Mig weldr, and finally got it to do overhed and vertikal on 1/4 in plate, in 19second runs! - then quench torch in water bucket, add nozz'l dip, run again ... 18% duty cycle or sumpin' ...? )


__________________
Kent

http://www.tinmantech.com

"All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919.

Last edited by crystallographic; 02-25-2022 at 01:23 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 02-25-2022, 08:07 PM
Chris_Hamilton Chris_Hamilton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Southisde Virginia
Posts: 329
Default

This is a good alternative to the conventional Miller type spot welder. Pretty decent little machine for the money. Italian made. A full line of tongs are available as well.

https://usaweld.com/products/quick_spot_ii
__________________
Chris (trying to be the best me I can be)
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-28-2022, 09:22 PM
sled sled is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: northern Washington
Posts: 14
Default

two piece of 16 gauge with 18" of electrode depth? you're going need a very serious professional-grade machine, there are no hand held machines on the market that will do a weld like that sufficiently. You may get it to stick together, but it would not pass a proper destructive test or last for many years.

as for exactly how many amps, that is dependent on many factors like electrode pressure, cap size, current duration, etc. so...there isn't really a good answer
__________________
Jake Miller - Miller Metalwork
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 03-05-2022, 05:26 PM
norson norson is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Portland, Or.
Posts: 400
Default

Not sure on policy, but I found this while looking for different ways to "spot weld". I've since found another post on the same process. I'm planning to use this process on my current project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2CYL-1W7Fw
__________________
Norm Henderson

Last edited by norson; 03-05-2022 at 05:40 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 03-06-2022, 10:49 AM
skintkarter skintkarter is offline
MetalShaper of the Month Nov. 2018, Jan. 2021
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Auckland New Zealand
Posts: 877
Default

Kenny, does it have to be a handheld unit, or can you take the part to a static welder?

How many welds do you have to do overall? And over what timeframe?
__________________
Richard
"I know nothing. I from Barcelona" (Manuel - Fawlty Towers)
Link to our racecar project https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elan-...ab=public&view
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:41 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.