Power Sources provide pulsed MIG welding.

Press Release Summary:




Millermatic® 350 and 350P offer 208/230 or 460/575 V single- and 3-phase input power, duty-cycle rating of 60% at 300 A/32 V, 25-400 A output, and line voltage compensation. Operators can disconnect MIG gun and replace it with optional push-pull wire feed gun. Model 350P has 4-roll wire drive system with 2 scaled tension adjustments and reversible drive rolls for .035 and .045 wire. Units are suited for thin-gauge aluminum, stainless steel, and steel.



Original Press Release:



New Millermatic® 350, 350P Offer Premium Arc Performance, Pulsed MIG Welding Capabilities at an All-in-One Price



o Increases Productivity, Solves Problems for Welding Thin-Gauge Metals
o Easy-to-understand Controls, Single- or Three-Phase Input Power

APPLETON, Wis., July 1, 2004-For superior arc performance on thin-gauge aluminum, stainless steel and steel, Miller Electric Mfg. Co. has introduced its new Millermatic® 350 MIG and 350P pulsed MIG power sources.

The Millermatic 350 and 350P offer 208/230 or 460/575 V single- and three-phase input power, a duty-cycle rating of 60 percent at 300 amps/32 volts, a 25 to 400 amp output, and line voltage compensation.

Based on initial results, the Millermatic 350P's pulsed MIG welding capabilities on aluminum as thin as 19-gauge provide reduced weld spatter, higher deposition rates and deposition efficiency and enhanced weld bead appearance compared to competitive machines. That ranks the Millermatic 350P as Miller's top-rated, all-in-one power source/wire feeder unit for fabrication, manufacturing, and maintenance and repair personnel who have aluminum applications.

"In the past, if you wanted a reliable pulsing unit, you had to buy an entire industrial welding system, including a separate power source, pulse control and wire feeder," says Chris Roehl, product manager, Miller Electric. "That's an expensive investment, particularly for smaller shops that only use standard wire and shielding gas combinations. With the 350P they can produce quality pulse welds, but with a Millermatic price tag."

The Millermatic 350P's list price is $3,680, which saves 30 percent or more compared to an industrial power source, pulsing controls and bench-top style wire feeder.

New Units Highly Versatile
Miller's new units are ideally suited for smaller fabricators and manufacturers who only have single-phase power. "Even when used as a single-phase machine, the Millermatic 350 still provides all of the MIG and aluminum capabilities that you would need," Roehl says. "And as a single- and three-phase input machine, it also can go into the three-phase environment and perform extremely well."

He points out the new Millermatic units are unique in that they offer a duty-cycle rating of 60 percent at 300 amps/32 volts for both single- and three-phase input power. There is no de-rating when run on single-phase power.

The Millermatic 350 and 350P are Miller's first machines that allow operators to disconnect the MIG gun and replace it with an optional push-pull wire feed gun without any upgrade. Push-pull provides continuous torque to wire, with the gun motor controlling actual wire feed speed at the arc.

Roehl points out there are a number of competitive all-in-one pulsed MIG units in the marketplace today, but in many cases they are far too complex for many small- to medium-sized companies and their operators. "Even if a unit has all of the requisite bells and whistles, it's not going to get used if it's not easy to understand and operate," he says.

Easy to Understand
"Miller puts more intelligence into the power source and simplifies process controls," Roehl says. "The 350P is much more user-friendly than competitive machines. Our control panel doesn't have confusing knobs and toggle switches-our interface is easily understood by the typical operator.

"To begin pulsed MIG with the 350P, the operator simply selects the built-in program that matches the wire type and size, and the unit automatically sets the pulse parameters," he says. "Once the desired arc length is set, the operator only needs to adjusts wire feed speed to weld a different thickness of metal."

In addition to being easy to understand, Roehl points out power sources with pulsing capabilities such as the Millermatic 350P provide numerous benefits over regular MIG units-faster travel speeds, higher deposition rates and deposition efficiency, reduced spatter for less clean-up time, improved weld bead appearance, minimized distortion compared to spray transfer, flexibility to weld thick or thin sections, lower fume emissions, energy saving, all-position welding, and the ability to run larger diameter wires.

Ideal for Out-of-Position Welds
"Because the heat input is lower, pulsed MIG eliminates or minimizes burn-through, distortion, heat-affected zone size and loss of mechanical properties," Roehl says. "With pulsed MIG, the weld puddle has a chance to cool and freeze slightly. And a faster-freezing weld puddle provides better control on overhead and vertical welds so the puddle doesn't 'roll-out' of the joint when welding out of position."

Increased productivity is another advantage of the Millermatic 350P. "Our new machine improves travel speed compared to TIG welding," Roehl says. "One of our customers who repairs aluminum boats switched from a TIG welder to a Millermatic 350P because the TIG unit was too slow. He reports that with the pulsing capability and a push-pull gun, he's able to repair thin gauge aluminum boats at a higher rate of speed, greatly increasing his shop's productivity."

When appearance of the weld bead is important, the pulsing feature has no equals. "That's because pulsed MIG produces little, if any, spatter, unlike short-circuit MIG," Roehl says. "A pulsed MIG bead can resemble a TIG bead. As a result, finishing costs may be reduced or eliminated."

The Millermatic 350P has a four-roll wire drive system that features two easy-to-set, scaled, tension adjustments and quick-change reversible drive rolls for .035 and .045 wire. While the nearest competitor has a two-roll system, the 350P's four-roll system makes it tougher for wire to slip.

The Millermatic 350 and 350P are covered by Miller's True-Blue® three-year warranty. To download a spec sheet, visit Miller's Web site at MillerWelds.com. For more information or the name of the Miller distributor nearest you, call 800-4-A-MILLER (800-426-4553), e-mail info@millerwelds.com, fax 877-327-8132, visit the Web site or write to Miller Electric Mfg. Co., P.O. Box 100, Lithonia, Ga., 30058.

With headquarters in Appleton, Wis., Miller Electric Mfg. Co. is a leading worldwide manufacturer of Miller and Hobart brand arc welding equipment and related systems for metalworking, construction, maintenance and other applications. Miller Electric is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), Glenview, Ill. ITW is a diversified multinational manufacturer of highly engineered components, assemblies and systems.

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