MIG Welding - How Mig Welders Work, Cost, Functions, And More

A Mig welder is perfect for a lot of jobs. Farmers use the MIG welder to repair farm equipment on a regular basis as it saves them time, something in short supply when you run a farm.

Metal fabricators like the MIG welder because it works on a wide variety of metals and only requires they purchase one machine for several types of welding.

Home mechanics and professional motor sports championship teams, on the other hand, like it because it's easy to use for building and repairing equipment. 

Another reason for the popularity of Mig welders is their ability to handle a variety of metals. A Mig welder will fuse all common materials whether they are light weight gauge or thick plates.

This allows one machine to handle a variety of applications. Often welders are designed for certain materials or certain thicknesses, but this is not the case here. One machine means less maintenance, less repairs and more space in your work area for other necessary tools of the trade.

• Gas metal arc welding (GMAW)

• Metal inert gas (MIG) welding

• Metal active gas (MAG) welding

• Wire feed welding

Many of these welder technologies work relatively on the same principals but how the technology applies the weld, current, features, capabilities, and how it gives you control over what and how you can weld it, are what change.

Being either an automatic or semi-automatic arc welding process, a continual and consumable wire electrode and shielding gas can be used. This is done by feeding them through a welding gun.

MIG welding is done using a constant voltage with direct current (DC) being the most often used power source choice.

In addition to DC power source, constant current systems and alternating current (AC) can also be used.

This is a Power MIG 140C and 180+ welder. Getting a great ARC start is essential to a good weld from cold and this unit can do it easily.

There is a wide voltage "sweet spot". This makes the ARC very forgiving and setting up your controls is very easy and efficient.

The low spattering is great because it reduces the time needed to clean up the mess slag and other welders often create.

This unit has an aluminum and stainless steel performance- the types of steel and aluminum you can cover with this unit are large and varied- no mild steel treating only here!

The output is one of the highest in the industry for welders for a 120 input class welder.

Using a 24 gauge and as far up as 10 gauge MIG weld material (.135") you can do a 10 gauge sheet metal weld in a single pass.

Welds of up to 5/16th's of an inch of steel with innovative self-shielded innershield wires (FCAW-S). Positive traction activated by dual gear-driven rolls. This unit uses a patented split wire guide for best wire alignment.

Connectivity is enhanced with brass-2-brass welding gun connections. Improved torque and performance (trouble free) with a industrial closed drive motor design.

Optional Magnum100SG spool gun helps maintain reliable operation at high speed feeding (that aluminum demands). No expensive outboard modules required.

These MIG ready units have a wire feed speed control of 50-500 IPM.

They allow you to potentially weld steel and aluminum with a weld thickness up to 5/16" of mild steel.

The Lincoln Power MIG has a ten foot long clamp cable length and a regulator and gas hose included. Shielding gas is required when welding MIG.

The welding wire diameter is between .025 and .045 and the power cord is six feet in length.

Duty cycle for this unit runs at twenty percent at 90 amps, 19.5 volts.