Glossary of terms

Duty cycle

The duty cycle (DC) is indicated for each welding machine. It is about the performance of the machine, which it will deliver in the specified time. The standard specifies a time of 10 minutes and an ambient temperature of 40°C, for which the value of the load factor is then recalculated.

• 100% DC: PERUN 160 E with a breaker value of 20A will weld in the MMA method for at least 10 minutes at 100A without overload protection. In the TIG method, it will be possible to weld with PERUN 160 with a current of 110A.
• 60% DC: Perun 160 E with a breaker value of 20A will weld in the MMA method for a minimum of 6 minutes (10 minutes 100%, 6 minutes 60%) at 120A without intervention of overload protection. In the TIG method, it will be possible to weld with PERUN 160 with a current of 140A for at least 6 minutes.
• ?% any value for the DC can be recalculated in this way. Caution! The DC is only one of the pointers. Even the circuit breaker itself, which also has an overload limit, can trip. More is described and shown in the video.

Mains voltage

It is the mains voltage to which the specific welding machine is connected by means of a plug. In the Czech Republic, there are essentially two basic distributions of voltage in sockets: 230 V single-phase distribution and 400 V three-phase distribution.

Protection

It is a safeguard that the welding machine needs to function. Attention, it depends on whether it is a single-phase or three-phase fuse. Circuit breakers are manufactured with different tripping characteristics (B, C and D). In the parameters, we use the @ sign, which means a so-called slower circuit breaker than a type B circuit breaker, it means type C and D.

Fuse 16 A char.B – how long does it take to switch off on the Perun 200 MIG SYN machine

A 16A circuit breaker of characteristic B will not trip until the following machine load:

• MIG/MAG: I2 = 130 – 140 A
• MMA: I2 = 110 – 120 A.

The circuit breaker “failure” limit may vary slightly depending on the welding conditions. MIG/MAG e.g. shielding gas type, weld position, arc length during welding. MMA: electrode type, ARC FORCE setting level, arc length during welding. When sloping with higher currents, the circuit breaker switches off after a certain time. The shutdown time is inversely proportional to the welding current. Approximate times for a current load of 200 A (= I2max):

• MIG/MAG: max. 2,5 – 3,0 min 
• MMA: max. 2,0 – 2,5 min

The times given apply to the load of the circuit breaker from a cold state. The tripping times of a loaded circuit breaker immediately after tripping (the thermal release did not cool down enough) are noticeably shortened compared to the above values.