The welding equipment market offers a wide range of transformer, rectifier and invert equipment. Welding inverters are the most widely used - they are compact, mobile, easy to use, affordable, easy to connect and can be used by both experienced and novice specialists. The device requires a special cable to function. About which wire is needed for the welding inverter and how to choose it, see below.
The structure of the welding cable
Normal operation of the welding inverter is possible only when using copper wire, since copper is the best conductor of electricity. The workflow is greatly simplified when using a flexible cable.
Welding inverter wire consists of:
- A conductive copper core made of thin wires with a cross section of not more than 0.2 mm.
- Cable cover, whichmade of rubber or butadiene or natural rubber.
- Adhesion of strands and coating is prevented by a separating layer made of transparent film.
Cable specifications
The wires for the welding inverter must have sufficient flexibility and meet certain characteristics:
- Resistant to mechanical stress, tearing and shock.
- Resistant to temperature fluctuations, enabling the inverter to operate at low and high temperatures.
- Resistant to moisture and direct sunlight.
- Immunity to fungus, mold.
- Minimum risk of bending.
Types of wires
Specially for welding, a small number of cable brands have been created, but only two - KG and KOG - meet the above requirements.
Masters, when answering the question of which wire for the welding inverter is best suited, call the flexible cable (KG). It is used to connect mobile devices to networks with a frequency of 400 Hz, a maximum alternating voltage of 660 V and a constant voltage of 1000 V.
An analogue of KG is a particularly flexible cable - KOG, used when working in hard-to-reach places and providing freedom of action for the welder and mobility of the inverter. With its help, semi-automatic and automatic installations are connected to networks with a frequency of 50 Hz, a maximum direct current of 700 V and alternating current of 220 V.
Subtypes of cables
The listed brands are divided into several types:
- KOG-CL/KG-CL. Cold-resistant wires for a welding inverter that can be operated at temperatures down to -60 degrees.
- KOG-T/KG-T. Tropical cables resistant to mildew, high temperatures up to +55 degrees.
- KGN is equipped with non-combustible insulation and is used when working in fire hazardous conditions.
- KOG-U. Can be used in the temperature range from -45 to +40 degrees.
Which wire size for the welding inverter should I choose?
When choosing cables for welding devices, their cross-section is one of the main parameters on which conductivity depends, and as a result, the quality of the weld being created and the speed of work.
For small welding inverters, cables with a cross section of up to 7 mm are the best option2.
Cables with a cross section of 10, 16 and 26 mm are suitable for working with inverter-type devices2.
Using the wrong size wire for welding inverters can cause overheating, short circuit or fire, which can cause damage to the device.
Connecting cables to the welding inverter
Connecting wires to equipment is subject to several rules:
- Cables are connected to the inverter using special lugs, all connections must be insulated.
- Wires for welding invertercombined by crimping.
- Mandatory requirement - observance of polarity when connecting to electric holders and connectors.
- The power of the cables must match the welding machine.
Requirements for welding wires
Cables for welding inverters must bring current to the place of the arc with minimal losses, and therefore they are made of copper, which has the highest conductivity among all metals. The large section protects the wire from overheating.
During operation, the welder has to make complex movements with the electrode or hold it at different angles. Accordingly, the wire should not interfere. Often, welding is carried out in hard-to-reach places at complex industrial and construction sites, and therefore the cable must be flexible, and the insulating material must be resilient and elastic.
Welding works are carried out among metal structures, which are excellent conductors of current, which requires a long service life of the insulating layer, resistance to high temperatures and voltage. In addition, such insulation must be resistant to aggressive conditions, extreme temperatures, torsion, squeezing and twisting.
The optimal set of wires for a welding inverter is a multi-core copper cable of large cross section with an insulating layer made of oil and petrol resistant rubber. It meets all the requirements for such wires.
Welding cable marking
The alphanumeric designation of wires for the welding inverter begins with an abbreviation indicating the category. For example, KS denotes a welding cable, while the letter K denotes a copper conductive core.
KG brand has almost identical technical characteristics and is used for welding at home.
The polymeric protective layer is indicated by the letter "P". Frost-resistant wires are marked with the letters "ХЛ" and can be used at temperatures up to -60 degrees due to an additional polymer layer that prevents it from cracking in the cold.
Tropicalized cables are marked with the letter "T". The insulation of such wires is made of materials capable of operating at temperatures up to +85 degrees and consisting of antibacterial and antiseptic preparations. The insulation does not lose its effectiveness over a wide temperature range.
KOG is an abbreviation for cables with a high level of flexibility. Thanks to such veins, it is possible to carry out welding work in hard-to-reach places without compromising the mobility of the device and comfort for the welder performing complex seams.
The cores adapted for high-frequency currents are marked with HF letters and are used for both professional and household welding inverters.
Increased water resistance is indicated by the KG marking. Cables of thistype allow for underwater work with mandatory full waterproofing of all connectors.
Fire-resistant and non-combustible cables are marked with the letters GN. Such wires are used in "hot" work at industrial enterprises, when heat-treated parts and blanks are welded.
The number of cores is indicated by the corresponding numbers. The cross section of the conductor is indicated in square millimeters.
Marking of imported cables for welding inverters is carried out according to other notation systems. Correspondence tables of parameters of foreign and domestic wires can be found when buying lived.
