Subject: Re: Why are welding machines so expensive?

From: [email-masked] (Mike Schechter)
Date: Thu, 06 Jun 1996 17:11:33 -0400

In article <[email-masked]>, phil@ (Phil Roban) wrote:
> Why do welding machines (TIG, MIG) cost so much durn money?
> Coming to welding from electronics, even the largest of
> these machines seem to be power supplies with certain characteristics,
> e.g. constant current or voltage, arc starter.
> Perhaps the time has come for the NetWelder
> Cheers.
> Phil Roban
Well, Stick welders which are basically as you describe ARE cheap.
my little wonderfulness gave me a lincoln 225 amp one for xmas.
It was only $213
Not a whole lot. Go and price large multi-tap transformers.
MIG & TIG are more complex.... I think (in TIG anyway) the
arc restrikes at 100's of Hz per second
Huge amounts of dv/dt at large amperages.
I don't know how they build 'em.

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From: [email-masked] (Steve Appel)
Date: 13 Jun 1996 20:56:02 -0700

> I don't know how they build 'em.

i bought a used machine for stck and tig, got the torch, water pump and guages,
and machine for under $1000.00  a co. called price club has units for
under $200.00