What is Duty Cycle?
Duty cycle is the amount of time in a ten-minute period that a welding machine may be operated continuously without fear of overheating or damaging its components. Duty cycle is expressed as a percentage [%]. For example, a machine with a 60% duty cycle at 200 amps may be operated continuously for 6 minutes at that amperage [60% of 10 minutes]. The remaining four minutes of the cycle should be used to cool the machine down. Duty cycle percentages will change for a given machine depending on the output selected. It is possible to have several duty cycles listed. In general, the higher the output the, lower the percentage or time allowed. You should also note that many welders manufactured today are equipped with devices that will automatically shut the machine down if operating temperatures are exceeded. Letting the machine cool down will normally reset the system.
Duty Cycle- The amount of time a machine can be used at a particular output. Expressed as a percentage of a ten minute cycle, a 150 amp machine with a 30% duty cycle set at maximum will allow 3 minutes of use for every ten and a 60% duty cycle would allow 6 minutes of use for every ten. The duty cycle increases as the power setting decreases so if the 150 amp machine were to be used on a 30 amp setting the duty cycle might be 100% allowing it to be used 10 minutes out of every ten.
Duty cycle is the amount of time in a ten-minute period that a welding machine may be operated continuously without fear of overheating or damaging its components. Duty cycle is expressed as a percentage [%]. For example, a machine with a 60% duty cycle at 200 amps may be operated continuously for 6 minutes at that amperage [60% of 10 minutes]. The remaining four minutes of the cycle will be used to cool the machine down. Duty cycle percentages will change for a given machine depending on the output selected. It is possible to have several duty cycles listed. In general, the higher the output the, lower the percentage of duty cycle. You should also note that many welders manufactured today are equipped with devices that will automatically shut the machine down if operating temperatures are exceeded. Letting the machine cool down will normally reset the system. Refer to operators manual for manufactures suggested “Duty Cycles”.
