Full Product Manual
61
TERMS RELATED TO DC STICK FUNCTIONS
Amps. This is the measure of the “ flow” of the welder current.
Arc Force Control. In stick mode, as arc length drops, so does voltage due to the manual process design. A weld isn’t made with
only Amperage, Voltage is also involved. Using the formula of VxA=Watts, the output of a welder and total heat drops if either
volts or amps are affected. In reality, wattage is a better measure of heat input into a weld. With arc force, as the arc drops voltage
drops below 20 volts due to a short arc length, the loss of voltage is compensated for by injecting additional amperage into the
weld. This “force” helps to stabilize the arc and allows the unit to maintain an arc and overall wattage. This can make the puddle
feel much smoother or more crisp by removing or adding to arc force action.
Hot Start. When an arc is struck with stick, the initial arc strike can be difcult. The hot start function can be used similarly to Arc
force control to offer a temporary boost in Amperage to improve arc striking efciency and help reduce porosity at the beginning of
the weld cycle. Hot start on this unit is broken into two parts. Hot Start Intensity and Hot Start Time. Hot start intensity is the
percentage over the set amps at which the Amps will be boosted during the arc start. Hot Start Time is simply the amount of time
that this extra boost stays engaged before dropping back to the set welding amps.
Voltage Reduction Device. Stick welding usually involves high OCV (Open Circuit Voltage). This relatively high OCV is typically
not enough to cause harm in normal welding conditions. However, in conditions where the operator may be in direct contact with
the part being welded or where everything is electrically charged by the welding current and the possibility exists that the operator
may become part of the circuit path of the welding arc, a Voltage Reduction Device VRD may be required. The VRD on this unit is
built into the programming and drops OCV to around 14-15 Volts. The VRD can make arc starting more difcult, but when and
where it is required, can prevent the unlikely, but possible event of severe shock or electrocution.
Section 2 Setup Guide
UNDERSTANDING DC STICK FUNCTIONS