No Need for Push-Pull Torches when Welding Aluminum
Many customers prefer the D/F Machine Specialties Water-Cooled Pistol Gun because they are tired of purchasing $2000+ push pull guns which cannot withstand the amperages, heat, and duty cycles, and are very fragile requiring a lot of downtime and maintenance. With more than 48 years of welding experience, the D/F Machine Specialties Water-Cooled Semi Automatic MIG 600 amp, 100% Duty Cycle, Pistol Grip Gun Model NC-21/HT-21 has proven itself continuously throughout its life, particularly in push welding of aluminum trailers. The D/F Pistol is ideal for pushing 3/64", 1/16" and 3/32" aluminum wire up to 15' from the drive roll stand. It is built for use with all wire feeders that have a provision for water-cooling, and will handle all types of wire from .035" through 1/8" diameter hard/cored and stainless.
Mobility with Push Welding
Mobility is made easy by mounting the Miller, Lincoln, or ESAB Machine on a cart on wheels with the torches spread out every 10-15ft along the trailer or workpiece. The Pistol Gun is very light weight, but if needed it can be mounted to a boom to take the torch and cable weight off the welder. By adding the optional double walled, aluminum heat shield to the torch, there is no extra weight added, and the heat and fatigue will be greatly reduced for the welder.
Durability and Cost Reduction
The D/F Pistol Gun is famous for its durability and toughness as it not only can be used as a hammer when you are not welding, but no matter the duty cycle or amperages, you can grab the torch with your bare hand immediately after welding and it will be cold to the touch. Because of its quality and durability, the D/F Pistol will last years and years vs. months, and will outlast any push-pull gun on the market at 1/2-1/3 of the cost. What does downtime cost your factory? The D/F Pistol Gun will reduce downtime and increase productivity, and consumable costs will be reduced up to 14-to-1.
Repair and Maintenance
Maintenance is made easy with the D/F Pistol because of its heavy duty design and the few parts required to maintain it. If you do not have a maintenance department at your facility, you will be pleased to know that we factory refurbish all D/F torches. D/F torches can usually be repaired for less than 1/3 of the cost of 1 new torch. Just send us the damaged torches for factory refurbishment at your convenience. You will receive a repair evaluation and only charge you $60.00 per torch, plus the parts needed for the repair. We take the torches apart completely, assess the damage, pressure test them, provide the repair estimate to you, reassemble the torches with the needed new parts to factory specs, and re-pressure test to make sure they have been repaired. It is always a good idea for customers to have backup torches in place for emergencies. This is achieved by repairing old, damaged torches.
Push Gun Benefits
Feeding aluminum wire through a push only system is very advantageous. The D/F Water-Cooled Pistol Gun easily connects to a Miller, Lincoln, and ESAB power sources and wire feeders, and is a superior and inexpensive alternative to the push pull guns available in today's market. Push-pull torches are also very fragile, difficult to maintain, and have more parts. Because the D/F Pistol Gun can hook up to any manufacturer's wire feeder and power source, large spools of wire can be used reducing expenses, down time, and wear and tear on the torch by the changing of spools, as in a spool gun. A spool gun needs to have the roll changed after every pound of wire is used, compared with the 8 or 15 lb spool on a push-pull system. In tight spaces, the spool may limit access, requiring the operator to use a longer stickout. If the operator is using several pounds of aluminum per day, the few minutes need to change spools can add up. Also, the chance of burnback exists when the end of a spool is reached, so many operators stop when a few turns are left on the spool.
Spool Gun Limitations
Because a spool gun is larger than a push gun, it can sometimes be difficult to get close access to the weld. Also, a spool gun can only hold a 1 pound spool of aluminum wire electrode, so changeovers are frequent. In addition, these small spools typically are not the most economical way to purchase wire. Spool guns are also very fragile and do not last as long.
Push-Pull Gun Limitations
Typically, the greatest disadvantage of a push-pull system is that it requires the most number of components and is the most expensive. Push-pull guns are also very fragile and do not last as long.
Trailer Manufacturing
When manufacturing high quality aluminum trailers, it is important to consider longevity and strength of the weld joints. With aluminum in particular, it is somewhat of a fine-tune process to get a weld that will penetrate correctly with slightly higher heat and slightly lower travel speed. Also, choosing the correct wire size is crucial to an optimally strong aluminum weld. Since the D/F Water-Cooled 600 amp Pistol Gun can handle the extreme heat and duty cycles, accept a wide range of wires, and can hook up to any power source and wire feeder to accept any necessary welding parameters, it is a superior choice for manual MIG aluminum welding and trailer manufacturing.
Pushing Aluminum Wire
Because push-only guns like D/F Pistol Gun can hook up to any manufacturer's wire feeder and power source, large 500 lb spools of wire can be used reducing expenses, down time, and wear and tear on the torch by the changing of spools as in a spool gun. A spool gun needs to have the roll changed after every pound of wire is used, compared to the large size spools used in a D/F Pistol Gun. Also, the chance of burn-back exists when the end of a spool is reached, so many operators stop when a few turns are left on the spool.
Push Welding vs. Push-Pull Welding
A push gun also has advantages over a push-pull gun for many reasons. Typically, the greatest disadvantage of moving wire over long distances with a push-pull system is that it requires the most number of components and is the most expensive. It is very easy to mount a D/F Pistol Gun on a boom system to take all of the weight off of the gun. By mounting the wire feeder and power source on a 4-wheel cart, you can now travel great distances very easily. Push-pull guns are also very fragile and do not last as long (months vs. years). Push-pull guns are 2-3 times more expensive than the D/F Pistol. They only last up to 9 months on average, and you either have to replace the torch or rebuild by installing a new motor costing as much as $400-plus. There is no need for an expensive tip holder/gas diffuser in a D/F Pistol Gun. The copper nozzle or gas cup is threaded into the front water-cooled barrel of the gun, resulting in nozzles lasting months instead of days. Lastly but most importantly, because the D/F Pistol uses a 4" slip-in contact tip that is recessed in the water-cooling, not only is the arc stability greatly increased, the tip life is increased 14-1, and there is built-in wire straightening. If the operator is using several pounds of aluminum per day, the few minutes need to change spools or replace motors can add up.
Click here to read more about the D/F Water-Cooled MIG Pistol Grip Gun.
If you have any questions about aluminum trailer manufacturing, push welding aluminum, or about the D/F Pistol Gun itself, please do not hesitate to contact the factory.
Phone: (507) 625-6200 · Email: sales@dfmachinespecialties.com
We look forward to helping you with your welding applications!
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