Lincoln Electric IM10018 IDEALARC DC-600 VRD - Manual (Page 22)

5. Follow the following guidelines for good arc striking
detailed below for each welding mode.
GOOD ARC STRIKING GUIDELINES FOR THE NA-3
WITH THE IDEALARC
® DC-600 VRD IN THE CV
INNERSHIELD, CV SUBMERGED ARC OR CC STICK
WELDING MODES.
Following are some basic arc striking techniques that
apply to all wire feed processes. Using these procedures
should provide trouble-free starting. These procedures
apply to single, solid wires and Innershield wires.
1. Cut the electrode to a sharp point.
2. Set the NA-3 Open Circuit Voltage Control to the
same dial setting as the Arc Voltage Control. If this is
a new welding procedure, a good starting point is to
set the Open Circuit Voltage Control to # 6.
NOTE: The open circuit voltage of the
IDEALARC
® DC-600 VRD varies from approximately
16 volts to 56 volts in the CV INNERSHIELD or CV
SUBMERGED ARC modes. The open circuit voltage
is essentially zero in the CC STICK mode.
3. Run a test weld. Set proper current, voltage, and
travel speed.
• For the best starting performance, the NA-3 Open
Circuit Voltage Control and Voltage Control setting
should be the same. Set the Inch Speed Control for
the slowest inch speed possible.
• To adjust the Open Circuit Voltage Control to get the
best starting performance, make repeated starts
observing the NA-3 voltmeter.
When the voltmeter pointer swings smoothly up to
the desired arc voltage, without undershooting or
overshooting the desired arc voltage, the Open
Circuit Voltage Control is set properly.
If the voltmeter pointer overshoots the desired volt-
age and then returns back to the desired voltage, the
Open Circuit Voltage Control is set too high. This
can result in a bad start where the wire tends to
"Blast off."
If the voltmeter pointer hesitates before coming up to
the desired voltage, the Open Circuit Voltage Control
is set too low.This can cause the electrode to stub.
4. Start and make the weld.
• Cold starts. For cold starts, be sure the work piece is
clean and the electrode makes positive contact with
the work piece.
• Hot "On the Fly" starts. For hot starts, travel should
begin before the wire contacts the work piece.
B-8 OPERATION B-8
IDEALARC ® DC-600 VRD
3. Air/Carbon Arc Cutting (AAC) / Stick Welding
(SMAW) / High Current, Large Puddle Submerged
Arc Welding (SAW): Use the CC STICK mode.
When the IDEALARC
® DC-600 VRD is used for
Air/Carbon Arc cutting, the OUTPUT CONTROL
potentiometer should be set to "9" initially. Based
on the size of the carbon being used or the
process, turn the potentiometer to a lower setting
as required by the process. You can use carbon
rods up to 3/8" in diameter at currents as high as
750 amps with excellent arc control. The welder
protection circuit protects the machine from
extremely high short circuiting pulses.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC AND
AUTOMATIC WIRE FEEDING WITH
THE IDEALARC
® DC-600 VRD AND
WIRE FEEDERS
When using the IDEALARC ® DC-600 VRD with semi-
automatic or automatic wire feeding equipment and
for stick welding or air/carbon arc cutting, it is recom-
mended that the optional MULTI-PROCESS SWITCH
be used. This switch permits you to easily change the
polarity of the connected wire feeding equipment or
switch to stick welding or air/carbon arc cutting.
To use a feeder with sense leads in CC mode on the
IDEALARC
® DC-600 VRD, disconnect the feederʼs
work sense lead prior to the VRD self test. Reconnect
the work sense lead after passing the self test.
NA-3 AUTOMATIC WIRE FEEDER
1. Set the IDEALARC ® DC-600 VRD LOCAL/REMOTE
Switch to REMOTE. Set the OUTPUT TERMINALS
switch to REMOTE. NOTE: Later model NA-3 auto-
matic wire feeders are capable of cold starts when
the NA-3 Mode switch is in the CV or CC mode posi-
tion and when welding in positive polarity only. Some
earlier models are capable of cold starting only in the
CC mode position. Cold starting enables you to inch
the wire down to the work, automatically stop, and
automatically energize the flux hopper valve.
2. Set the IDEALARC ® DC-600 VRD welding mode
switch for the desired process: CV SUBMERGED
ARC, CV INNERSHIELD mode or CC STICK mode.
3. Set the NA-3 mode Switch Position to either CV or
CC to match the IDEALARC
® DC-600 VRD mode
selected in step 2.
4. Refer to the NA-3 operators manual for instructions
on how to use the NA-3 in conjunction with the IDE-
ALARC
® DC-600 VRD.