MK Products MK Cobramatic Pro Series - Manual (Page 6)

Cobramatic ® Pro Series Safety - Page v
use additional protective clothing such
as leather jacket or sleeves, flameproof
apron, and fire-resistant leggings. Avoid
outer garments of untreated cotton.
Bare skin protection. Wear dark,
substantial clothing. Button collar to
protect chest and neck, and button
pockets to prevent entry of sparks.
2. Eye and Head Protection
Protect eyes from exposure to arc. Eyes
may be damaged by radiant energy
when exposed to the electric arc, even
when not looking in the direction of the
arc. Never look at an electric arc without
protection.
Welding helmet or shield containing a
filter plate shade no. 12 or denser must
be used when welding. Place over face
before striking arc.
Protect filter plate with a clear cover
plate.
Cracked or broken helmet or shield
should NOT be worn; radiation can be
passed through to cause burns.
Cracked, broken, or loose filter plates
must be replaced IMMEDIATELY.
Replace clear cover plate when broken,
pitted, or spattered.
Flash goggles with side shields MUST
be worn under the helmet to give
some protection to the eyes should the
helmet not be lowered over the face
before an arc is struck. Looking at
an arc momentarily with unprotected
eyes (particularly a high intensity gas-
shielded arc) can cause a retinal burn
that may leave a permanent dark area
in the field of vision.
3. Protection of Nearby Personnel
Enclose the welding area. For
production welding, a separate room
or enclosed bay is best. In open
areas, surround the operation with low-
reflective, noncombustible screens or
panels. Allow for free air circulation,
particularly at floor level.
Viewing the weld. Provide face shields
for all persons who will be looking
directly at the weld.
Others working in area. See that all
persons are wearing flash goggles.
Before starting to weld, make sure that
screen flaps or bay doors are closed.
B. Toxic Fume Prevention
Comply with precautions in 1-2B.
Generator engine exhaust must be
vented to the outside air. Carbon
monoxide can kill.
C. Fire and Explosion Prevention
Comply with precautions in 1-2C.
Equipment’s rated capacity. Do not
overload arc welding equipment. It may
overheat cables and cause a fire.
Loose cable connections may overheat
or flash and cause afire.
Never strike an arc on a cylinder or other
pressure vessel. It creates a brittle area
that can cause a violent rupture or lead to
such a rupture later under rough handling.
D. Compressed Gas Equipment
Comply with precautions in 1-2D.
E. Shock Prevention
Exposed electrically hot conductors or
other bare metal in the welding circuit, or in
ungrounded, electrically-HOT equipment
can fatally shock a person whose body
becomes a conductor. DO NOT STAND,
SIT, LIE, LEAN ON, OR TOUCH a wet
surface when welding without suitable
protection.
To protect against shock:
Keep body and clothing dry. Never work
in damp area without adequate insulation
against electrical shock. Stay on a dry
duckboard, or rubber mat when dampness
or sweat cannot be avoided. Sweat, sea
water, or moisture between body and
an electrically HOT part - or grounded
metal - reduces the body surface electrical
resistance, enabling dangerous and
possibly lethal currents to flow through
the body.
1. Grounding the Equipment
When installing, connect the frames of
each unit such as welding power source,
control, work table, and water circulator to
the building ground. Conductors must be
adequate to carry ground currents safely.
Equipment made electrically HOT by stray
currents may shock, possibly fatally. Do
NOT GROUND to electrical conduit, or to
a pipe carrying ANY gas or a flammable
liquid such as oil or fuel.
Three-phase connection. Check phase
requirement of equipment before installing.
If only three-phase power is available,
connect single-phase equipment to only
two wires of the three-phase line. Do
NOT connect the equipment ground lead
to the third (live) wire, or the equipment
will become electrically HOT - a dangerous
condition that can shock, possibly fatally.
Before welding, check ground for continuity.
Be sure conductors are touching bare
metal of equipment frames at connections.
If a line cord with a ground lead is provided
with the equipment for connection to a
switch box, connect the ground lead to
the grounded switch box. If a three-prong
plug is added for connection to a grounded
mating receptacle, the ground lead must be
connected to the ground prong only. If the
line cord comes with a three-prong plug,
connect to a grounded mating receptacle.
Never remove the ground prong from a
plug, or use a plug with a broken ground
prong.
2. Connectors
Fully insulated lock-type connectors
should be used to join welding cable
lengths.
3. Cables
Frequently inspect cables for wear, cracks,
and damage. IMMEDIATELY REPLACE
those with excessively worn or damaged
insulation to avoid possibly lethal shock
from bared cable. Cables with damaged
areas may be taped to give resistance
equivalent to original cable.
Keep cable dry, free of oil and grease,
and protected from hot metal and
sparks.
4. Terminals and Other Exposed
Parts
Terminals and other exposed parts of
electrical units should have insulating
covers secured before operation.
5. Electrode Wire
Electrode wire becomes electrically
HOT when the power switch of gas
metal-arc welding equipment is ON and
welding gun trigger is pressed. Keep
hands and body clear of wire and other
HOT parts.
6. Safety Devices
Safety devices such as interlocks
and circuit breakers should not be
disconnected or shunted out.
Before installation, inspection, or
service of equipment, shut OFF all
power, and remove line fuses (or lock or
red-tag switches) to prevent accidental
turning ON of power. Disconnect all
cables from welding power source, and
pull all 115 volts line-cord plugs.
Do not open power circuit or change
polarity while welding. If, in an
emergency, it must be disconnected,
guard against shock burns or flash from
switch arcing.
Leaving equipment unattended. Always
shut OFF, and disconnect all power to
equipment.
Power disconnect switch must be
available near the welding power
source.