Anyone interested, I found a jewelry, double pulse technology
capacitive discharge spot welder bench top unit, new, that is
manufactured in Utah/US and sells for $500. new.
Don’t know how it compares to the ones sold in the jewelry catalogs
like Rio and Gesswein, but it looks to be about the same. The price
is the biggest difference. Maybe someone who is familiar with this
type of machine could judge it better and lets us all know?
Daniel
Anyone interested, I found a jewelry, double pulse technology capacitive discharge spot welder bench top unit, new, that is manufactured in Utah/US and sells for $500. new.
maybe I looked in the wrong place at your linked page, but it sure
seemed to me that the price was closer to 2 thousand…
Greetings,
[usual disclaimers - happy customer, not a paid spokesmodel!!]
I think you should do a bit more investigation - the welder you
mentioned seems to consist of two (or more) parts, a power supply
and head(s) (“interface” between the welder and the work). Cost of
this seems to begin at $1150, plus whatever head you buy. A unit
like this (mind you, without ever trying it) is probably most
comparable to the Tack II from ABI (same price as their starting
unit), and not a “miniature” tig welder or laser, as far as I can
see.
I’ve used the ABI Tack II and pulse arc welder, The PUK II and the
RDO welder (Gesswein, relatively new unit from Germany), in that
order. My personal findings and taste are a preference for the
machines in the order listed, as far as welders are concerned. I
found the ABI welder (and Tack II)a bit difficult to use under most
circumstances, but luckily my stubborn streak let me win out,
mostly…PUK was a bit easier to use after a short learning curve,
and certainly took up less space. Both of these units suffer from
having to work through a shaded visor system, and welds, although
clean when used with argon, did not have the precision that my
“full-size” thermal dynamics tig setup had - stitching (connecting
welds together rapidly) was nigh impossible (for me - I’m sure there
are some superstar ABI and PUK welders out in Orchidland that will
contradict!).
The RDO, however, is exceeding all of my expectations. Training time
was minimal, especially with some understanding of the processes,
you can weld just about anything. Plus, you are working in a cabinet
(yup, does take up space, but works so well we’ve happily given it
it’s own bench!), so the argon gives excellent shielding resulting
in clean, strong welds. You can use the small tungsten tip for
tacking on low power, and the weld is adjustable both in power and
in duration. For stitching, the unit works well. And the biggest
bonus? You are not looking through a shaded visor - the welder uses
an optical shutter system. What you are seeing is an actual,
unshaded view of your work through a 20x scope. Welds were
comparable to those produce by my thermal dynamics welder, but nice
and tiny!
Problems? Initially, I had a few misfires of the optical shutter
(Scary to say the least!), but the board in my unit was replaced and
it works like a charm now - no problems! And the instructions,
~shudder~ ;-)! But easy enough to overcome, and hopefully they will
re-write them (technical help is only a phone call away). And last
but not least, the alligator clips that hold work, well, not too
great. But new holding units are in the work.
So - like momma always said (and every other relative), you get what
you pay for. Lower cost alternatives may be fine for your
applications, but for fabrication and precision, for professional
results, it may pay to go with a different unit than the least
expensive.
My advice would be to visit trade shows and vendors, try different
units, and if it does not easily do what you want it to, don’t buy
it. Of course, if I had followed this advice, I’d be thousands of
dollars richer!
JMUTCW, (just my unsolicited two cents worth!)
Chris
Chris Ploof Studio
508.752.5463 (EST)