Protecting Your Employees

3 Tips For Maintaining Your Welder

In order to ensure that your welding equipment remains functional, effective and in good shape, you must provide routine care and maintenance for it. Not only will poor maintenance result in early retirement of the equipment, it could be unsafe for you as the user of the machine. So, here are three things that you need to do to ensure that your welder is up to par at all times:

#1: Follow Operating Specifications

The absolute best thing that you can do to ensure that your welder remains in good working order is to use it within its operating specifications. By following these specifications, you will be able to maintain its effectiveness and efficiency. If you choose to use it beyond its limit and capacity, you could do harm to it. When purchasing a welder, pay close attention to what the welder can do and know what types of projects you plan to use it for so that you can choose the right one.

#2: Perform Regular Cleaning

As you use your welder, dust and debris will accumulate on and inside the welder, even if there is a cover on the welder. To remove this accumulation of dirt and debris inside, you will need to remove the cover and blow compressed air inside. Whenever possible, you should try to do as much work as far away as possible from the equipment to minimize the amount of dust and debris build-up in and around the welder.

There are also certain parts inside the welder that will need a new application of lubricant on a regular basis. In addition, there are some parts that will need regular cleaning and maintenance from a professional welding technician. These parts include the transformers, cooling fans and PC boards, as they accumulate dust, dirt and grime.

#3: Replace Worn Out Parts

As with any type of equipment, there are some parts that will wear out and need to be replaced like the brushes inside the wire feeder. Some parts will wear out more frequently than others, such as the nozzles or tips on the welding torch. If you have a MIG welder, then you may be replacing some of the critical moving parts associated with the wire feeder or the liner.  

At some point, maintenance may not be enough to avoid repairs from needing to be done. When your welder is damaged and needs repair, make sure to locate a professional and experienced welder repair service in your local area, such as Vern Lewis Welding Supply Inc, and schedule an appointment for service.