ESAB Mig 500tw with an external ESAB Feed 48-4 feeder is a heavy industrial MIG/MAG set with liquid cooling, for multi shift work. The source gives 500 A at 39.0 V and a 60% duty cycle, 450 A at 37.0 V and an 80% duty cycle and 400 A at 34.0 V in continuous 100% work. Supply is 3 x 400 V or 415 V at 50 Hz, and the interconnection package is from 15 m to 20 m.
What this machine is for
This is a source for makers of steel and bridge structures, shipyards, heavy machine production, semi trailers and trucks. You set the current from 50 A at 16.5 V to 500 A at 39.0 V, and in work without breaks the machine holds 400 A, so you lay long fillet joints on thick walled sections without waiting for the transformer to cool down. The input current at full load is 41 A, at an 80% duty cycle it drops to 39 A, and in continuous work to 35 A.
The greatest value of this configuration is the reach. The interconnection bundle from 15 m to 20 m carries current, gas, control and the coolant hoses in one sleeve, so you go with the feeder inside a hull or a tank or onto scaffolding, and the heavy source of about 190 kg to 210 kg stays by the wall. The Feed 48-4 feeder has four driven rolls of 48 mm diameter, that is a larger contact area with the wire than in typical designs. With such a drive the wire runs through the whole package at a light pressure, so soft aluminium filler does not deform and the core of a flux cored wire does not break.
You work with solid wires under CO2 and Ar/CO2 mixtures and with cored and flux cored wires, self shielded or gas shielded. The materials are unalloyed and structural steels, high strength steels, CrNi stainless and acid resistant steels and aluminium alloys. You set the voltage in steps with a coarse and a fine switch, and you pick the arc dynamics with the choke socket: a lower inductance gives a hard arc with deep penetration for thick steel under CO2, a higher one calms the arc and limits spatter with mixtures and alloy steels.
Features and equipment
- Transformer source of high thermal and mechanical resistance: multi step adjustment takes the swings of an industrial mains and gives repeatable working points.
- Feed 48-4 drive with four rolls of 48 mm diameter: the enlarged contact area lets you push the wire through a package from 15 m to 20 m at a minimal pressure, without deforming aluminium wires and without breaking the core in flux cored wires.
- Wire feed speed from 1.9 m/min to 25.0 m/min with stepless adjustment: the band covers thin walls and thick filling passes.
- Multi socket adjustment of the choke inductance: you change the character of the arc by moving the earth cable, without going into a menu.
- ESAB Logic Pump cooling system: in ELP mode the pump starts the moment the arc strikes and switches off only after the torch has cooled, which lowers the energy use, quietens the station and lengthens the life of the components. You can also choose continuous work marked I and switching off marked 0.
- Creep Start, that is a soft wire approach: the feed slows down before the strike, so the wire does not hit the material and there is less spatter at the start.
- Burn-back time adjustment: the wire end neither sticks to the pool nor fuses into the contact tip of the torch.
- Torch of 4 m, type 501, liquid cooled, with a ball joint: a rating of 500 A under CO2 and 450 A in a mixture.
- Euro torch connector with brass coolant quick couplings: you swap the torch for any one that meets the standard.
- Support for D200, D300 and K300 spools of up to 18 kg: typical filler packages without adapters.
- Earth cable of 3 m with a cross section sized for 500 A, with a screw and jaw clamp, and a supply cable of 3 m for a fuse from 32 A to 40 A.
Technical data
| Brand | ESAB |
|---|---|
| Source model | ESABMig 500tw |
| Design type | industrial MIG/MAG source with liquid cooling, manual control |
| Supply voltage | 3 x 400 V or 415 V, 50 Hz |
| Mains fuse | from 32 A to 40 A |
| Welding current range | from 50 A at 16.5 V to 500 A at 39.0 V |
| Current at a 60% duty cycle | 500 A at 39.0 V, input current 41 A |
| Current at an 80% duty cycle | 450 A at 37.0 V, input current 39 A |
| Current at a continuous 100% load | 400 A at 34.0 V, input current 35 A |
| Open circuit voltage | 40 V |
| Voltage adjustment | stepped, multi step, coarse and fine switch |
| Cooling circuit | integrated liquid cooler with a pump, modes ELP, 0 and I |
| Feeder model | ESAB Feed 48-4, drive with four rolls of 48 mm diameter |
| Wire feed speed | from 1.9 m/min to 25.0 m/min |
| Steel wire diameters | from 0.6 mm to 1.6 mm |
| Flux cored and cored wire diameters | from 0.9 mm to 2.4 mm |
| Aluminium wire diameters | from 1.0 mm to 1.6 mm |
| Spools supported | D200, D300, K300, up to 18 kg |
| Torch connection | Euro connector with brass coolant quick couplings |
| Interconnection package | from 15 m to 20 m |
| Welding torch | type 501, 4 m, liquid cooled, 500 A under CO2 and 450 A in a mixture |
| Earth cable and supply cable | 3 m each |
| Source weight | from about 190 kg to 210 kg |
| Protection class and marking | IP23, S marking |
| Compliance with standards | EN 60974-1, EN 50199, CE marking |
| Processes | MIG, MAG, FCAW with flux cored and cored wires |
What you get
- ESAB Mig 500tw source with a built in liquid cooler
- ESAB Feed 48-4 feeder with four rolls of 48 mm diameter
- interconnection cable package from 15 m to 20 m in a sleeve
- MIG/MAG torch 4 m, type 501, liquid cooled
- earth cable 3 m with a screw and jaw clamp
- supply cable 3 m
What to watch out for
The set needs a 3 x 400 V or 415 V mains at 50 Hz with a fuse from 32 A to 40 A. The source weighs from about 190 kg to 210 kg, so plan a fixed station and a pallet truck for unloading. The type 501 torch is rated for 500 A under CO2 and 450 A in a mixture, so on longer work watch the coolant circuit and the fluid level, because without cooling the torch will not stand such currents. Plan the duty cycle by the documentation: you get 500 A at 60%, 450 A at 80%, and without breaks the source gives 400 A.
The feeder handles steel wires from 0.6 mm to 1.6 mm, flux cored from 0.9 mm to 2.4 mm and aluminium from 1.0 mm to 1.6 mm, so for each group choose the right rolls and guides, because one set will not cover everything. The interconnection package from 15 m to 20 m is the most exposed part of the set, so once it is in place check its sleeve and the tightness of the coolant couplings. The machine has no synergy and no pulse, you set the voltage with the switches and the dynamics with the choke socket.
How we sell used machines
This unit was checked in our service workshop in Krotoszyn with measurements to PN-EN 60974-4 and a load test. The price includes the first year of the basic service package: an inspection with cleaning of the machine and a validation measurement. Further years can be added. We ship across the European Union, collection in person by appointment.
