The ESAB Power Compact 200 is a compact MIG/MAG semi automatic welder on a transformer, with a built in wire feeder and a trolley for a cylinder. You set the welding current from 30 A to 200 A, where 200 A comes at a duty cycle of 35% and 120 A at continuous load 100%. The supply is 400 V 3~ 50/60 Hz, the weight is about 40 kg, and the housing has protection class IP 21.
What this machine is for
This is a power source for the repair workshop, the metal shop and small production. A transformer with a rectifier gives a soft, calm arc that lies well on structural steel and forgives imprecise guiding of the torch. The range from 30 A to 200 A covers skin sheet and sections of a thickness typical of light structures, and you pick the voltage with a step switch in 10 steps. The machine welds low carbon and high alloy steel, and after you change the feeder rollers to the U type, fit a teflon liner in the torch and connect pure argon, it will also handle aluminium alloys.
The transformer design has a high thermal inertia and takes voltage swings in older workshop wiring. The lack of large inverter electronics means less sensitivity to metal dust and moisture, which shows in multi shift work. The price for that is the weight: about 40 kg is more than an inverter of a similar current, which is why the maker set the power source on a trolley with running wheels. The rear platform takes a shielding gas cylinder of 20 litres held by a chain, so you roll the whole station between halls without disconnecting the gas and the cables.
The typical tasks are body repairs in service shops for trucks and farm machines, welding of light structures such as racks, transport trolleys and workshop benches, overhaul work in maintenance, production of small metal parts in short series and welding of fences, gates and railings from black and stainless steel. The machine also went to assembly work in the field, on supply from a generator of suitable power, and to the training of MIG/MAG welders, because the handling comes down to two settings. For black steel the maker recommended an Ar/CO2 mixture, which gives a stable arc and little spatter, while welding under CO2 alone is cheaper but there will be more spatter. The spot timer and stitch welding help on the skin of trailers and bodies, where a continuous weld would pull the thin sheet, while a spot of repeatable time holds the geometry of the part. Parameters once matched to the sheet thickness you reproduce the next day from the step number, with no guessing about the position of a knob.
Features and equipment
- Power transformer with a rectifier: high thermal inertia and resistance to surges, the output parameters hold even when the voltage in the workshop mains swings.
- Step switch for the welding voltage, 10 steps: a step once chosen will not drift while you weld a series, and moving from thin sheet to a thicker section is one movement. The price is the lack of tuning in 0.1 V steps, which with classic MIG/MAG is no obstacle.
- Built in wire feeder with a two roll system: it guides steel and self shielded wires from 0.6 mm to 1.0 mm in diameter, and you set the roller pressure so as to remove slip without crushing the wire.
- Spool chamber for a weight up to 15 kg: the spool sits in the housing, shielded from dust, and the breaks to change the filler are less frequent.
- Trigger modes 2T and 4T: in 2T you hold the button through the whole bead, which suits short assembly welds, in 4T you press the button once to start and once to finish, so the hand does not tire on long beads.
- Burn-back adjustment: you set the time for which the wire stays live after the feed stops, so the end of the wire does not stick to the contact tip or to the crater. The setting sits on an internal potentiometer, so nobody will move it by accident.
- Spot welding timer: repeatable spots of the same duration, for tacking structures and body work without overheating the material.
- Stitch welding with an interval setting: beads of a set length and spacing, useful on thin sheet where a continuous weld pulls the material.
- Thermal protection with a lamp on the panel: the circuit cuts the welding current when the safe temperature of the transformer and of the rectifier bridge is passed, and the signal tells you when to wait for cooling.
- Fan that cools the power components: it shortens the return to readiness after the duty cycle is passed.
- Trolley with running wheels, a platform for a 20 l cylinder and a chain mount: the cylinder travels together with the power source, with no need to unhook the gas hose.
- Panel with large controls: you can move the settings in thick welding gloves, and the description of the voltage steps stays readable in a dusty hall.
- Housing with protection class IP 21: it shields the power components from metal dust and from water dripping straight down.
- Work with self shielded wire: with no cylinder and no gas hose you add welds in the wind, for example during a repair in the field, where a gas shield would be blown away anyway.
- Soft arc characteristic typical of a transformer: when you weld structural steel the arc spatters less and forgives small errors of torch guiding, which makes learning and work easier for welders of different experience.
Technical data
| Brand | ESAB |
|---|---|
| Type | MIG/MAG semi automatic welder on a transformer, manual control |
| Supply voltage | 400 V 3~ 50/60 Hz |
| Welding current range | from 30 A to 200 A |
| Current at a duty cycle of 35% | 200 A |
| Current at continuous load 100% | 120 A |
| Number of voltage steps | 10 |
| Wire feeder | built in, 2 roll |
| Wire diameter | from 0.6 mm to 1.0 mm |
| Wire spool | up to 15 kg |
| Cylinder on the trolley | 20 l |
| Weight of the machine | about 40 kg |
| Protection class | IP 21 |
| Cooling | gas |
| Processes | MIG/MAG, spot welding, stitch welding |
What to watch out for
The machine needs a 400 V 3~ 50/60 Hz power socket and work with a shielding gas cylinder, because the torch is cooled by gas, not by liquid. Protection class IP 21 allows work under a roof, while rain and a wet building site are out. A weight of about 40 kg with a 20 l cylinder on the rear platform makes a set that you will not carry up the stairs alone, but you will roll it over the floor of a hall. Plan the duty cycle from the numbers in the documentation: you get 200 A at 35%, and in work with no breaks the machine gives 120 A, so split long welds on thick material into stages.
The two roll feeder guides steel wires from 0.6 mm to 1.0 mm well, but with torches longer than 4 m the four roll mechanisms work better, and at such a length count on poorer feeding, above all on soft wire. For aluminium you need U type rollers, a teflon liner and pure argon, the voltage switch alone will not settle that. The voltage setting is stepped, so you will not tune it in 0.1 V steps.
This unit is sold
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