Fronius iWave 230i AC/DC, used TIG welder

Fronius iWave 230i AC/DC /EF is a digital TIG and MMA source with liquid cooling, supplied from a single 230 V phase. The welding current reaches 230 A at a 35% duty cycle and 165 A at a continuous 100% load, and adjustment starts at 3 A. The set has a Fronius CU 600t cooler and a water cooled torch with a 300P W body and current control in the handle.

What this machine is for

This is a source for precise TIG welding with alternating and direct current. The AC mode with wave frequency adjustment from 40 to 250 Hz, a choice of wave shape and a balance shift from -70% to +70% serves aluminium and magnesium alloys, where you have to break the oxide layer and control the width of the cleaning zone. The DC mode handles mild steel, alloy steel, acid resistant CrNi steel, titanium and copper, and a minimum current of 3 A lets you join thin sheet without burning through the root.

A liquid cooled set removes the limit that with gas cooled torches ends in an overheated torch. The CU 600t cooler gives 0.6 kW at a flow of 1 l/min and pumps coolant at a pressure up to 4.2 bar, so long welding with alternating current does not end in a break for cooling down. A single phase 230 V supply with a +/-15% tolerance and a source weight of 17 kg make this set a machine for mobile service, pipework and a workshop with no three phase installation.

Typical jobs are repairs of aluminium castings and sections, air conditioning pipes, tanks and stainless steel installations in the food and chemical industry, thin walled titanium structures and site assembly with stick electrodes. The MMA mode also handles CEL cellulosic electrodes with the HotStart and Anti-Stick functions.

The digital environment of the source covers a colour screen of 4.3 inch diagonal and WLAN, Bluetooth, NFC and USB connectivity. You assign operator rights to cards, update the software from memory and move settings between stations. The set has a metrological check document valid until 04/2026, which makes it easier to plug the machine into production run to EN 1090 or ISO 3834.

Features and equipment

• CycleTIG: interval welding controlled by the interval time, the pause time and the base current, it limits edge run off and discolouration on stainless steel.
• RPI auto: the circuit matches the energy of contactless HF ignition to the tungsten electrode diameter, and according to the manufacturer it shortens the ignition delay by up to 71%.
• Variable AC wave shapes: hard square, soft square, triangular and sinusoidal, separately for the positive and the negative half wave.
• AC frequency adjustment from 40 to 250 Hz and balance with a shift from -70% to +70%: you control the depth of penetration and the width of the oxide cleaning zone.
• TAC: the tacking program pulses the arc in the starting phase and pulls the sheet edges together without adding filler.
• EasyJobs: five memory cells for a full set of settings, including the current, the slope up and slope down times, the wave balance and the gas flow.
• TIG DC pulse up to 2000 Hz: a high frequency pulse narrows the arc when welding alloy and acid resistant steels.
• TIG Spot from 0.02 to 120 s: spot welding with a set time for very thin sheet.
• MMA mode with support for CEL cellulosic electrodes and the HotStart and Anti-Stick functions: it helps on site assembly, when the shielding gas will not stay over the weld pool.
• TIG braze welding: joining coated sheet and thin parts with a filler of a lower melting point.
• Work from a single phase mains and from a generator: a voltage tolerance of +/-15% and a weight of 17 kg make this source a set for mobile service.
• CU 600t cooler with a Flow-Thermo-Sensor module: it watches the coolant flow and temperature, and if the circuit stops it quenches the arc before the torch is damaged.
• Colour screen of 4.3 inch diagonal with a full menu, readable also in thick gloves.
• WLAN, Bluetooth, NFC and USB modules: managing operator rights, software updates and pairing of accessories.

Technical data

What you get

• Fronius iWave 230i AC/DC /EF inverter source
• Fronius CU 600t liquid cooler with a Flow-Thermo-Sensor module and a Torch Coolant sensor
• Fronius water cooled torch with a 300P W torch body, a TMC connection and Up/Down current control in the handle
• factory WLAN and Bluetooth modules and an NFC reader

What to watch out for

The supply is single phase 230 V with a +/-15% tolerance, so you connect the machine where there is no three phase power, but the current and the duty cycle are lower than in three phase sources: you have 230 A at a 35% duty cycle and 165 A in continuous work. The housing is class IP23, so a station under a roof. Liquid cooling calls for watching the level and the flow, because the Flow-Thermo-Sensor module cuts the arc when the circuit stops, and a hose bent under the table is enough to stop the work. The source weighs 17 kg and measures 558 x 210 x 369 mm, but the set with the cooler and the trolley is carried differently. The cooler draws 1.2 A at 230 V, so count that current together with the source when you size the circuit.

The set comes with a metrological check document valid until 04/2026. Before you buy, settle the set of tungsten electrodes, nozzles and collets for the water cooled torch and which thicknesses and alloys your production covers, because the choice of AC wave frequency and balance depends on it. The torch has a TMC system connection and Up/Down control in the handle, so when you change the torch check that the connection matches. An open circuit voltage of 100 V and a working voltage from 10.1 to 21.3 V are values that help when you set up the station and choose the cables.

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.