The Lorch HandyTIG 180 Control Pro is a compact inverter TIG DC power source with an MMA mode, run from a single phase 230 V socket. You set the TIG current from 3 to 180 A, in MMA from 10 to 150 A, and at a 100% duty cycle the machine gives 130 A. It weighs 5.7 kg and has protection class IP23.
What this machine is for
This is a power source for mobile service and precise workshop jobs. The weight of 5.7 kg and the dimensions 337 x 130 x 211 mm mean you take the machine in one hand together with a bag, and the Crash-Proof housing takes a drop from 80 cm. Class IP23 lets you work outdoors, because it protects the inside against rain falling at an angle.
Direct current takes mild steel, stainless steel and copper. Adjustment from 3 A and setting to within one ampere let you weld thin stainless sheet without burning through, and 150 A at a 60% duty cycle and 130 A at 100% are enough for longer beads on a wall of medium thickness. In MMA mode you work from 10 to 150 A, so you also make a repair with an electrode where the gas shield blows away. The maker states that the arc parameters match those of large industrial systems, only in a housing you carry up a ladder.
The documentation points this model to industry, mobile service, metalwork and maintenance. The applications listed are production and assembly of pipelines in high alloy steels, installation work in the air conditioning and ventilation trade, repairs of machine assemblies in maintenance, welding of light structures in metalwork shops, precise artistic and decorative work in metal, building of pressure vessels and heat exchangers and mobile welding services at the end customer. Built in protection guards the components against surges and overheating in intensive use, which on equipment carried around sites matters more than in a machine that stands at one bay for good.
Features and equipment
- Control Pro panel with a digital display: you set the current in single amperes, you handle the panel in thick gloves, and the machine remembers the last settings, so after switching on again you get back to work without setting everything from scratch. Service codes on the display tell you about overheating or about a problem with the mains, so you know whether the fault lies with the machine or with the installation on site.
- Contact free HF ignition: a high voltage impulse breaks through the space between the electrode and the part, so the arc strikes without touching, the weld picks up no tungsten inclusions and the electrode does not blunt at the start. The metallurgical cleanliness of the joint counts in the food, chemical and aviation industry, and a repeatable start makes work in constrained positions easier. In places sensitive to electromagnetic interference you can switch the HF circuit off.
- MMA automation with Hotstart, Anti-Stick and Arc-Force: Hotstart lifts the current for a moment at striking and makes the pool flow on cold material, Anti-Stick cuts the current at the moment of a short circuit and does not let the electrode glow, and Arc-Force watches the dynamics of the arc and does not let it go out when you lead the electrode very close to the material. Thanks to that a less practised operator also lays a correct weld, and the functions are matched to basic and rutile electrodes.
- Compensation of voltage swings: the circuit filters mains interference and protects the IGBT transistors against the effects of an unstable supply, it takes voltage deviations of the order of 15% and lets you work on an extension lead up to 100 metres long with a conductor cross section of at least 2.5 square millimetres, without a loss of arc power.
- Work with a generator: with a unit that has AVR stabilisation the machine runs stably also where there is no mains, which in services at the customer and in field work is sometimes the only way out.
- Crash-Proof housing and class IP23: the frame and the covers protect the electronics after a drop from 80 cm, and the sealing lets you work outdoors in rain falling at an angle, which in assembly and installation firms extends the life of the equipment. The housing will not take a pressure water jet.
- Forced cooling with directed air ducts: the fan takes heat away from the power modules, and the ducts limit the settling of dust and filings on the electronics, so the machine breaks down less often in a dusty shop and in a grinding workshop. The welding parameters stay stable also when the ambient temperature is high.
Technical data
| Brand | Lorch |
|---|---|
| Model | HandyTIG 180 Control Pro |
| Type | inverter TIG DC power source with MMA mode |
| TIG welding current range | from 3 to 180 A |
| MMA welding current range | from 10 to 150 A |
| Current at 60% duty cycle | 150 A |
| Current at 100% duty cycle | 130 A |
| Reference temperature of the duty cycle | 40 degrees C |
| Supply voltage | 230 V, single phase |
| Type of current | DC |
| Voltage swing tolerance | 15% |
| Weight of the source | 5.7 kg |
| Dimensions | 337 x 130 x 211 mm |
| Protection class | IP23 |
| Housing resistance | drop from 80 cm |
| Cooling | gas, source cooled with air |
| Welding current given on the data sheet | up to 200 A |
What to watch out for
The data sheet gives current up to 200 A, and the source description a range from 3 to 180 A, so confirm the value on the rating plate. The source works on direct current only, for aluminium you need an AC/DC machine. At a 100% duty cycle you get 130 A, above that level plan breaks. The single phase 230 V supply makes the connection easy, but on a long extension lead watch the conductor cross section, the minimum is 2.5 square millimetres at 100 metres.
The inlet grilles have to stay clear, a blocked inlet ends with a thermal shutdown. HF ignition disturbs unshielded electronics, in such places switch it off. In MMA mode the characteristic is matched to basic and rutile electrodes. The source description does not list a torch, an earth cable or a regulator, so confirm the content of the set and the state of the consumable parts on collection.
This unit is sold
This machine has already gone to a customer. Similar units are listed below, and if you want the same model, leave your contact details in the form and we will let you know when the next one arrives.