R-Tech 181 Digital MIG Welder (240v) - Shop Soiled

Easy-Set technology takes the guess work our of setting up machine for your desired weld. You simply use two buttons to select wire size being used and material thickness to weld.

The machine then sets the wire speed and welding power accordingly, you then just press the trigger and start welding - it is that simple!

Easy-set is ideal for all users - the beginner / occasional / proffesional welder as you can get welding by the press of 2 buttons - no need for charts / remembered settings etc as it's all built in for you.

You also have a trim for wire speed and welding power, so you can trim it +/- to suit your personal preference of travel speed / weld bead thickness.

In image below, using 0.8mm wire, you have selections for 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0mm - Just select thickness and get welding.



If you want to fine tune the weld characteristics to suit your personal preference.
You can trim the wire speed by 1 m/min by turning wire speed knob.
You can trim the welding voltage by 1V by turning welding voltage knob.

In MIG Manual mode, you have full control of machine settings including.

Wire feed speed 1.5 - 12 m/min
Welding voltage 13V - 23V
2T/4T trigger options
Burnback control 0s - 2s
Spool on gun operation off/on

2T - Press trigger to start weld, release to finish weld.
4T - Press and release trigger to start weld, To finish weld press and release trigger.
This is commonly know as trigger latching.

Burnback is how long the welding power will continue after wire feed has stopped, this stops the wire from sticking to workpiece when weld finished

Duty Cycle refers to how long a machine will operate for before it automatically stops the welding ARC to protect its components from overheating.

A 35% duty cycle at 180 amps would mean that you are able to weld at 180 amps for a maximum of 3.5 minutes out of 10 before the machine shuts off to cool down.

Higher duty cycles at higher amperage indicate a machine is made from more high quality components, built to withstand the stresses welding places on them.

We believe on a minimum of 35% duty cycle, most of our machines are 35%-60% at maximum amperage. Built to last, ideal for all users -  Industrial, D.I.Y, Home workshop. 

At R-Tech we believe in building machines to last, with minimum down time to our customers, so we fit the most reliable power modules and IGBT's available coupled with oversized heatsinks. Therefore our machines are able to work harder for longer! 

We also quote our duty cycles at machines MAXIMUM amperage unlike some manufacturers who sneakily quote duty cycles NOT at maximum amperage which can be quite misleading! Duty cycle is very important, 20% is not an industrial duty cycle.

I.E Competitors state on thier 200amp machine, 60% duty cycle @140Amps.. So what is the duty cycle @ 200Amps?? 

Yes you can, the MIG 181 is fitted with stick welding functionality and will comfortably burn rods up to 4.0mm smoothly. This makes the MIG 181 suitable for agricutural welding jobs such as digger buckets, railings and gates posts.

With the Easy-Set function, you simply select rod size being used I.E 2.4 / 3.2mm and thickness of material to be welded, the machine sets required power for you, then just start welding, it is that easy! 

Yes you can.

Thanks to its effiecient inverter technology, the MIG 181 will generate up to 140-160 amps smoothly on a standard 13A household plug.

This makes the machine perfect for welding up to 4.5mm and very portable as you can use anywhere with a 13A socket.

For full continued use at 180 amps, you will require a 16A supply, which is quite easily fitted to most workshops.

We fit Euro style torches on all of our MIG welder range.

These have many benefits over machines with a fixed torch as found on the basic / DIY machines.

They give consistent wire feed speed giving a more uniform weld.

Easy fitment if torch becomes damaged - for fixed torches you will have to dis-assemble part of the machine.

Easier to change liners if they become worn

Better feel in the hand, Euro torches are generally better quality.

You can easily select preferred style of euro torch and fit quickly and easily.

You can use both 0.6mm and 0.8mm diameters in the R-Tech MIG 181. We get excellent results when we use the following - 

For anything 2mm and below, such as car body work, we would recommend 0.6mm wire thickness. This is because the wire requires a much lower amperage to achieve briliiant penetration and prevents burning holes in the work piece. 

For anything 2-3mm and above, such as chassis work, steel fabrication we would recommend 0.8mm wire thickness. This wire thickness is a fantastic all rounder as it suites many of the users requirements.  

Our machines are fitted with a double grooved roller to suite both 0.8mm and 0.6mm wire. Simply unscrew the retaining screw from roller, turn the roller around to match the wire diameter and re-install the retaining screw. 

We recommend using a gas that contains 95% Argon and 5% Carbon Dioxide for any welding less than 6mm.

Gas MIG welding will always give you the best results, the MIG181 also supports gasless MIG wire, this is ideal if welding outside or where gas is unavailable.

Gas bottles can be purchased from many outlets and you have option of buying the bottle and gas, when bottle is empty - return bottle for a fully filled one, this is generally know as 'rent free bottles'

For high / industrial use, you can purchase via a rental agreement normally paid by direct debit - more cost effective for high volume users.