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Can I use a welder as a power supply for anodizing?
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I'm a small home machine shop that does some anodizing. My problem is that I would like to do bigger parts thus forcing me to need a bigger power supply. I've heard of people using welders. But from what I've read you need about 15 volts and capable of 15 amps per square foot. Welders are about 32 volts. How important is the amount of voltage? Can anybody shed some light on this or maybe a different power supply
Tony Dickson|
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I don't know how much you need, but I too plate objects in a home shop and found power to be my most difficult hurdle. Turns out, that power supplies up to 200 amps are cheap and plentiful in the electronics surplus market. My guess is that these are computer power supplies from mainframes or something. Richard Rittenburg---- Computer power supplies are fixed voltage and are 200 watts, not amps. There are some 200 amp power supplies on the market that are military or government surplus. Unfortunately, most of these are 5.2 volts with a very narrow adjustment band. I have gone out of the plating business and can give you a good price on one if you still need one. 50 amp to 300 amp. These are fairly heavy. One person can lift (strain) the small ones, but not the big ones. Welders tend to be fixed voltage and you need to be able to ramp up the voltage. At 32 volts you will need excellent agitation and cooling. Welders can be modified, but it takes more knowledge than I have. James Watts- Navarre, Florida |