Constant Current vs.

Constant Voltage Output | Lincoln

Electric
I have a small MIG welder at home. I want to use it for some stick welding, but have been told
I cannot. Why is this? At work we have several different types of welding machines. Why is it
that some can only be used for stick welding and some only for wire welding, but then other
machines can be used for both? I have heard the terms CC and CV, but what do these mean
and why are they important? Finally, our company has some portable wire feeders with a
“CV / CC” switch inside of them. Does this mean they can be used with any welding
machine?

These are very good questions and ones I am sure that have been asked by many welders. From a
design and arc control standpoint, there are two fundamentally different types of welding power
sources. These include power sources that produce a constant current (CC) output and power
sources that produce a constant voltage (CV) output. Multi-process power sources are those that
contain additional circuitry and components which allows them to produce both CC and CV output
depending on the selected mode.

Note that a welding arc is dynamic, in which current (A) and voltage (V) are changing constantly.
The power source is monitoring the arc and making millisecond changes in order to maintain a
stable arc condition. The term “constant” is relative. A CC power source will maintain current at a
relatively constant level, regardless of fairly large changes in voltage, while a CV power source will
maintain voltage at a relatively constant level, regardless of fairly large changes in current. Figure 1
contains graphs of the typical output curves of CC and CV power sources. Notice at various
operating points on the output curve in each graph how there is relatively little change in one
variable, while fairly large changes in the other variable (“?” (delta) = difference).

It should also be noted that this article is only discussing conventional types of welding power
sources. When pulse welding with many of the newer Waveform Control Technology power sources,
you really cannot consider the output to be strictly CC or CV. Rather, the power sources are
monitoring and changing both voltage and current at extremely fast rates (much faster than
conventional technology power sources), in order to produce very stable arc welding conditions.

Before discussing the question of CC vs. CV, we must first understand the effects of both current
and voltage with arc welding. Current effects the melt-off rate or consumption rate of the electrode,
whether it be a stick electrode or wire electrode. The higher the current level, the faster the
electrode melts or the higher the melt-off rate, measured in pounds per hour (lbs/hr) or kilograms per
hour (kg/hr). The lower the current, the lower the electrode’s melt-off rate becomes. Voltage
controls the length of the welding arc, and resulting width and volume of the arc cone. As voltage
increases, the arc length gets longer (and arc cone broader), while as it decreases, the arc length
gets shorter (and arc cone narrower). Figure 2 illustrates the effect of voltage in the arc.

Now the type of welding process you are using, and its associated level of automation, determines
which type of welding output is most stable and thus preferred. The Shielded Metal Arc Welding
(SMAW) process (aka MMAW or stick) and the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process (aka
TIG) are both generally considered manual processes. This means you control all welding variables
by hand. You hold the electrode holder or TIG torch in your hand and control travel angle, work
angle, travel speed, arc length and the rate in which the electrode is fed into the joint all by hand.
With the SMAW and GTAW processes (i.e. the manual processes), CC is the preferred type of
output from the power source.

Conversely, the Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process (aka MIG) and the Flux Cored Arc
Welding (FCAW) process (aka flux core) are both generally considered semi-automatic processes.
This means that you still hold the welding gun in your hand and control travel angle, work angle,
travel speed and contact tip to work distance (CTWD)) by hand. However, the rate in which the
electrode is fed into the joint (known as wire feed speed (WFS)) is controlled automatically with a
constant speed wire feeder. With the GMAW and FCAW processes (i.e. the semi-automatic
processes), CV is the preferred output.

Table 1 contains a summary of the recommended output types by welding process.

To utilize a simpler design and keep purchasing costs lower, welding power sources are generally
designed to be used with just one or two types of welding processes. So a basic stick machine will
have CC output only, as it is intended for stick welding only. A TIG machine will also have CC output
only, as it is intended for TIG and stick welding only. Conversely, a basic MIG machine will have CV
output only, as it is intended for MIG and flux core welding only. Regarding your first question, “Why
can’t I stick weld with my MIG machine”, the answer is because your MIG machine only has CV
output, which is not intended or recommended for stick welding. Conversely, you generally cannot
MIG weld with a stick machine with CC output, because it is the wrong type of output for MIG
welding. As mentioned earlier, there are multi-process welding power sources which can produce
both CC and CV output. However, they are generally more complicated, have higher output
capability, intended for industrial applications and not priced at a basic, entry level welding machine
cost range. Figure 3 shows examples of typical CC, CV and multi-process welding machines.

You can create a welding arc with any of the welding processes on either CC or CV type of output (if
you could configure the welding equipment to do so). However, when you use the preferred type of
output for each respective process, the arc conditions are very stable. However, when you use the
wrong type of output with each respective process, the arc conditions can be very unstable. In most
cases, they are so unstable that it makes trying to maintain an arc impracticable.

Now let’s discuss why these last statements are true. With the two manual processes, SMAW and
GTAW, you are controlling all variables by hand (which is why they are the two most operator skill
intensive processes). You need to have the electrode melt at a consistent rate, so that you can feed
it into the joint at a consistent rate. To do this, the welding output needs to maintain current at a
constant level (i.e., CC), so that the resulting melt-off rate is consistent. Voltage is a less controlling
variable. With manual processes, it is very difficult to consistently maintain the same arc length
because you are also constantly feeding the electrode into the joint. Voltage varies as a result of
changes in arc length. With CC output, current is your preset, controlling variable and voltage is
simply measured (typically as an average value) while welding.

If you tried to weld with the SMAW process for example using CV output, current, and the resulting
melt-off rate, would vary too much. As you were traveling along the joint (trying to be consistent with
all other welding variables), the electrode would melt at a faster rate, then a slower rate, then a
faster rate, etc. You would constantly need to change the rate in which you fed the electrode into the
joint. This is an impracticable condition, thus making CV output undesirable.

When you switch to a semi-automatic process, such as GMAW or FCAW, something changes.
While you are still controlling many of the welding variables by hand, the electrode is being fed into
the joint at a constant speed (based on the particular WFS you have set on the wire feeder). Now
you want the arc length to be consistent. To do this, the welding output needs to maintain voltage at
a constant level (i.e., CV), so that the resulting arc length is consistent. Current is a less controlling
variable. It is proportional to, or a result of, the WFS. As WFS increases, so does current and vice
versa. With CV output, voltage and WFS are your preset, controlling variables and current is simply
measured while welding.

If you tried to weld with the GMAW or FCAW processes using CC output, voltage, and the resulting
arc length, would vary too much. As voltage decreased, arc length would become very short and the
electrode would stub into the plate. Then as voltage increased, arc length would become very long
and the electrode would burn back towards the contact tip. The electrode would be constantly
stubbing into the plate, then burning back towards the tip, then stubbing into the plate, etc. This is an
impracticable condition, thus making CC output undesirable.

As a side note, it is also common to fully automate the GTAW, GMAW and FCAW welding
processes. In the case of full automation, all variables are controlled by a machine and held at a
constant angle, distance or rate. Therefore there is less change in the arc conditions. However, the
preferred output type for automated GTAW is still CC and for automated GMAW and FCAW is still
CV. The fifth common arc welding process, Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) (aka sub-arc), is
typically an automated process as well. With SAW, either CC or CV output is commonly used. The
determining factors as to which output type is best are generally electrode diameter, travel speed
and size of weld puddle. With semi-automatic SAW, CV is the preferred type of output.

Your last question was about portable style wire feeders (see example in Figure 4). This is a piece
of equipment that allows you go against the basic rules just covered in this article… to an extent.
They are designed primarily for field welding applications and have three unique features compared
to conventional shop style wire feeders. One, the wire is enclosed inside a hard plastic case for
better protection and durability in the field. Two, they do not require a control cable to power the
drive motor, but rather use a voltage sensing lead from the wire feeder. So hook up is simple, just
requiring the use of the power source’s existing welding cable (and the addition of a gas hose).
Three, they do have the ability to operate with a CC power source, but with LIMITED success. They
do have a “CC/CV” toggle switch in which you select the type of output from the power source.

When these portable style wire feeders first came out, the theory was that they could be used with a
large existing base of CC power sources already in the field (most primarily engine driven welders)
and thus now give fabricators GMAW and FCAW (i.e. wire welding) capability. Instead of having to
buy a brand new CV power source, they only needed to get the wire feeder. To compensate for the
fluctuations in voltage which you get with CC output, these wire feeders have extra circuitry which
slows the wire feed speed response to changes in voltage, in an attempt to help stabilize the arc
(note that on CC, wire feed speed is no longer constant, but rather it continually increases and
decreases in an attempt to keep current at a constant output).
 The reality of wire welding with CC output is that it works fairly well with some applications and
poorly with others. There is relatively good arc stability with the gas-shielded flux cored (FCAW-G)
process and the GMAW process when in a spray arc or pulse spray arc mode of metal transfer.
However, arc stability is still very erratic and unacceptable with the self-shielded flux cored (FCAW-
S) and the GMAW process when in a short circuit transfer mode of metal transfer. While voltage
varies with CC output, processes that generally operate at higher voltages (i.e., 24V or more), such
as FCAW-G and spray arc or pulse spray arc MIG, are less sensitive to the voltage variations
experienced with CC output. Therefore arc stability is pretty good. Whereas processes such as short
circuit MIG and FCAW-S, which generally operate at lower voltage settings (i.e., 22V or less), are
more sensitive to voltage variations. Therefore arc stability is much worse and generally considered
unacceptable. Another factor with FCAW-S electrodes on CC output is that excessive arc voltages
and resulting longer arc lengths can in essence over expose the arc to the atmosphere. This can
potentially result in weld porosity and/or a sharp decrease in the weld metal’s low temperature
impact toughness.

As a final note, CV output is ALWAYS recommended for wire welding. Therefore, when using these
portable style wire feeders with a power source that has CV output capability, use it instead of the
CC output. Finally, while CC output can be acceptable for general purpose FCAW-G and spray arc
and pulse spray arc MIG welding, it is not recommended for code quality work.

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