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Miller XMT 300 CC/CV Mig setup for aluminum

hilljackian

Plastic
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Location
USA - WA
Just picked up a used Miller XMT 300 and I am trying to figure out what I need to MIG weld AL (1/4" and smaller) with it without breaking the bank. Best I can figure I a Spoolmatic 30A looks like a good bet. I believe the gun has a gas valve in it and Miller says I will also need a WC-24 controller.

Any experience with this setup? The gun is rated 200AMP, think this will be able to handle 1/4 AL?

Any alternative suggestions?

Thanks in advance.
 
I run a spoolmatic on mine sometimes- my spoolmatic is an ancient (I bought it new in 1989) Spoolmatic 1, I believe.

Its OK- but not great. The little 1 pound spool guns tend to be finicky, and mine, anyway, is really easy to burn back into the tip when welding aluminum. You go thru a lot of tips.

I much prefer hooking up my XR-30 push pull to the 304.
Yep, it costs more.

But it works a LOT better.
And, you can use full size spools of wire, which, if you are doing any quantity of welding, are a lot cheaper, and dont annoy you by running out all the time and needing to be changed. Trying to weld thick stuff with a spoolmatic, you will need thick wire- even LESS of it on a little spool.
Plus, the gun is more normal sized, and fits in most places, while a spoolmatic gun is big and clunky.

And, you can run any kind of wire with it- I use it a lot with steel, and stainless too.
 
The 30A is a much better gun than the old Spoolmatic 1, Light night and day. I had customer that used them day in and day out with no problems.

The cheapest way to do it is get a Spoolmate 3545. You will need the SGA100 control box to run it though. About half of what a 30A costs.

Also give running in CC mode a try. Aluminum often runs better CC than CV.
 
I have an XMT-300 myself. I also have a Spoolmatic 3 that will work directly with the welder - no in-between box required. I'm not sure, but I think there was something special about the Spoolmatic 3 that allowed it to work this way. There may have been some sort of internal "jumper" or slight rewire that was necessary. If my memory is correct, this was one of the few (maybe the only) spool guns that could work this way. I think the plug may be slightly different to allow it to plug directly into the XMT-300.

I looked at the prices of the Spoolmate 3545 and the SGA-100 "magic box"; about $900 for both on ebay. That's more than I paid for both the welder and the spool gun.
 
The spoolmatic 3 had the speed control built into to the spoolgun. Thats why you can plug it into 14pin connector. Problem is the spoolmatics 1,2,3 and the old Airco spoolguns are like trying to weld with a telephone pole.

When they went to the smaller, lighter guns there is barely room for the motor let along the speed control so it was moved to en external box. This allowed them to use the speed control in existing mig machine to control the spoolgun. Thats what the spool gun options on millermatics 200 and other are. A 14 pin connector and a selector switch. This also allowed them to integrate it into the machine and sell it as a feature "spoolgun ready"

Also it allowed them to use virtually the same gun for the spool gun and their push pull system. In fact if you just want to use just a small amount of wire for a job and you have an XR cabinet and gun you can pull the conduit out of the back of the gun that the wire travels through and pop one of the one pound spool holders in its place.

I use an old Hobart AG-2000 gun that I converted over to a spool gun. It was a kind of push pull gun. Made by CK Worldwide for Hobart. CK also makes an almost identical gun for Esab, Lincoln, Snap On, and other.
 
Could you provide details of how you have your XMT 300 set so that the spoolmatic 3 welds aluminum?

I have this exact same set up but can not get even close to a decent weld.

Pure argon gas, medium duty stainless steel cleaned aluminum.
 
XR cabinets are much nicer than the spool guns. You can buy an older XR-A with a pistol grip push pull gun for like $200-$300 these days. You'll see nicer ones on ebay for $900-$2,000 but there have been 3 or 4 that popped up on my local Craigslist for $200-$300. I bought my XR-A and 30' gun for $325 delivered and I used it a lot. The only downside is, as far as I know, there's no way to connect the newer, nicer Python style guns to the older XR-A cabinets, so you're stuck with pistol grip. I'm not sure why the XR cabinets go for so much less than spoolguns, as a spoolgun and WC-24 controller go for ~$500.

Jimybuddiesel, we need more info to help you. I'm going to guess you need to turn your gas up. Gas should be at least 20CFM. Use the Miller calculator to get you started for your parameters, then adjust your wire feed (while you're welding) until you have a nice smooth, quiet arc. You should be keeping the tip about 1/2" to 1" away from the material (depending on how thick it is), and your arc length should be around 1/4" to 3/8".
 
MillerWelder XMT300 Input Requirements

I have a xmt300 miller with a s22p12 suitcase welder and a spoolmatic 3 spool gun that connects to the front. It is a single phase machine.

Could the members who have one of these welders detail the fuse they use to connect this machine? I am wondering if it is worth keeping as I think it takes an awesome amount of input to run it.

Specifications state: 50.8 A at 230 V.

I do not think I am interested in running at my home if the fuse required is any more than 40 Amps. I think that is my wire setup for my garage.

Thank You
 
I have a xmt300 miller with a s22p12 suitcase welder and a spoolmatic 3 spool gun that connects to the front. It is a single phase machine.

Could the members who have one of these welders detail the fuse they use to connect this machine? I am wondering if it is worth keeping as I think it takes an awesome amount of input to run it.

Specifications state: 50.8 A at 230 V.

I do not think I am interested in running at my home if the fuse required is any more than 40 Amps. I think that is my wire setup for my garage.

Thank You

You'll be just fine with a 40 amp breaker.

Don't turn it up all the way.
 
Yes like digger says, you will be fine with 40 amps input.
I have used my xmt304 on a job where the only available breaker to run it was a 20 amp and it did just fine on the smaller welds for that job.
 








 
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