Push-pull system FreedomDrive
Intermediate drive for manual welding torches
Awkward, tiring welding with a heavy push-pull torch now belongs to the past. With the FreedomDrive push-pull system, you can weld with easy-to-handle MIG/MAG or extraction torches.
The FreedomDrive push-pull system is connected as an intermediate drive on one side directly to the torch connection and on the other side to the intermediate cable, which leads to the welding machine with wire feed. The total length of the cable assembly system including the welding torch is a maximum of 10.50 m.
The FreedomDrive is suitable for gas cooled and liquid cooled MIG/MAG torches as well as for fume extraction torches for extraction at source. It is ideal for welding aluminum wire and other thin welding wires that are difficult to feed. This makes this intermediate drive a practical alternative to conventional push-pull torches, which are often unwieldy.
Advantages of the FreedomDrive push-pull system
The biggest advantage of this push-pull for torches is the significant physical relief it provides for the welder. Depending on your personal preferences and the application, you can use a manual MIG/MAG torch with a rotating and exchangeable torch neck or a fixed torch neck, which is much more comfortable to use than a pure push-pull torch. The reduced strain on the muscles extends the pure welding time and even hard-to-reach areas can be accessed more easily.
Because welding stainless steel and aluminum in particular releases fumes that are hazardous to health, suitable extraction technology is required. The FreedomDrive push-pull system even makes it possible to use an extraction torch for extraction at source – without any annoying extraction hoses on the torch.
ABICOR BINZEL always supplies the FreedomDrive push-pull system with an ABIMIG® welding torch or xFUME® extraction torch with a 3 m cable assembly!
Overview of the advantages of FreedomDrive:
- The practical and efficient alternative for stress-free welding of push-pull applications
- Safe pulse welding up to a cable assembly length of 10 m from the welding machine to the process
- Two driven rollers – automatically preloaded via a spring system – ensure precise wire feed
- Use of standard ABIMIG® welding torches or fume extraction torches from the xFUME® line enables better accessibility even in tight spaces
- Also possible with exchangeable neck welding torches
- All signal lines, cooling lines (for liquid cooled welding), and gas run inside the FreedomDrive, eliminating the risk of damage to external lines
The FreedomDrive push-pull system can be used without restriction with extraction torches for extraction at source. Welding fume extraction is particularly beneficial when welding stainless steel and aluminum. Fumes from such alloys are highly hazardous to health.
A gas cooled xFUME® PRO 36 or a liquid cooled xFUME® PRO 501 extraction torch captures between 90 % and 99 % of the released particles, depending on the setting of the extraction torch. When connected to an extraction system from the xFUME® series, the filter used captures up to 99.95 % of all particles > 0.1 µm, preventing them from entering the respiratory tract of employees.
| Type | Cooling | CO2 | Mixed gas M21 | Duty cycle | Wire-ø in mm |
|
FreedomDrive |
gas cooled |
330 A | 310 A | 60 % | 1.0–1.2 |
| FreedomDrive ABIMIG® A T 355 LW |
gas cooled |
340 A | 320 A | 60 % | 1.0–1.2 |
| FreedomDrive xFUME® 36 |
gas cooled |
330 A | 300 A | 60 % | 1.0–1.2 |
| FreedomDrive ABIMIG® W 540 |
liquid cooled | 500 A | 450 A | 100 % | 1.0–1.2 |
| FreedomDrive ABIMIG® W T 540 |
liquid cooled | 500 A | 450 A | 100 % | 1.0–1.2 |
| FreedomDrive xFUME® 501 |
liquid cooled | 500 A | 450 A | 100 % | 1.0–1.2 |
When do I need push-pull for manual welding?
A push-pull system assists in the welding of thin welding wires when the welding wire is made of aluminum or stainless steel alloys or when wires are fed over long distances. Without an additional push-pull drive, it is difficult to impossible to feed such wires safely and reliably from the wire feeder to the welding process.
What is the advantage of an intermediate drive over a push-pull manual torch?
With push-pull torches, the wire feed is integrated into the manual torch, making them quite heavy and unwieldy. An intermediate drive such as the FreedomDrive from ABICOR BINZEL is – as the name suggests – connected between the torch system and its cable assembly. MIG/MAG torches such as ABIMIG® or fume extraction torches such as those in the xFUME® line can be used as manual torches. This makes handling much easier. The extraction torch also ensures fume-free air.
What is the maximum cable assembly package length that guarantees good wire feed?
That depends on the intermediate drive and whether you want to weld with pulse. At distances of more than 10 meters from the welding machine to the process, often only a small amount of pulse reaches the welding torch. There are intermediate drives that can feed the welding wire up to 25 meters. These are correspondingly large and heavy. It is definitely worth comparing the properties of the different intermediate drives and making your choice according to your requirements.