Push Pull Guns

Push-pull MIG guns from Abicor Binzel, in 15 and 25 foot air-cooled configurations.

The problem they solve

Aluminum wire is soft. A standard MIG gun pushes wire from the feeder through several metres of liner, and soft wire under compression does what soft wire does - it buckles, shaves against the liner, and birdnests at the drive rolls. The longer the gun, the worse it gets, which is why shops feeding aluminum on a standard 15 foot gun fight it constantly and shops on a 25 foot gun mostly give up.

A push-pull gun adds a second drive motor in the gun handle. The feeder pushes, the gun pulls, and the wire is held in tension across the whole run instead of compression. The result is that aluminum feeds the way steel does.

When it is worth the money

If aluminum MIG is occasional and the run is short, a spool gun is cheaper and adequate. If aluminum is regular production work, or you need reach, or you are running soft alloys like 5356 at length, push-pull is the answer and the payback is in scrap and downtime rather than in the gun.

Still needs the right consumables

A push-pull gun does not excuse the rest of the setup. U-groove drive rolls, a Teflon or composite liner, correct contact tip sizing and minimum tension all still apply.

Check the machine connection

Push-pull guns need a control connection to the feeder as well as the welding circuit, and pin configurations vary by machine. Send us your machine model before ordering.

Free shipping over $175 across Canada.