Duty cycle is how many minutes out of _______ a welding machine can operate continuously at a rated amperage.

Duty cycle is how many minutes out of _______ a welding machine can operate continuously at a rated amperage.

• A. Ten
• B. Five
• C. Fifteen
• D. Twenty

Answer: (A)

Duty cycle tells you how long you can weld at a given amperage before the machine overheats. It’s expressed as a percentage of a fixed time frame, typically a 10-minute cycle. So the number of minutes you can operate is the percentage times ten minutes. For example, a 60% duty cycle means you can weld for 6 minutes out of a 10-minute period and then must rest 4 minutes. The standard 10-minute window is why the question uses ten minutes.

Duty cycle tells you how long you can weld at a given amperage before the machine overheats. It’s expressed as a percentage of a fixed time frame, typically a 10-minute cycle. So the number of minutes you can operate is the percentage times ten minutes. For example, a 60% duty cycle means you can weld for 6 minutes out of a 10-minute period and then must rest 4 minutes. The standard 10-minute window is why the question uses ten minutes.