Understanding Duty Cycle: What It Means and Why It Matters

Duty cycle tells you how long a welder can run at a given output before it needs to cool down. It's expressed as a percentage over a 10-minute window. A 60% duty cycle at 200 amps means you can weld for 6 minutes, then rest for 4 minutes at that output.

Here's the part people miss: duty cycle is rated at maximum output. As you dial the amperage down, the duty cycle climbs. At lower settings, most users can weld continuously without ever tripping the thermal protection.

Why does this matter? If you're laying long beads on thick material at full power, a low duty cycle will slow you down with forced breaks. For most hobby and light-fabrication work at moderate amperage, duty cycle is rarely a limiting factor.

Every Thorworx machine includes automatic thermal overload protection. If the unit does get too hot, it pauses output and resumes once it's safely cooled — protecting the internals from damage and extending the life of your welder.