Identifying 3phase or Not

[TheDocmeister]

I’ve been offered a Tecna spot welder - I suspect a Scorpion model - from a friend’s father’s estate. It’s an hour and a half away, the friend knows nothing about it and obviously Dad’s not about to ask.
She’s sent some pictures which I’ll attach, but my main concern is whether I can actually power it up.
It seems there are some single phase versions out there and the power cable (no plug) only has brown/blue/earth wires showing. Can three phase run on just three wires? There are pics of the spec plates too, but unfortunately nothing that I can see a voltage on. Hopefully someone might be able to decipher those!
It would come in handy for rebuilding my Mini, but I don’t know anything about 3phase setups…

 

[Jackimus]

Welcome. That is single phase.

 

[Bornfree]

It's possible to run 3ph on those 3 wires and use the shield as the earth but it would be bad practice so it looks 1ph to me.

 

[skotl]

Could do with better pics of the other panel but both the lead and the final plate indicate single phase

 

[skotl]

Triple snap!

 

[eddie49]

8kVA nominal and 35kVA maximum from 230v single phase?

Maybe it is an earlier version of this model:

️ TECNA 3484 - used Spot welding machine welding station for sale

Now online on Used-Machines.com ⚙️ as classified listing: used TECNA 3484 - Spot welding machine welding station for sale

www.used-machines.com

BTW, hello and welcome to the Forum !

 

[welder_dave]

Could be 415v single phase by picking up 2 phases with no neutral.

 

[TheDocmeister]

I forgot I had this pic too! It’s what had me thinking it’s a Scorpion.
All the ‘official’ sites had 3phase 415v listed, but there’s one on eBay claiming to be a single phase at the moment and I found someone on a car forum saying they had one too. If I knew it had been used at home I’d be happy to take a punt, but if he’s picked it up in the hope of using it at home and not managed it, then I don’t think I’d get away with sneaking back here!

 

[TheDocmeister]

Welcome. That is single phase.

Thank you! Fingers crossed…

 

[masleeve]

I was going to ask where 1.5hrs away was , I often find myself down dumfries/castle douglas way if that helps . Also happy to help you get it going . I have an ancient Tig that claims to be 3 phase but in reality is 2 phase or single depending on how you connect it up

 

[eddie49]

These earlier threads may be helpful:

P

Thread 'Tecna TE95 Spot welder power supply'

Aug 13, 2018

Hi,
I recently bought a used Tecna spot welder but iam unsure how to connect the power supply. The ID plate on the machine says its 415V single phase?? It came without the plug attached but has a large 3 core power supply cable. A quick search on the net suggests you can use 2 phases of a 3 phase supply but my electrician has no experience of this method.
Anyone else come across this before?
Thanks.

• PCRacer
• Replies: 10
• forum: Other Types of Welding

Thread 'Which spot welder - Tecna Scorpion?'

Jan 8, 2023

Hi folks.

I'm doing more and more car body repair and while the trusty MIG has been great (and I now have a nice TIG set to use too), I'm very interested in a spot welder to replace factory panels with proper spots rather than puddle welds, which are fine - but the cleaner spots would help me work a lot faster and cleaner.

I'm looking more towards a spot welding station with a lead than a hand held device.

My searches keep leading me to a Tecnica Scorpion. They seem to be about £4k new, and readily available at around £1k used. The basic setup looks fine - though I would need to buy...

• gasket999
• Replies: 13
• forum: Buying a Welder

 

[TheDocmeister]

Unfortunately (?) it’s out in Argyle. However, it does look like it might be worth bringing back.
I’ve been Googling this evening, not getting a lot further, but as far as I can make out - other than the high current figures on the plate - it doesn’t particularly look like a three phase.

 

[Woody.v8]

Could be 415v single phase by picking up 2 phases with no neutral.

I was thinking exactly the same alot of welders was configured this way.

 

[TheDocmeister]

Unfortunately (?) it’s out in Argyle. However, it does look like it might be worth bringing back.
I’ve been Googling this evening, not getting a lot further, but as far as I can make out - other than the high current figures on the plate - it doesn’t particularly look like a three phase.