326P204055 - ESAB Red PTFE Liner for Aluminum Wire 0.040-0.045

Technical Overview of the ESAB 326P204055 PTFE Liner

The ESAB 326P204055 is a specialized MIG gun liner manufactured from Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), designed specifically to address the tribological challenges associated with feeding soft welding wires. Unlike coiled steel liners, which present a rougher internal surface and higher coefficient of friction, this PTFE liner provides an exceptionally smooth bore. This characteristic is critical when welding with aluminum (such as 4043 or 5356 alloys) or stainless steel, where increased drag force can lead to wire deformation, shaving, or the catastrophic failure mode known as "bird-nesting" at the drive rolls.

This particular liner is color-coded Red, adhering to international conventions indicating compatibility with wire diameters ranging from 1.0mm (0.040 inches) to 1.2mm (0.045 inches). The internal diameter is precisely calibrated to support these wire sizes, minimizing lateral movement within the liner while preventing binding. The liner is compatible with various ESAB MIG torches, typically within the PSF series, ensuring a seamless fit into the torch neck and power pin assembly. The use of PTFE also provides excellent chemical resistance and thermal stability, although care must be taken to avoid exceeding the material's melting point near the contact tip, often managed by the use of a brass or copper neck liner jumper in specific torch designs.

For industrial MRO applications, maintaining the integrity of the wire feeding path is paramount for automated and manual welding consistency. A degraded or incorrect liner is a leading cause of arc instability and irregular wire feed speeds. Replacing standard steel liners with the ESAB 326P204055 when switching to aluminum filler metals is a mandatory procedural step to ensure compliance with welding procedure specifications (WPS) requiring consistent deposition rates and defect-free welds.