3 Advantages of Submerged Arc Welding
Welding is integral to nearly every heavy fabrication project, and the mechanical integrity of the final product greatly depends on the quality of the welds. Experienced machine shops, like ABS, offer a range of welding solutions, and this article will focus on one of the most common techniques: Submerged Arc Welding, or SAW as it is often called.
Industrial sectors rely heavily on sub-arc welding for heavy fabrications. This technique consists of a welding head that continuously feeds filler metal and a granular flux, such as silica or lime, into the welding zone. The filler material is often referred to as an electrode or wire. The term “sub” is short for submerged, which describes the arc that is buried under the flux during welding operations to protect the arc and the weld. When operations begin, the wire and flux are fed through a torch that is positioned along the weld joint. The arc heat melts some of the wire, flux, and metal pieces that are being joined together, forming a pool of molten material. Once melted, the flux becomes a conductor between the electrode and the metal being welded together, enabling a current path. Any excess flux is called slag and is removed once the weld is completed. This technique offers many benefits and below are 3 advantages of submerged arc welding.
- Excellent Deposition Rate: a key performance indicator for welding is the deposition rate, which is simply the amount of usable weld metal that is deposited into the weld joint in one hour of arc-on time, and is measured in pounds per hour. In general, the higher the deposition rate, the higher the welding productivity. Sub-merged arc welding is known for its high deposition rates compared to other welding methods. A high deposition rate directly translates to quicker fabrication times and a higher number of parts that can be fabricated on a given machine – all without sacrificing quality, resulting in significant time and cost savings for OEMs.
- Deep, High-Quality Welds: to avoid failure and to ensure longevity of the heavy fabrication, it is critical that welding is performed correctly. The molten flux present in submerged arc welding creates good conditions for high current flow and high concentration of heat at the welding location. This enables thicker sections of welding with deep, full penetration, which is often required with heavy fabrications. Sub-arc welding produces high-quality welds that are uniform and smooth in appearance. Also, due to the concentrated heat and the high welding speeds feasible with sub-arc welding, the welds are generally less vulnerable to distortion or deformation.
Have a heavy fabrication that requires deep, high-quality welds?
Contact the team at ABS to learn more about our welding expertise, certifications, and state-of-the-art facilities.
- Improved Personnel Safety: the difference between submerged arc welding and arc welding is that the welding wire, arc, and weld joint are covered by the layer of flux. The welding is performed without sparks or smoke fumes as the flux blanket acts as a shield, preventing hazardous fumes or molten materials from contaminating the work space and splattering or burning personnel. Additionally, sub-arc welding is often automated so robots perform the welding tasks, removing human operators from higher risk processes and further improving personnel safety. For these reasons, a key advantage of submerged arc welding is the cleaner, safer work environment it provides for personnel.
ABS’ Welding Expertise
ABS’ infrastructure, including our cranes, positioners, and rollers, are specifically designed to safely handle the largest and most challenging fabrications. Further complementing our heavy fabrication is our latest investments in large and complex robotic welding. The recent advancement in robotic welding, or “next generation robots”, has proven far more precise and intuitive than older designs. ABS has several cells designed to harness this technology to effectively drive quality and throughput in heavy weld deposit applications.
ABS Heavy Fabrication is a full-service facility certified to CSA47.1 (AWSD1.1) and ASME Boiler Vessel B31.1 and 31.3 standards. Our welders are certified by CWB/AWS and ASME, and are fully trained on flux-core, gas metal, submerge arc, tig and stick electrode welding techniques. Individual customer requirements are followed and enforced in conjunction with our in-house certified weld inspectors. (CWI Level 2's). Additionally, complementing our hot wire tig cladding cells, our large installation of advanced sub-arc cladding cells allows us to offer heavy deposit welding of, Inconel 625, stainless steel and steel-on-steel applications. Below are some of our fabrication services:
- Robotic Welding
- Flux Core Welding
- Forming
- Metal Fabrication
- Mig Welding
- Full Penetration Welding
- Sub Arc Welding
- Metal Core Welding
- Laser Cutting
We offer a unique combination of medium to high volume production machining and welding services. Our team is committed to producing an un-paralleled level of quality and throughput, while also focusing on cost. We also offer secondary services such as mechanical assembly, making ABS a true single source solution for the most challenging programs of today and for the future.
Contact us today to see how we can help with your next fabrication project, or give us a call at 1-844-227-6224.
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