22 FCAW Benefits
The flux cored arc welding (FCAW) process combines the best qualities of shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), and gas metal arc welding (GMAW). FCAW combines the production efficiency of GMAW and the penetration of SMAW, produces a quality weld with less effort than SMAW and is more flexible than SAW.
FCAW uses fluxing agents that remove detrimental materials from the weld pool and improve the chemical and mechanical properties of the weld. The ability to manufacture FCAW electrode wires with different combinations of elements for specific applications makes FCAW an extremely versatile process. The most common application for FCAW is structural fabrication.
Some additional benefits of FCAW include the following:
- Enables the welder to weld continuously for long periods;
- Requires less pre-cleaning of base metals than GMAW;
- Produces less distortion than SMAW;
- Produces smooth, uniform beads with an excellent weld appearance;
- Has a high deposition rate (which makes FCAW popular in railroad, shipbuilding, and automotive industries);
- Is capable of relatively high travel speeds;
- Can be used to weld a variety of steels and a wide range of metal thicknesses.
In addition, FCAW can be used in all positions with the proper electrode and shielding gas, and can be used to weld carbon steels, low-alloy steels, various stainless steels, and high strength quenched and tempered steels.
