WHY FCAW ???

Mailam India Limited, Pondicherry The present emphasis in Fabrication Industry is on Productivity &Quality. The liberalization of economy has ensured that whole world has become a Global Village. Thus no Industry is insulated from Global Trends & it is essential to keep updating technology to meet International Standards. Hence need for adopting welding techniques, which will give higher productivity & still meet stringent Quality requirements. FCAW has emerged as clear winner under this scenario

Introduction:
Industrialization & Globalization has made fabrication Industry highly competitive business. The process plant designs are based Newer Materials with higher mechanical properties which demand welding Engineer to develop suitable Welding Consumables. The Fabrication Engineers are on look out for Process & availability of reliable Consumable which can give higher Productivity & Consistent Quality. In this context FCAW has important role to play.

Flux Cored Arc Welding

FCAW, which is also known as Inside-Out as compared to SMAW, has emerged as most versatile tool in the hands of Welding Engineer due to following reasons. 0 High Productivity of Continuous Wire Welding. As compared to SMAW process, FCAW is a continuous wire type process giving higher productivity. 1 Metallurgical benefit of the Flux-Tailor made Chemistry In addition to being continuous wire welding process, addition of flux makes it possible to produce wire giving weld metal chemistry to various specifications using same type of strip. 2 Higher Current than Solid Wire The FCAW can use higher current than solid wires as flux Shielding gives lesser heat dissipation & also lower spatter level. 3 High Quality Radiography Weld Deposits The capability to use Higher Currents coupled with small diameter of wire makes it possible to achieve better sidewall fusions even in Narrow Grooves. This also helps in selecting superior joint design to reduce overall Weld metal deposition thus reduction in cost of fabrication. 4 Versatile Use-All Positional, Wide Thickness Range The most important factor decisively in favor of FCAW is its positional capability as compared to GMAW even when typical specification of GMAW wire is available. Also availability of FCAW in 1.2mm, 1.6 mm &2.0mm makes it possible apply the process to wide range of Thickness as compared to SAW. 5 Visible Arc -Easy to Use In FCAW as compared to SAW, the arc is visible & hence results in Welder Comfort/ease of operation. The use of FCAW for Fabrication of Corbon Steel, Alloy steel, Q&T high Tensile Steels & Stainless Steel will not only results in faster Productivity but also yields quality welds which do not require any further work like grinding &finishing of Weld Joint. The operational ease which is characteristic of FCAW process ensures use of higher currents while welding.

Types of Cored Wires:

Gasless (Self Shielded) Types of consumables available in this grade include Fabrication Wires for out door application, Stainless Wires & also R&M Alloys. The Gasless types of wires are normally available in 1.6mm to 2.4 mm. Gas Shielded In this type of wires in addition to shielding provided by FCAW in form of slag cover & process gases generated, external gas like CO2 or mixed gas cover is used. These types of wires are mostly used for fabrication application. The additional gas cover ensures cleaner welds of radiographic quality. Composite Submerged Arc These types of wires are extremely popular for specific wire chemistry required in smaller lots. Mostly used in combination with Fused or Neutral flux to get desired weld chemistry. 0 Metal Cored Newer generation of wires especially designed for Robotic application. The product yields very less or no slag cover, which avoids one cleaning operation in Robotic application. Also popular in closed environment welding due to high deposition efficiency & low level of smoke All the above types of Wires are readily available indigenously & being used on regular basis by Indian Welding Industries.

The Present Trend

The success in todays competitive business is Productivity & two ways to improve Productivity are, 0 Reducing Labor Cost 1 Increasing Production Speed FCAW wires are capable of achieving the same in all position & also maintain good quality. In Indian scenario more than 80 % of welding is still being done with SMAW (Stick) & about 8 % by automatic process i.e. SAW.The share of FCAW &GMAW Process is about 10% leaving 2% to other processes. As compared to this, the global scenario regarding application of Process is indicated here below. SMAW GTAW SAW GMAW/FCAW JAPAN 20% 2% 8% 70% EUROPE 30% 2% 8% 60% USA 35% 2% 8% 55% INDIA 80% 2% 8% 10%

In India the Future trend is expected to be as indicated below: Steady increase in solid &cored wire consumption Covered Electrode consumption will decline &stabilize around 50% In developed countries the CO2 welding accounts for more than 50% & India will also follow this trend to catch with International Productivity norms.

COSTING:
In any Fabrication, the cost of a fabrication is divided into the following heads: Fixed Cost like 0 Joint Preparation 0 Fixturing 0 Tacking Pre-Heating 0 Clean-Up 0 Inspection The costs involved based on Process being selected are, Equipment Cost Electrode Cost Labor &Overhead Cost The Equipment & Electrode Cost constitutes around 4-5 % & 8-10% of variable cost respectively whereas Labor &Overhead cost constitutes 80-85 %. As fixed cost remains same for all processes, the reduction in Labor &Overhead cost must bring in overall economy of any fabrication cost. In Table 1 & 2, Current Density of various processes & also cost comparison between SMAW, GMAW & FCAW at overhead cost of Rs.300 per hour is highlighted. It is clear from figures that FCAW becomes economical process even though per Kg. Cost of FCAW is highest. Also Table. 1 clearly indicates that even though same current settings are used for all processes i.e250 amps. The Current Density is much higher for FCAW i.e. 340amps/sq.mm & hence higher deposition rates.

Application
FCAW process application finds wide range of Industrial Usages wherein positional applications are involved. Ready availability of different types of consumables to varied specification coupled with ease of application makes FCAW first choice of Fabrication Engineer. Here below, some of the typical applications are highlighted. Process Industries Boiler &Pressure Vessel Industries Heavy Structural Fabrication Off Shore Fabrication Rail &Road Bridges Ship Building Road Tankers Rail Wagon

Transportation Repair & Maintenance

Conclusion:
The FCAW process has established its presence in Indian Industry. The process share will grow very fast in coming decade in view of higher productivity & ease of application. It may not be out of context to point out that in advance Countries the process share is above 50% as compared to 10% in India. The consumable Manufacturers have already geared-up to expected demand & are in a position to meet Industrial requirements. The quality of FCAW products produced indigenously are of International Standard & are being exported to Gulf Countries on regular basis. Hence the coming decade will see growth of FCAW as Process is capable of providing higher Productivity, Quality, Consistent Chemistry, Positional Capability & Ease of Application Table 1 PROCESS COMPARISON Consumable Dia. ,mm Current Setting :Amps Current Density Amps/Sqmm SMAW 4.0 250 20 GMAW 1.2 250 220 FCAW 1.2 250 340

Table 2 COST COMPARISON - TECHNICAL DATA

FCAW Labour &Overhead Electrode Cost Rs/Kg Dep.Rate Kg/Hr Dep.Efficiency Operating Factor Gas Flow Rate LPM Gas Cost Rs/Ltr Power Cost Rs/KWH Volts Amps Rework % Weld Metal Cost /Kg @OH of Rs.300 SMAW GMAW

COMPANY SPECI FIC @ 150 60 50 5.0 2.0 3.0 0.87 0.65 0.89 0.45 0.30 0.45 16 NA 16 0.04 NA 0.04 4 4 4 28 28 28 300 250 250 3 8 5 400 1,350 600