Flux-cored wires offer low manganese levels

Hobart Brothers has introduced six new Hobart® Element™ gas-shielded FCAW wires. According to the company, the wires produce manganese emissions well below the levels of other gas-shielded, flux-cored wires on the market without sacrificing mechanical properties or weldability.

The wires' out-of-position welding capability and operability make them suitable for shipbuilding fabrication, general fabrication, and heavy equipment manufacturing. Simplified slag release and low spatter levels help reduce preweld antispatter application and postweld grinding and sandblasting, the manufacturer reports.

The wires feature 5.0 mg hydrogen per 100 g of weldment. Impact toughness at low temperatures helps minimize cracking. Tensile strength of the 71-type wires is 70,000 to 75,000 PSI; for the 81-type products, it is 80,000 to 85,000 PSI.

Three of the six new Element wires are available for operation with 100 percent CO2 shielding gas: 71T1C, 71Ni1C, and 81K2C. The 71T1M, 71Ni1M, and 81K2M wires are designed for mixed-gas operation and are qualified with a shielding gas mixture of 75 percent argon/25 percent CO2.