ESAB, NYC Constructors celebrate skyscraper with 170,000 lbs. of field welds

JP Morgan Chase headquarters

Welding equipment and filler metal provider ESAB and steel erector NYC Constructors recently celebrated a “topping off” ceremony at the new JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York City. Executives at the ceremony signed the final steel beam before it was hoisted into place on top of the 1,388-ft.-tall., 60-story building.

“We are proud to have partnered with ESAB to successfully complete another high-rise in New York City,” said Barry King, president of NYC Constructors. “At just under 94,000 tons of structural steel, 270 Park Ave. required 170,000 lbs. of field welds, a staggering amount we could not have achieved without the support of ESAB.”

The project used ESAB’s Coreshield 6 (AWS E70T-6) and Coreshield 8 (AWS E71T-8) self-shielded FCAW electrodes. These electrodes meet all requirements for Seismic Certified filler metals according to FEMA 353 specifications, as well as the requirements of the AWS D1.1/D1.1M:2020 Structural Welding Code – Steel.

To further improve welding uptime on the project, the two companies collaborated with NYC Gloves to develop a customized flux-cored MIG gun with components that better resist the heat and wear of high-volume welding.