Flux Core Arc Welding
FCAW
5 Essentials of Arc Welding
• Arc Length• Travel Speed• Electrode Angle• Electrode• Machine Setting
FCAW Machine Settings
• Machine setting depends on thickness of metal.
• Voltage/Arc heat (see chart on machine)• Wire speed (see chart on machine)
Electrode (wire)
• Tubular welding electrode(wire) with flux in the center.
• Type of wire depends on base metal.– Mild steel base metal = mild steel wire.– Various sizes (.030”, .035”, .045”)– All machines in our shop are set up with .030”
mild steel wire.
Electrode Angle
• Work angle (front to back)– Flat welds = 90– T – Joint = 45
• Travel angle (right to left)– Always 90
Travel Speed
• Resulting weld should be 1/8” – 3/16” wide.
Arc Length
• Stickout: Length of wire sticking out from the welding tip. Should be around 1/2”.
• Listen carefully to your weld, should have a constant sizzle, no cracking or popping.
Welding Gun
• When you pull the trigger on the welding gun 2 things happen simultaneously:– Wire-feed starts– Arc starts
FCAW Related Terms
• Cold lap: Non-penetrating weld; weld sits on top of or overlaps base metal.– Causes: Improper machine setting, low heat,
improper arc length(stickout).
• Slag: Layer of impurities that form around the resulting weld.– After each weld always:• Chip slag with a chipping hammer.• Clean weld with a wire brush.