Flux is a granular solder material. It can be melted to form slag and gas during welding, which protects the molten pool and plays a metallurgical role. A substance that can be melted to form slag and gas during welding, which protects and metallurgically treats molten metal. We offer to produce welding electrodes with customized flux formulation (i.e. European or Japanese type), specifically fine-tuned to satisfy the needs of your market. If you have special needs for that and wanna get technical help, please feel free to contact us.
One type of FCAW requires no shielding gas. This is made possible by the flux core in the tubular consumable electrode. However, this core contains more than just flux. It also contains various ingredients that when exposed to the high temperatures of welding generate a shielding gas for protecting the arc. This type of FCAW is attractive because it is portable and generally has good penetration into the base metal. Also, windy conditions need not be considered. Some disadvantages are that this process can produce excessive, noxious smoke (making it difficult to see the weld pool). As with all welding processes, the proper electrode must be chosen to obtain the required mechanical properties. Operator skill is a major factor as improper electrode manipulation or machine setup can cause porosity.