Quality criteria for welding wire

Welders often have a question - what characteristics and properties have the greatest influence on the quality of the welding wire? Based on extensive practice, we can say that the most important qualitative properties of welding wire are:

1. Chemical composition. Carbon 0.05-0.15%, Manganese 1.4-2.1%, Silicon 0.7-1.2%. The presence of other elements, especially sulfur and phosphorus, is preferably in the minimum possible amount.

2. The surface of the welding wire must be cleaned of technological grease after drawing, but at the same time the surface must provide the maximum possible sliding while passing inside the current-carrying tip. That is, it is necessary that the friction between the welding wire and the current-carrying tip is minimal. Moreover, it should be noted that the welding wire simply cleaned of technological grease has a rough surface and strong friction with the current-carrying tip. Our know-how is non-coppered polished welding wire, which ensures the best possible contact during welding, minimal friction between the wire and the current-carrying tip and no contamination of the tip.

3. straightening - the formation of the wire in two planes during winding on coils is necessary so that the welding wire comes out of the current-carrying tip evenly without twisting. If you wind 3-5 meters of wire from a coil and lay it on the floor, then with good alignment, the wire should curl into a ring with a diameter of at least 0.5 meters without loosening the turns. If the turns of the wire are loosened and the ring is not formed, then when exiting the current-carrying tip, such a wire will twist a lot, and the welding seam will be uneven.

4. Row-to-row winding on the coil provides the most stable wire feed during welding.