Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Maragondon Branch

Maragondon, Cavite

WELDING ELECTRODES

Brief History, Types, Parts, Codes, Machines Used, Manufacturing Process,

Maintenance and Manufacturing Safety Tips

Brief History of Welding

Modern metal fabrication would be impossible without welding, but where did welding originate?

We can assume welding existed in some form as far

back as the Iron Age and the Bronze Age. There is evidence
that the Egyptians learned to weld iron together. However, the
type of welding prevalent then and found in the Middle Ages
was a very rudimentary type of welding that typically involved
simply hammering two pieces of metal together under heat
until they joined. Conventional welding as we know it did not appear until the 19th century.

It started with August De Meritens, who used arc heat to join lead plates together. A Russian
student of his, named Nikolai Benardos, then patented a method of electric arc welding with
carbon rods. After that, welding processes advanced very quickly. Nikolai Slavynov figured out
how to use metal electrodes for welding, and following this, C.L. Coffin, an American engineer,
discovered an arc welding process using a coated metal electrode that became the precursor of
shielded metal arc welding.

Modern Welding

Since the 19th century, people have developed more

and more efficient techniques for accurate, fast and effective
welding. Today, we even have robotic welding, a method
growing in popularity that uses computer control to weld metal
much more quickly and accurately than is possible through
manual welding. It also greatly reduces or eliminates any risks
to human workers. One can only imagine what amazing new welding processes the 21st century
will bring.

Now that we know about the brief history of welding, let’s talk about the thing that makes
the conventional welding work – WELDING ELECTRODES.

Welding Electrodes

The welding rod or welding electrode is the piece of wire

connected to the welding machine. A current is fed through
this wire, which helps to join two pieces of metal together
firmly.

Types of Welding Electrodes

Welding electrodes are classified into two categories:

1. Consumable Electrodes - the wires actually melt, becoming part of the weld itself.
a. Bare Electrodes – they don’t have a flux coating,
only the alloy or the metal wire.

b. Coated Electrodes – these are the ones that has a

flux coating with different coating factors.
(Coating Factor = Diameter of the electrode /
Diameter of the core wire)

2. Non-consumable Electrodes – those that do not melt away during the welding process.

These electrodes include the use of high

melting point materials such as Carbon with
melting point of 6700 degree Fahrenheit and
pure Tungsten with melting point of 6150
degree Fahrenheit.
In this report, we will be focusing on the welding electrodes used in the conventional and most
commonly used welding process which is the Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) or the stick
welding.

Parts of a Welding Electrode

This photo shows the parts of the

welding electrode for Shielded
Metal Arc Welding as well as the
part of what’s left after the
process.

Welding Electrode Codes

Many welding electrodes will bear a

code starting with the letter ‘E’, followed
by 4 or 5 digits (such as E6010). This is
far more than just a code: break down
the different elements to classify any
welding rod.

For starters, the letter ‘E’ stands for ‘electrode’. Moving on to the numbers, the first 2 digits (or 3,
if the entire code contains 5 digits) give an indication of the material’s tensile strength. If the
number is 60, it means that it can withstand 60,000 pounds per square inch; if the number is 70,
the weld will be able to withstand 70,000 pounds per square inch.

The penultimate digit in the code will either be a 1 or a 2, and it signifies the positions in which
you can use the welding rod. If you see the number 1, you’ll know that you have an all-position
rod – it can be used for flat, vertical, horizontal and even overhead welds. However, if you see
the number 2, your welding rod can only be used in flat and horizontal positions.
The final digit should be read in conjunction
with the second-to-last number: together,
these will tell you which type of coating has
been used on the welding rod, and so which
welding current to use. The electrodes
which you’re most likely to come across are
E6010, E6011, E6013, E7018, and E7024.

Machines Used

In the process of manufacturing welding rods, a series of machines are needed:

1. Wire Drawing Machine – in this machine, wire rods are drawn

to the required standard size.

2. Wire Straightening and Cutting Machine – this machine

straightens and cut coils of wire into the required standard
length. The tolerance on length is accurately maintained.

3. Dry Mixer – the powders which constitutes the flux are mixed
together in the mixer so that the constituents are blended into a
homogenous batch.

4. Wet Mixer – in this machine, the dry mixed flux and binding agent in
measured quantity are mixed and kneaded to get a wet paste that will
be transferred to briquetting press.
5. Briquetting Press – the paste obtained from the wet mixer machine
is compressed into cylindrical cakes which can be fed neatly into the
extrusion cylinder.

6. Wire Feeder with Wire Hopper – this equipment can be set and reset
with ease for different diameters and lengths of electrodes.

7. Extruder – the pieces of wire which are fed from the wire feeder
at high speed is compressed through the die block and thereafter
through the coating die, simultaneously the paste is compressed
through the press block, takes a right angle turn and covers the
space between the coating die and the wire. Thus, the bare gets
the coating.
8. Conveyor – this takes over the electrode from the transfer belt
and spaces the electrodes apart, aligns the electrodes and
brushes the holder ends. This is also where the electrodes
get their labels.

9. Baking Oven – the oven is manufactured specially to cope with the

feed drying of electrodes.

10. De-Coating Machine – this separates the coating of damaged

electrodes from the wire so that both the wire and coat can may be
recycled.

11. Packing Tables – these tables enable quick manual packing of

electrodes, segregation of damaged electrodes and filling up of good
electrodes in bags and cartons.
 12. Micrometer for Concentricity Measurement – this instrument can
measure the concentricity of the semi-dry green coating on the
electrodes.

Manufacturing Process

The arrangement of the machines in an electrode

plant.

1. PREPARATION OF CORE WIRE. The wire rod coils are converted to the drawn wire coils of
sizes such as 2.5mm, 3.15mm, 4mm and 5mm at the wire drawing plants in house or on job-work
basis. It is then straightened and cut in to required lengths by ‘Straightening and Cutting Machine’.
2. PREPARATION OF DRY MIX. Rutile, Low carbon Ferro Manganese, Cellulose, Titanium Di-
Oxide, Mica, Feldspar, quartz, etc., are some of the chemical powders used as the raw materials
for the preparation of flux. These chemicals are available world wide and they are weighed
accurately as per the technology for each type of electrodes and they are mixed in a dry mixer to
get homogeneous mix.

3. PREPARATION OF THE WET MIX. Potassium Silicate is used as the Binding agent. The flux
is mixed with Silicate in a correct proportion to obtain a wet mix in a mixer. The Wet mix is then
pressed to form a briquettes in a hydraulically operated press in order to load the flux in the flux
cylinder of the extruder.

4. APPLICATION OF THE COATING BY EXTRUSION. The coating of flux is done by the

extrusion press in which the flux fed through a cylinder under pressure. While the wire is fed from
the wire magazine of the electrode press the briquettes are introduced into the extrusion cylinder
of the press. During extrusion the core wire is fed one by one from wire feeder and coated with
the flux by way of nozzle/die box system incorporated in the extrusion press. The electrodes
coming out from the press are tested in an eccentricity tester. The rejected electrodes are taken
into the flux stripping machine where the flux is stripped off. The core wire and flux can be re-
used. The electrode coming out from the press is passed through a conveyor to the brushing
machine for brushing of holding end and cleaning the same on tip end side for easy striking. After
that the electrodes are spread on the collecting tray for air drying and after certain period they are
fed into the oven.

5. BAKING OF COATED ELECTRODE. After air drying of the coated electrodes they are baked
in oven. Depending on the type of electrode the baking cycle will vary. The moisture content in
the electrode should not exceed 4 percent.

6. QUALITY CONTROL. Quality control in electrode making shop calls for, constant checking of
the ground ingredients their proportioning and mixing, application procedures, moisture content
and drying conditions. In addition, the chemical analysis of the core wire, powders and bonding
materials are determined, the coating thickness is measured and the electrodes are tested on trail
plates.

7. GRADING AND PACKING. The finished electrodes are stored and wrapped in polythene or
waxed paper and packed in cartons. Cartons are packed in master cartons as per requirement.
Manufacturing Process Flowchart

This photo shows the flow of the manufacturing process from the raw
materials to the shipping of the finished product.

Welding Electrodes Maintenance

In order to maintain your equipment, it’s essential that you store your electrodes in a place where
they’ll be flat, straight and bone dry. This is because bending and moisture can damage the
coating (unless you’re using a bare electrode), which will ultimately lead to ineffective electrodes
and weak, porous welds. If your electrodes are exposed to moisture, they should be placed in a
very hot oven to dry them out completely.
Safety Tips

1. Inform Supervisors of Unsafe Conditions

2. Use Equipment, Machines, and Tools Properly

3. Wear Safety Equipment (PPE)

4. Prevent Slips and Trips

5. Keep Work Areas and Emergency Exits Clear

6. Eliminate Fire Hazards

7. Avoid Tracking Hazardous Materials

8. Prevent Objects from Falling

9. Use Correct Posture when Lifting

10. Take Work Breaks From Time to Time

Presented By:
Rein Andrea C. Alano
BSME - V