Welding is the process of joining metals and thermoplastics by means of coalescence. It is an economical and effective process for creating strong joints between two or more parts. Filler metals melt during welding to create a strong joint. Flux is commonly used to produce a shield of gas around the weld pool to prevent oxidation of the hot metals. Flux typically acts as a deoxidizer preventing the formation of porosity in the weld pool. Flux and filler metals together are known as welding consumables.
Stick electrode, flux-cored wires, solid wires, SAW wires and fluxes are some of the welding consumables employed during the welding process. However, flux does not form part of the final weld and so is 'wasted' during the course of welding.
The welding industry's growth is highly dependent on the global steel consumption.
Welding finds application in a number of industries such as; building and construction, automobile and transportation, marine, power generation, and oil and gas. The global welding consumables market is forecast to witness high growth due to the positive outlook of end-use industries such as the automotive and transportation, marine, and construction industries. However, the slow adoption of advanced technologies, particularly in the developing countries poses a threat to this growth.
The principal trends that are positively impacting the growth of the market are the upcoming technologies that are being developed, and in particular those technologies which are designed to weld thick metal parts. In addition, the welding consumables market is moving towards automation of different stages of the welding process, and it is predicted that the development of robots and automation software will positively influence growth.
Welding consumables are segmented on the basis of welding technique, welding consumable type, end-use industry, and region.
Welding consumables are segmented into:
Welding consumables types include:
In 2014, the stick electrode segment dominated the global welding consumables market, closely trailed by the solid wires segment. However, the solid wires and stick electrodes segment are predicted to lose share due to the increasing popularity of SAW wires and flux-cored wires segment.