July/August 2017 - The Roaring ’20s had yet to jazz up America when Arcos Industries LLC began manufacturing and distributing welding consumables. Established in 1919, Arcos Industries creates and supplies a comprehensive menu of customized high alloy electrodes, stainless steel electrodes, nickel alloy electrodes and more out of its 100,000-square-foot facility in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania.
General Manager Harry Wehr explains how Arcos’ products, inventory, analysis, research, quality control and customer service separates the company from its competitors. For one, Arcos supports its line of welding consumables with complete testing, conversion and analysis capabilities.
“Arcos is big enough to support large LNG and desalination projects, but small enough to provide special ferrites or chemistries for critical high-temperature pressure vessel applications,” says Wehr.
The company prides itself on its responsiveness and ability to meet customer corrosion and repair needs from stock. From raw materials to a finished product, Arcos consumables are designed to strengthen customers’ overall efficiency and process.
“Arcos’ network of distributors maintain stock for customer needs and we provide just-in-time delivery for large automotive customers to keep their production lines running without interruption,” says Wehr.
To help customers enhance both production and performance, Arcos has a qualified field engineering group that can answer real-world questions and provide support needed to get critical path jobs done on time,” he notes.
Product range
Packaged in hermetically sealed metal cans in diameters that range in sizes from 3/32 in., 1/8 in., 5/32 in. and 3/16 in., Arcos stainless steel-coated electrodes are available in three formulations: Types -15, -16 and -17. Wehr provides a thorough overview of the electrodes’ formulations, benefits and viabilities.
“Customers that are manufacturing stainless milk tankers need a smooth transition between the welding wire and substrate for easy cleaning and will use a -17 formulation of coated electrodes or a silicon-enhanced bare wire. Manufacturers that require special mechanical properties at low temperatures often choose a -15 formulation to maximize these properties,” Wehr continues.
For general welding, “a good middle-of-the-road formulation is the -16 stainless steel-coated electrode.” Bare wire, covered and tubular electrodes were specifically made to assist welding applications for automotive, petroleum and chemical plants. Moreover, backed by a slew of quality system certifications, Arcos’ products play a vital role in the fabrication process of shipbuilding. The U.S. Navy even used the company’s consumables to construct its nuclear fleet.
“Arcos has provided millions of pounds of stainless steel bare wire packaged especially for the high-volume, high-production lines in the automotive industry,” says Wehr.
In addition, “stainless construction and fabrication projects requiring military certifications and approvals have come to rely on Arcos’ quality.”
Wehr cites some approvals that Arcos’ consumables have earned and offers insight about its on-site electrode extrusion, which can include special chemistries and ferrite contents.
“Arcos is fully approved as an ASME material supplier for the nuclear power industry and has been a major supplier to the military since 1938,” says Wehr.
Quality standards
“When you purchase Arcos products, you get the same quality system and material traceability required for nuclear and military customers. Also, stainless steel welding requires a certain amount of ferrite content in the weld metal to prevent centerline cracking,” Wehr says. “Prior to the discovery of the need for ferrite by Anton Schaeffler, who worked for Arcos in Pennsylvania, welding stainless steel was very unreliable. The original ferrite diagram is still known as the Schaeffler Diagram.”
Nearing its 100th anniversary, Arcos Industries, LLC and its assortment of welding consumables seem poised to roar into the 2020s.
Arcos Industries LLC
Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania
570/339-5200
