April 2017 -  Select-Arc Inc. began earning praise for its expansive line of tubular welding electrodes shortly after Dale Stager founded the Fort Loramie, Ohio-based company in 1996. More than two decades later, Select-Arc remains a prominent name in the welding industry.

Mike Tecklenburg, national sales manager, discussed the intricacies of Select-Arc’s diverse menu of tubular welding electrodes, which includes carbon steel, low alloy, hardfacing, stainless steel and nickel alloys.

“The tubular welding wires are designed to approach the specific application that a customer requires, whether those goals are metallurgical or mechanical properties,” he says.

“As far as actual science on how tubular wires work, the electrical current is transferred only through the tube sheath, the strip of material that surrounds the core. The current density is higher than solid wires, improving the transfer rate while spreading the arc.”

Apart from the product line, Select-Arc’s technical support and customer service attract and retain many metalworking companies.

“Dale Stager understands that, for us to be successful, we must first offer high-quality products at competitive prices and we must truly take that approach to service the customer,” says Tecklenburg, adding that Select-Arc offers several hundred individual formulations, many with products available for either FCAW or MCAW.

“This type of service is why we were recently named the worldwide vendor of the year for one of our largest customers, a multibillion-dollar company. We sell to them and provide service at over 17 of their locations across the world,” he says. “We believe we can best service a customer by approaching a customer’s most challenging applications. When we do identify the solution to a customer’s problem, we take what we learned to solve that problem and apply it to many other Select-Arc products in our line. That is why we feel confident that we have one of the broadest, and most high-quality, lines of tubular products offered in the welding industry.”

From raw materials to a finished product, Select-Arc’s tubular welding electrodes augment customers’ yield and overall fabricating process. Using these electrodes has also proven to be cost-effective longer term for many customers. As Tecklenburg says, “Our tubular welding wires enhance production and performance through higher welder efficiency.” The resulting reduction in labor, repair, scrap and other overhead costs more than offset any increase in filler metal costs. Tubular welding electrodes further allow fabricators to minimize unnecessary downtime in the workplace.

Advantages outlined

“Metal cored wires offer many advantages over solid MIG wires,” says Tecklenburg. “They typically offer higher travel speeds, higher deposition efficiency, higher deposition rates and, in many cases, overcome fitup issues or issues with thin materials that may result in repairs using MIG wires. Often, metal cored wires also result in less post-weld cleanup due to lower spatter levels.”

Select-Arc’s tubular welding electrodes are practical commodities for countless industries and applications. In particular, these consumables are useful in construction trades and in automotive and manufacturing plants where maximum uptime is imperative.

“Select-Arc offers many carbon steel products for a variety of applications from automotive, shipbuilding, rail car, offshore, construction equipment, agriculture equipment, mining equipment as well as more general fabrication applications,” says Tecklenburg.

Niche application

“One of our unique markets is to be a significant supplier of 400 series stainless for a variety of tube, muffler, catalytic converters and other exhaust applications.  These products are exhaust systems used for automobiles, truck, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, agriculture, construction and a variety of other applications,” Tecklenberg says.

For the construction industry, the company developed Select 78, a self-shielded E71T-8 electrode designed for construction applications. “That product, along with our entry into the submerged arc market, offers an opportunity to grow into a market we haven’t typically competed in.”

Considering Dale Stager’s successful entrepreneurial streak, consumers can expect Select-Arc to continue driving toward a leadership roe in the design, manufacture and distribution of consumables for welding applications. 

Select-Arc Inc.
Fort Loramie, Ohio
800/341-5215