WELDING ELECTRODES

Feasibility Study

INTRODUCTION
 WELDING ELECTRODES

One of the most popular ways of welding is hand arc welding, employing
metal electrodes with coating. It is widely used for joining small and middle-
thickness work-pieces by short seams.

Welding Electrodes are widely used consumables in all industries where

welding jobs are done. The welding electrodes are used in industries where
exclusive job work on welding is done and in other industries where production
operations are conducted. The consumption of these welding electrodes is
increasing in line with industrial production in all sectors. There is a good scope
for this fast consumable item to be produced in a small-scale industry.

Welding electrodes are metal rods with a coating applied to them. The
coating is applied on rods by submerging or moulding.

The coating consists of slag-forming and gas-forming minerals, for

which such materials as manganese. Electrode coating functions and provides
the following: 1) stable burning of the arc since it contains easy-ionizing
chemical elements with low potential of ionization 2) protection of the weld
pool metal achieved by the creation of gas atmosphere, which presses back
the air and by the creation of slag on the surface of the weld pool and metal
blobs 3) this oxidation of the weld pool metal since it contains chemical
elements active that iron ( with closer affinity with oxygen) in the coating 4)
alloying of the metal seams thorough adding into coating ferroalloys.

Welding is the joining of metals. What welding does is join metals or

other materials at their molecular level with the technology we have t the
moment. In the field, welding electrodes are usually called "welding rods".
Back in the day, when the bronze and iron ages began using metals more
productively, they would use a direct casting process. The casting process
would be done by making a sand mould of the piece to be added. Once the
mould is made, you put it on top of the metal piece you want to add a part
too and fill it with hot molten metal, after which you wait for it to cool.

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FEASIBILITY STUDY

The principal raw materials required are steel wire and chemicals for
coating as flux on the steel material, which has to be imported.
The project's total investment cost, including working capital, is estimated at
1.54 million USD. From the total investment cost, the highest share ( 1.06
million USD or 68.89%) is accounted for by initial working capital, followed by
fixed investment cost ( 358,503.84 thousand USD or 23.25%) and pre-
operation cost (120,946.86 thousand USD or 7.86%). From the total
investment cost, 99263.16 thousand USD or 6.42% is required in foreign
currency.

The project is financially viable, with an internal rate of return (IRR) of

28.47% and a net present value (NPV).
The project can create employment for 19 persons. Establishing such a factory
will have a foreign exchange saving effect on the country by substituting the
current imports. The project will also create a forward linkage with the metal
products manufacturing sub-sector and the construction sector and also
generates income for the Government in terms of tax revenue and payroll
tax.

Based on the projected profit and loss statement, the project will
generate a profit throughout its operational life. Annual net profit after tax
ranges from Birr 6.53 million to 398,498.22 thousand USD during the project's
life. Moreover, the accumulated net cash flow amounts to 4.17 million USD at
the end of the project life.

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 WELDING ELECTRODES

PLANT LOCATION

Kjellberg welding electrodes are quality products made in Germany and

manufactured at our location in Massen. In several process steps, the rod
electrodes are produced from high-quality raw material, each designed for a
particular welding task. Kjellberg Finsterwalde is Germany's oldest electrode
manufacturer, with more than 85 years of experience in this field. Oscar
Kjellberg, who founded this company and gave it his name, developed the
patent for the coated welding electrode. Until today this tradition has been
carried on by continuous research and development.

All of their products are subject to close quality inspections. Load tests and
chemical analyses are part of every manufacturing process.

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 WELDING ELECTRODES

PROCESS and FLOW DIAGRAM

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The machine will spin and bend the

stainless steel or carbon wire and
reshape it until it becomes completely
straight. Metal rollers then guide the
wire to the cutting machine, and the
blade chops the wire into segments
that become the electrode cores. It is
cut from 10-17 ½ in length.

Powdered metals, minerals and colouring

are mixed to produce a homogenous batch.

After that, the homogenous batch will be

mixed with a binding agent or glue, often
potassium silicate or sodium silicate, in
measured quantity to get a wet paste.

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 WELDING ELECTRODES

The wet paste will be transferred to this

machine and compressed to produce solid
cylindrical slugs/cakes with a hole in the
middle.

Now putting the mixed powder into

solid cylindrical slugs, it next undergoes
intrusion. It will apply 120 tons of
pressure to shoot the powder into the
core wires as they pass through the
slug’s hole.

Core wires will be stacked in this

feeder. Then, four wheels will pull the
wire into the intrusion press for coating
at a rate of a thousand electrodes a
minute.

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 WELDING ELECTRODES

When the wire cores are coated, they

will go to the conveyor. A sander will
remove 2 ½ coating from the bottom
where the electrodes are gripped and
the above to conduct better electricity.
Then they dry the electrodes for up to
72 hrs at an average temperature.

To cure the coat, the electrodes will be

put in an oven with a temperature of
905 F for up to 5 hrs. After cooling, it
will be put into the printing press,
where the electrode model is printed
and the current required. After several
other things that should be done, it is
now off to packaging.

This will be used in case there are rejected/

damaged electrodes. It will separate the
coating from the core wire to be recycled.

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 WELDING ELECTRODES

RAW MATERIALS

For wire:

Stainless steel wire

For Powdered metals and minerals:

Metals
Nickel- Pure nickel shows a significant
chemical activity that can be observed when
nickel is powdered to maximize the
exposed surface area on which reactions can
occur, but larger pieces of the metal are slow
to react with air at ambient conditions due to
the formation of a protective oxide surface.

Manganese- A lustrous, steel-gray

metal, manganese resembles iron, but is
harder and very brittle. In its pure form, it is
too brittle to fabricate. Manganese is
chemically reactive and decomposes slowly in
cold water, more rapidly when heated. While
pure manganese metal is ferromagnetic only
after special treatment, it forms highly
ferromagnetic alloys when combined with
aluminum and antimony or copper. In steel,
manganese greatly improves strength, wear
resistance, hardness, and many other
qualities

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Iron- Iron powder is powdered iron. It has

several uses; for example production
of magnetic alloys and certain types of steels.[

Minerals

Alumina- Minerals containing Alumina represent

some 15% of the earth's crust. It is therefore an
abundant material and virtually inexhaustable,
unlike raw materials for many alloys developed for
special applications. The combination of high
thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion and
high compressive strength leads to good thermal
shock resistance

Magnesia- Magnesium oxide (sometimes

called magnesia) is formed commercially by
heating magnesite to 600-800 deg. C, which drives
off most of the CO2. It has good thermal
conductivity and electrical resistivity at elevated
temperatures

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 WELDING ELECTRODES

Limestone is used in more daily

products than one might think.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock,
formed by inorganic remains, such as
shells or skeletons, that have
compressed for a very long time. The
main element found in limestone is
calcium carbonate but it may contain
magnesium, iron or manganese as
well, which affect the whiteness and
hardness.

Binding agent/for making paste material

Potassium Silicate is white powdery

substance, can dissolve in water quickly, resistant to
cold and good uniformity. It is a special foamed
alkali product and it can be conveniently used,
transported and stored.

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ECONOMIC DISCUSSION AND MARKET ANALYSIS

Transparency Market Research has released a new market report. According

to that report, the global welding products market was valued at USD 17.43
B in 2013 and is expected to reach USD 23.78 B by 2020.

Increasing demand for welding products from the automobile and building and
construction industries is anticipated to augment market growth during the
forecast period. Welding is extensively used in the automobile industry to
manufacture various components and perform complex operations.

A potential growth area for the welding products market in the emerging
economies in Asia Pacific.

Stick electrodes/ welding electrodes is the largest consumable product

segment, with over 40% share of the global welding market in 2013. Next are
the solid wires and others, such as the flux-cored wires. Asia Pacific dominated
the global welding market in 2013 and garnered over 40% of the overall
market that same year.

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 WELDING ELECTRODES

MARKET ANALYSIS

1. Past Supply and Present Demand

The demand for welding electrodes in Ethiopia is met through import.

Ethiopia imports many welding electrodes from several Asian and European
countries. Among the significant exporters of welding electrodes to the
Ethiopian market are China, India, and turkey. The primary type of electrode
imported to the country is coated electrode of base metal for electric arc
welding. Others include cored base metal wire for electric arc welding and
carbon electrodes for furnaces.

2. Projected Demand

The future demand for welding electrodes depends mainly on the

growth of the metal and allied industries, which use it to weld various metal
products. The construction sector was one of the sectors with a high growth
rate and is to continue in the future due to the various development projects
implemented by the government and the private sector. The metal industry,
which has a strong relationship with construction, is also planned to grow
faster. Generally, the industrial sector is designed to grow at 20% per
annum during the GTP period.
Considering the past trend and the future development of the construction
and metal manufacturing sub-sectors, a conservative growth rate of 12%
per annum is applied in forecasting future demand.

3. Pricing and Distribution

The primary end users of the product are mainly industrial

establishments in the area of fabricated metal products, furniture producers,
vehicle assembly plants and garages, construction sites and the like. Most of
the activities mentioned above are widely distributed throughout the
country, and their number is vast. Considering the number and geographical
distribution of the end users, regional distributors are recommended as an
appropriate distribution channel for the envisaged project.

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Environmental Assessment, safety and other important consideration

The Production Process involves cutting and coating the wire with the flux.
This process does not bring any adverse impact on the surrounding areas.
Thus the plant does not have any negative impact on the environment.
Harmful welding fumes, loud noises, intense heat, glaring light- there may be
an unwelcome part of every welder’s work days. The biggest problem is the
exposure to the manganese contained in fumes during welding. Inhaling
manganese can cause severe damage to your brain and nervous system.
Workers exposed to welding fumes have Parkinson’s disease, a significant
disorder affecting movement and balance. They also often develop
“manganism”, a condition closely related to Parkinson’s disease, making it
challenging to move correctly. Both disease cause tremors, shaking and loss
of muscle control.
A person should not be in contact with more than 5 ml/ cubic meter of
manganese per day. Working with stainless steel may produce welding fumes
containing nickel. If a person has asthma, exposure to nickel can worsen the
illness.

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CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATION

It is therefore concluded that one of the meticulous works in the business

industry. It is also hazardous during the process and primarily when used by
welders. The welding industry is still innovating for better changes. I would
suggest looking for materials that are less harmful to human health but still
sustain the availability and usage of welding electrodes. Moreover, the
workplace should also be essential during work. Good ventilation will lessen
the build-up of hazardous gases.
Lastly, companies should provide proper gear for the welders to use during
work hours to be safe.

Material Balances
For the wet paste and flux:

50% Minerals
W moisture X
50% Metals

P
F

K2SO3 25% K2SO3

2% moist
35% Minerals
35% Metals
3% pigment
Y Pigment

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