Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)

Submerged arc welding runs a continuous bare wire electrode under a blanket of granular flux that shields the arc and molten pool, giving very high deposition rates and deep penetration with no visible arc or spatter. It is the workhorse of shipyard panel lines for long, straight butt and fillet welds in the flat position, often run as twin-wire or tandem for speed. Because the process is mechanized and the flux controls cooling, it produces consistent, low-hydrogen welds well suited to thick higher-tensile plate.