General construction refers to all the construction activities related to steel infrastructure for building, so it covers a very wide range of applications. General construction mainly includes a wide range of frames and beams of various types and shapes for buildings and bridges. For the vast majority, C-Mn steels such as S 235 to S460 grades are used, but this is also a typical application for weather-resistant steels. Of course, structures can also be made with other metal alloys such as aluminium and stainless steel. Typical thicknesses range from medium to heavy so productivity combined with excellent quality is a key factor.

It should be noted that most of the structures are welded in the workshop, since the final assembly is done on site. As far as the welding processes are concerned, SMAW and self-shielded FCAW are used for the on-site activities, while in the workshop SAW, GMAW and FCAW find the most applications. FCAW is the preferred process for positional welding thanks to its efficiency and ease of use; SAW to maximize the productivity and GMAW for all the intermediate size/thicknesses. The processes in the shop are mostly mechanized, with portal and gantry systems, also with multiple torches to maximize the productivity. Finally, welding carts are also used.

Böhler Welding offers the right solutions for each and every application in general construction; our well-known proven quality is the key for reducing manufacturing costs and ensuring structural safety.

For the construction site, a complete portfolio of easy-to-use stick electrodes with a low hydrogen content and excellent weld quality as well al self-shielded flux cored wires are available.

For in-shop fabrication, Böhler Welding offers a combination of excellent wires and high-speed fluxes for SAW, including the highly productive flux cored wires from the diamondspark HP series.

For positional welding Böhler Welding offers seamless low-hydrogen rutile flux cored wires, that feature excellent operability, large weldability window and self-releasing slag, minimizing post-weld cleaning.

For GMAW we offer high quality solid wires for mechanized applications, including the cooper-free ECOspark, and seamless metal cored wires diamondspark to further enhance the deposition rate with low level of silica islands and oxides above the deposited weld bead. This is important to reduce the amount of labor required or post-processing and also to avoid potential quality issues, especially in case of multi-pass technique, which is often required due to plate thickness.

All of the above-mentioned welding consumables are also supplied in bulk packaging to meet these industry requirements.

Finally, Böhler Welding’ portfolio in terms of SMAW/GMAW/FCAW, includes heavy-duty cycle robust and flexible inverter technology machines suitable for use both on the construction site and in the workshop.