Arc welding has been a constant at Graycor for many years, dating back to our early steel mill years in the 1950s. Equipment and steel repairs were routinely completed with the arc welding process, developed during World War II, which improved upon the bolt-and-rivet method of joining metal structures common at the time. Arc welding provided a fast and reliable method of joining steel materials and met the increasing demand of industrial production in the post war era. Welding has endured the test of time and today remains the premier method of joining steel materials.
Graycor’s welding capability has grown considerably since its early use of the arc welding process and has evolved to meet today’s ever demanding welding needs. According to Jack Carlson, Vice President of Safety and Quality for Graycor, “Graycor currently has more than 150 qualified welding procedures, each qualified in accordance with the American Welding Society or The American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ welding codes.” In addition to the traditional manual shielded metal arc welding and gas tungsten arc processes, Graycor routinely employs the use of semi-automatic, high deposition welding processes such as the fluxed core and solid metal arc processes. Shop welding procedures include the highly efficient sub arc welding process for welding large diameter, heavy wall thickness applications. Semi-automatic welding processes deposit large quantities of weld metal, making it a cost-efficient and time-saving process.
Arc welding and other similar welding processes have evolved since those early days of arc welding. Driven by the development of modern steel materials, new and improved welding processes were needed to meet new welding challenges. Meeting these challenges, Graycor has developed a cadre of weld procedures specifically designed to join not just common carbon steels, but special highly corrosion resistant stainless steels, high temperature chrome and nickel alloy steels, abrasion resistant carbon steel, low service temperature carbon steel, aluminum alloy and high temperature creep resistant P91 chrome steel requiring special post weld heat treatment to assure its mechanical properties are preserved after welding. Today, welding at Graycor has become both an art and science, with its welding processes qualified in accordance with industry construction codes and its ability to address our client’s project-specific welding needs.
By applying its vast resource of qualified weld procedures, Graycor is able to meet the welding demands of each of its markets (metals, power and process). With its rapidly growing North American presence, Graycor is able to offer its advanced welding capabilities to a wide range of clients within the industrial space. In fab shops and in the field, Graycor has utilized its advanced welding processes for clients such as Alliant Energy, Consumers Energy, Duke Energy, LG&E, NIPSCO and Otter Tail Power. “In today’s competitive environment, we remain focused on the further development of our welding capabilities and look forward to helping our clients meet the unique challenges that lie ahead,” says Carlson.