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Why You Need the HYPERARC 16TC Low-Hydrogen Electrodes
Sarah Mazlin
05 April 2021
You’ve got a stick welder, and you need electrodes. Whether you’re a beginner just getting into it, or you’re a professional who’s been welding for years, if you’re welding steel, then our HYPERARC 16 Twin Coat Low-Hydrogen Electrodes are perfect for you. They’re versatile, twin coated, easy to use and need way less clean up.
What Is a HYPERARC 16TC?
To start, let’s run through what exactly we mean by a 16TC. ‘16TC’ is short for a 7016 twin coated electrode. Now you might be thinking, ‘Great. What exactly is a 7016 electrode? Why’s it twin coated?’
Stick electrodes have a set coding system, where the first two numbers (70) represent the tensile strength, the third number (1) represents the positions it can be used in, and the fourth number (6) represents the type of coating on the outside of the filler metal.
In the case of a 7016, it has a tensile strength of 70,000, it can be used in all positions (except vertical down), and it has an outer coating that is low in hydrogen.
7016 stick electrodes produce a high-quality weld and are often used for structural applications. They’ll weld onto all carbon steels though, so don’t feel like you’re limited to using them on buildings.
While the 7016 electrodes, in general, are a great electrode, our HYPERARC 16TCs take it to the next level with all the added benefits of twin coating.
Twin Coating
Most stick electrodes are single coated, which means that all the ingredients needed to be both conductive and protective are included in the same outer layer that covers the inner core. However, you can purchase twin coated electrodes, and these are precisely what they sound like: electrodes with two layers.
The inner layer contains the ingredients that ionise and make it conductive and the outer layer, which is non-conductive, contains the shielding and slag forming components.
The separation of the two layers means the electrode has an extremely stable, concentrated arc which is easy to direct.
The twin coating isn’t the only thing that makes the HYPERARC 16TCs a superior electrode, though.
What’s So Great About Our HYPERARC 16TCs?
Easy Releasing Slag
Every stick electrode leaves behind a topcoat that needs to be removed once you’ve finished your weld; it’s why stick welding doesn’t need gas. The problem is that some electrodes have difficult slag.
With the HYPERARC 16TC, you won’t need to spend ten minutes hammering at it with your chipping hammer only to have small chunks leftover. The easy releasing slag means a few taps with a hammer will have it practically falling off the weld, so you won’t have to spend as much downtime cleaning up.
Low Spatter
Spatter is the small beads of molten metal that fly out from your weld and leave a mess around your final product. Thanks to the more stable and concentrated arc created by the twin coating, the HYPERARC 16TCs produce less spatter as you weld.
Less spatter means less clean up, so not only will you not be hammering away at hard slag, but you also won’t have to spend nearly as much time brushing or grinding away spatter to have a nice-looking weld.
Easy Arc Ignition & Restrike
Trying to light a stick electrode is kind of like trying to light a match. You have to strike it against the metal with enough force that it’ll light, and then pull away just enough that the arc stays ignited, but you don’t get your electrode stuck to the metal.
Learning how to do this in one swift motion can be a bit of a challenge. With a HYPERARC 16TC, you eliminate the frustration of trying to ignite a difficult electrode; striking and restriking your arc is easy.
Low Amp Capable
While some electrodes can struggle to maintain a steady arc on low amps, this is not the case for our HYPERARC 16TC. High amps or low, the 16TC will keep its stable, concentrated arc for a penetrative weld on any material thickness.
AC & DC Compatible
Not every electrode will work on AC, but this isn’t true for the HYPERARC 16TC. It’s compatible with both AC and DC currents (positive and negative), making it a versatile electrode that’ll work with every machine you have.
Low-Hydrogen
There are a lot of things that can cause contamination in a weld. There are outside atmospheric gases that can cause it, dirt or otherwise left on the metal can contaminate it.
If you go a little wild with your weld technique and start weaving your slag into the joint, you’ll contaminate it. Moisture will also cause contamination in the weld, and you’ll have to redo it.
With a low hydrogen electrode, there’s no moisture in the electrode, which means there’s no risk of contamination from the electrode itself.
Vacuum-Sealed
Our HYPERARC 16TCs come in vacuum-sealed packaging in order to keep them moisture-free. There’s no chance of moisture re-entering the electrode during transportation from manufacturer to you, so you can use them straight out of the box without any worries.
No matter what you plan to use them for, the UNIMIG HYPERARC 16 Twin Coat Low-Hydrogen Electrodes are a perfect fit for all your steel welding needs.
UNIMIG sells a range of HYPERARC electrodes that include general purpose, low-hydrogen, stainless steel, hardfacing and cast iron electrodes.
Check out the HYPERARC 16 Twin Coat Low-Hydrogen Electrodes here
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