2026 Buyer’s Guide: Welding Product Releases
New Welding System Reduces Welding Time by an Average of 30 Percent
Miller Electric Mfg. LLC (Appleton, WI) and Hobart Brothers LLC (Troy, OH) have launched the new SubArc Hercules™ system, a combination of the XMT® 450 SubArc Hercules power source, SubArc Hercules torch, and SubCOR® metal-cored wire that is designed to increase deposition rates and reduce welding time by an average of 30%.
Along with increasing throughput, the SubArc Hercules system offers consistent weld beads with robust mechanical properties, making it ideal for applications in the pressure vessel, process pipe, structural steel, shipbuilding and wind tower industries. The system excels on long, multi-pass welds, as well as large groove welds, high-speed fillet welds and lap joints, and weldments sensitive to high heat input.
With the system, easily added to any existing Miller SubArc DC or AC/DC digital power source or legacy 14-pin SubArc machine. The system includes the XMT 450 SubArc Hercules, a secondary 450-amp submerged arc power source that features a modified software that generates lower voltage (1-to-10 volts) and provides an electrical current to condition the wire during the Hercules process. The SubArc Hercules switch kit allows operators to easily enable the process with the flip of a switch and quickly alternate to a standard submerged arc process.
Once the Hercules process is activated, the SubArc Hercules air-cooled torch provides resistive conditioning of the wire by way of two contact tips — an upper preheat contact tip (standard for Miller OBT 600 MIG guns) and a lower contact tip (standard for Miller OBT 1200 MIG guns). This contact tip combination and preheating results in high deposition rates, while also ensuring smooth wire feeding at higher temperatures.
The Hobart SubCOR metal-cored wire was specifically formulated to achieve those high deposition rates while maintaining consistent arc stability — a unique characteristic compared to competitive wires that lose arc stability and seize up over time. The wire is available in five American Welding Society classifications in 1/8”- and 5/32” diameters with tensile strengths ranging from 70-to-110 ksi.
Spools for MIG Aluminum Wires Enable 60% Greater Run Time
To increase productivity in high-volume MIG aluminum welding applications, AlcoTec®, an ESAB Welding and Cutting Products (North Bethesda, MD) brand, offers 32-lb. spool sizes for its 4043 and 5356 wires in diameters of 0.047 (3/64th or 1.2 mm) and 0.062 (1/16th or 1.6 mm). The 32-lb. spool, which has a 14” diameter, provides 60% more capacity than AlcoTec’s standard 20-lb. spools, allowing more welding time before spool changes when using sled-style feeders.
“Our new spools feature a grooved spool hub and are precision layer level wound for tangle-free feeding performance,” said Keith Packard, director of specialty alloys, ESAB. “The wires are manufactured at AlcoTec’s facility in Traverse City, Mich., which produces the industry’s highest quality, best performing MIG wires and cut-length TIG aluminum filler materials.”
All of AlcoTec’s 4043, 4047 and 5356 aluminum MIG welding wire products now feature the company’s patented surface treatment technology. These wires exhibit smoother feeding performance and fewer tangles when compared to other leading brands of wire. The surface treatment on 5356 wires also minimizes or eliminates the shaving problem historically associated with these wires. AlcoTec 5356 greatly improves wire feed ability and arc stability to produce a clean, high-quality aluminum welding wire that will increase throughput.
AlcoTec MIG wires are available in packages and diameters to suit the needs of every aluminum user, from the occasional welder to high-volume robotic applications. Spool sizes are available in 1, 5, 16 and 20 lbs., and AlumaPak™ bulk drums come in sizes of 50 and 311 lbs.
Achieve High-speed, Cosmetic Welds not Possible with Conventional Laser Welders
Compact and economical, the FLW 3000 Le fiber laser welding cell from AMADA AMERICA, INC. (Buena Park, CA), is an ideal entry point into robotic-assisted welding.
A 3kW oscillator and 6-axis robot ensure high-quality welds across a wide range of steel, stainless steel and aluminum.
The FLW minimizes heat on the weld zone to produce stronger welds with little to no distortion.
The adjustable beam focus allows for optimum settings based on the welding conditions. A Teaching Assist System utilizes a camera to prevent deviation from the targeted weld path. And a rotating lens creates a beam weaving effect to produce fast, accurate and smooth results.
Finally, the wire feed system allows the switch from fusion welding to adding filler wire.
Dual Feed Wire Feeder Switches Instantly Between Two Welding Setups
ESAB Welding & Cutting Products (North Bethesda, MD) has introduced the Warrior® DualFeed heavy industrial dual wire feeding system, which works with its Warrior 400-, 500- and 750-amp multiprocess welding power sources. The Warrior DualFeed enables fabricators to switch between two different wire diameters or wire types to optimize productivity and avoid the downtime associated with changing consumables. The feeder supports spool sizes up to 60 lbs. on both sides, features two gas solenoids and a new dual-cylinder cart supports two gas cylinders.
“The Warrior DualFeed delivers superior welding performance because it features ESAB’s PreciDrive wire drive system — an encoder-based drive system that delivers precision wire feeding with better arc starts and stops, without backlash or play in the gears,” said Jeff Chittim, senior product manager for North America, ESAB.
PreciDrive features four gear-driven drive rolls with a large diameter (1.5”) for more gripping area to provide more pushing force without deforming soft, cored and aluminum wires, a common source of feeding problems. The design improves accuracy at lower speeds, has the power to feed larger diameter cored wires and the high speeds necessary for smaller diameter hard wires. The wire feed speed adjusts from 32-to-984 inches per minute.
Common reasons to use dual feeders include using a solid MIG wire for a tack weld or root pass and then switching to a cored wired for fill passes to increase deposition rates or support all-position welding. Dual feeders are also ideal for welding with two different shielding gases, such as one for short circuit MIG and another for spray transfer welding.
Operators can switch from one wire to another using controls on the feeder or from the MIG gun trigger. Parameters such as run-in speed, crater fill and burn-back can be adjusted and saved individually. Digital meters display parameters, and a detachable control box enables adjustment when the feeder is mounted on a boom or mezzanine.
Ready for Any Challenge: Flexible Stick Welding up to 250 Amps
The new Ignis 250 from Fronius USA LLC (Portage, IN) expands the product portfolio with a powerful device that enables manual arc welding to be performed with up to 250 A, anytime and anywhere.
In addition to the familiar functions of the more compact models, the Ignis 250 boasts higher performance, greater ease of operation, and an extended XT version for worldwide use. Each welding task brings its own specific requirements, but the weld quality always has to come first and, depending on the application, also look good. The Ignis series helps to successfully master welding tasks under adverse conditions and keep the arc stable. With the Ignis 250, this is now also possible for larger welding tasks that require more power — without compromising on functionality or user friendliness.
The three-phase Ignis 250 extends the existing Ignis 150/180 series upward and offers maximum flexibility for electrode welding up to 250 A. This means that welding tasks with higher material thicknesses or those requiring large electrodes can also be optimally implemented. Combined with the familiar Ignis functions such as HotStart, SoftStart, anti-stick, MMA Pulse, or TrackingArc, the Ignis 250 guarantees a stable arc and high-quality results — whether high up, far below, or in hard-to-reach places.
What’s more, due to its robust design, it is the perfect companion for (outdoor) use in harsh environments. The high-quality materials and sturdy housing ensure an extremely long service life.
Ergonomic Mini Flap Discs Deburr, Blend and Finish Hard-to-reach Areas
Ideal for light blending, stripping, edge breaking and surface prep applications in key industries such as metal fabrication and welding, aerospace, transportation, energy and construction, Saint-Gobain Abrasives’ (Worcester, MA) Norton non-woven flap discs feature special three-dimensional non-woven abrasive layers.
The manufacturer has expanded its Norton Vortex® Rapid Prep Non-woven Flap Disc Line with the introduction of 2” and 3” mini sized discs, which feature Norton’s patented Vortex agglomerate grain, an industry-first that provides a practical solution from roughing to finishing in one operation for difficult-to-reach, uneven areas.
This design ensures uniform finishing with consistently low surface finish Ra. In addition, multiple layers of surface conditioning material provide added life, fewer disc changes for better efficiency, and reduced vibration. The discs also feature Norton proprietary Clean Bond® resin technology that guarantees smear-free finishes, even on high nickel content alloys, and reduced loading when cutting aluminum and other softer metals. Norton Vortex Rapid Prep Non-woven Flap Discs are suitable for cleaning, light deburring and processing TIG welded seams on stainless steel.
Ceramic Flap Discs and Blending Discs Manage Tough Metals
Weiler Abrasives (Cresco, PA), a leading producer of abrasives and power brushes for surface conditioning, offers the new Tiger 3D MAX Ceramic flap discs and blending discs — products built for maximum material removal, durability and consistency. This expansion of the 3D MAX lineup brings advanced precision-shaped grain technology to a wider range of grinding applications.
“Our 3D MAX technology is built to let the grain do the work,” said Michael Zulauf, product manager, Weiler Abrasives. “By maximizing the cut rate and reducing the effort required by the operator, we are helping our customers improve efficiency and consistency and reduce fatigue, all while cutting down on costly disc changeovers.”
Engineered to maximize efficiency and throughput, the Tiger 3D MAX products feature 3D precision-shaped grain to help operators remove more material in less time. The grain stands upright and micro-fractures to stay sharp, delivering an exceptional cut rate. The design also optimizes grain retention, extending product life and ensuring operations get the most for their money. Tiger 3D MAX Ceramic flap discs are designed for maximum metal removal while maintaining control across a wide range of grinding and finishing applications. Flap discs are available in 4.5”- and 7”- sizes, with 7/8 open arbor and 5/8-11 hub options.
Tiger 3D MAX Ceramic blending discs help operators blend welds faster, reduce rework, and maintain consistent results in surface refinement applications. Blending discs are available in both Type S and Type R style connections to allow for quick mounting and disc changes. The Tiger 3D MAX portfolio, which also includes resin fiber discs, addresses pain points where downtime and labor costs are critical. Key benefits include exceptional material removal with the 3D precision-shaped grain, which maximizes cut rates, enabling up to 30% faster material removal than standard ceramic grain; and a longer disc life thanks to optimized grain retention, which extends product life and reduces changeovers.
