SubArc Hercules™ System Increases Deposition Rates and Reduces Welding Time by an Average of Thirty Percent
Rhea-AI Impact
(Neutral)
Rhea-AI Sentiment
(Very Positive)
Tags
Key Terms
submerged arc weldingtechnical
Submerged arc welding is a high‑productivity method for joining metal where an electrically fed wire melts beneath a blanket of granular flux, keeping the spark out of sight and creating a strong, consistent weld. Think of it like a continuous glue gun working under a protective layer of sand: it speeds up production, reduces defects and operator exposure, and requires specialized equipment—factors that influence manufacturing costs, output capacity and investment needs for companies.
metal-cored wiretechnical
Metal-cored wire is a tubular welding wire with a solid metal sheath surrounding a powder or metal-filled center that melts to form the weld. Think of it like a hollow straw filled with welding material that delivers metal more quickly and consistently than a solid wire. Investors care because it affects manufacturers’ production speed, material costs, and product quality in industries such as construction, automotive and heavy equipment, influencing margins and demand for suppliers.
mechanical propertiestechnical
Mechanical properties are the measurable behaviors of a material—such as strength, stiffness, flexibility and toughness—that determine how it responds to forces, wear and deformation. Investors care because these traits affect a product’s durability, safety, manufacturing ease and cost; for example, choosing a material with the wrong properties is like using brittle glass where rubber is needed, which can lead to failures, recalls or higher expenses and therefore impact a company’s revenue and valuation.
fillet weldstechnical
Fillet welds are the triangular seams used to join two pieces of metal at a right angle or T-joint, similar to a strong stitch that holds two sheets of fabric together. For investors, they matter because the quality and design of these welds affect a product’s structural strength, manufacturing cost, inspection needs, and long‑term reliability, all of which can influence safety records, warranty expenses and regulatory compliance.
lap jointstechnical
A lap joint is a method of joining two overlapping pieces of material, typically metal or plastic, by welding, bonding, or fastening along the area where they overlap. Investors care because the choice and quality of lap joints affect a product’s strength, durability, manufacturing cost and safety—similar to how overlapping shingles protect a roof, a well-made lap joint helps prevent leaks, failures and costly recalls.
american welding societytechnical
The American Welding Society is a nonprofit professional organization that writes technical standards, provides training and issues certifications for welding and joining metals. Investors care because its standards and certifications act like a rulebook and stamp of approval for suppliers and contractors—widespread acceptance can raise demand for compliant equipment and skilled labor, and influence costs, project timelines and regulatory approvals across industries.
tensile strengthstechnical
Tensile strength measures how much pulling force a material can take before it stretches or breaks — like how strong a rope must be to hold a load. For investors, reported tensile strengths signal product durability, safety and manufacturing quality, which affect warranty costs, regulatory approval, customer acceptance and the likelihood of costly failures or recalls, making it a useful metric when assessing the commercial and operational risk of companies that make physical products.
APPLETON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Miller Electric Mfg. LLC and Hobart Brothers LLC have announced the launch of 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 thirty percent.
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.
“The SubArc Hercules system is an excellent fit for operations looking to gain higher deposition rates and faster travel speeds without compromising weld quality,” said Louise Gasper, product manager at Miller. “The system consistently outperforms standard DCEP and AC solid wire submerged arc welding, allowing for improved efficiency.”
Game-changing components
The SubArc Hercules system is a cost-effective solution that is 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 torchprovides resistiveconditioning 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 (AWS) classifications in 1/8- and 5/32-inch diameters with tensile strengths ranging from 70 to 110 ksi.
“In addition to its arc stability, SubCOR metal-cored wire brings the benefit of a better penetration profile compared to solid wire,” adds Ellis Blevins Jr., product manager, Critical Segment at Hobart. “It also reduces rework, adding to the efficiency of the entire SubArc Hercules system.”
About Miller Electric Mfg. LLC
Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, is a leading worldwide manufacturer of Miller® brand arc welding products and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW). For more information, visit MillerWelds.com, call 1-800-4-A-Miller (800-426-4553), email info@millerwelds.com, fax 877-327-8132, or write to Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, P.O. Box 100, Lithonia, GA 30058.
About Hobart Brothers LLC
Hobart Brothers LLC, headquartered in Troy, Ohio, is a leading manufacturer of the innovative Hobart® brand of filler metals, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc. The ITW Welding brand portfolio also includes Miller® branded welding and cutting equipment.
For more information, visit the Hobart Brothers LLC website at HobartBrothers.com, call 1-800-424-1543, fax 1-800-541-6607, email hobart@hobartbrothers.com or write Hobart Brothers, 101 Trade Square East, Troy, OH 45373.
