Arc welding with cored wire is an arc welding method where the heat necessary for the welding is generated by the arc formed between a wasting cored wire electrode and the workpiece. The protection of the arc and the weld zone is carried out by means of gas formed as a result of burning and desintegration of elemantary substance or by externally supplied a shielding gas, such as the inert gas welding .
The self-shielding (open-arc welding) welding process is similiar to gas shielding in coated electrode welding method. The coating material on coated electrodes causes production of flat bar shaped electrodes and the length restrictions. As for the cored wire, since this coating material is contained inside the wire electrode in the shape of a wire , it is produced as in the shape of wrapped roll, and thereby may able to be supplied continuously to the welding area
This welding method can be applied to both semi-automatic and automatic welding systems.
The disadvantage of welding with cored wire is that a slag layer, which is similar to that in coated electrode arc welding but is a little thinner, is formed on the welding seam.
However, many types of coated wire electrodes which is not required slag removal or based on slag are currently produced.