Hardfacing is a metalworking process where harder or tougher material is applied to a base metal.
Submerged arc welding, flux core arc welding (FCAW) and metal inert gas (MIG) / metal active gas (MAG) use continuously fed wire varying in diameter depending on the process and current.
Hardfacing may be applied to a new part during production to increase its wear resistance, or it may be used to restore a worn-down surface.
[citation needed] The result of significant savings in machine down time and production costs has meant that this process has been adopted across many industries such as steel, cement, mining, petrochemical, power, sugar cane and food.
[1] Extensive work in research has resulted in the development of a wide range of alloys and welding procedures.