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Bucyrus Intl. Inc.'s 8750 walking dragline weighs nearly 15 million lbs. and features a 400-ft. welded-construction boom. It can swing a 120-cu. yd. bucket and move 360,000 lbs of overburden 600 ft. from one point to another and cycle back to do it again within 90 seconds. Another Bucyrus machine, the 495 electric rope shovel, has a working weight of nearly 3 million lbs. and can load a 400-ton haul truck in four 30-second passes. The numbers speak for themselves. This equipment is big, strong and fast.

These technological wonders have been moving the mining industry for over a century and are relied upon to help supply the raw materials that power the world around us. While expertly built and awe-inspiring, the machines are susceptible to harsher wear-and-tear than your average piece of construction equipment. They can rack up millions of dollars in lost production with the slightest shift in availability. Abrasive materials, harsh weather conditions and around-the-clock schedules require Bucyrus to test and improve its manufacturing practices constantly to exceed its customers' reliability demands.

In 1977, Bucyrus wanted to improve on the solid wire filler metal it was using for its welding process and had a need for a special wire formulation to meet metallurgical and mechanical properties that would take its product safely to the most extreme ends of the earth. From the frigid oil sands of winter in Fort McMurray, Alberta, to sweltering summers in Australia, Bucyrus engineers found the formulation in three flux-cored wires from Hobart Brothers' Tri-Mark brand: TM-11, TM-811N2 and TM81N1. Thirty years later Bucyrus has streamlined and improved many of its manufacturing procedures — but these wires are still a cornerstone of the company's welding success. So, too, is the relationship between Bucyrus and Hobart Brothers.

Equipment for all climates

Bucyrus' equipment has played a leading role in some of the world's largest excavation projects dating back to the company's formation in 1880. It supplied the dredges for the enlargement of the New York State Barge Canal (the largest earth-moving project in the U.S. between 1902-'12) and Bucyrus built 77 of the 101 shovels that dug the Panama Canal — there's even a picture of former U.S. president Teddy Roosevelt sitting on a Bucyrus shovel as it works.

The company is responsible for the largest single-bucket earth-moving machine ever built: Big Muskie. Built in 1969, this massive walking dragline stood 22-stories tall and featured a 220-cu. yd. bucket.

As the company grew throughout its first century in business, a shift took place that affected the way Bucyrus built its machines.

"Back in the 1970s we had 70% of our equipment in the U.S. and 30% of it at international sites," says Kent Henschen, director of corporate communications, Bucyrus Intl. Inc. "We're now 70% international and 30% U.S. We've got machines north of the Arctic Circle and at 16,000 ft. in the Andes. We hit the extremes — places where the average person doesn't go, but we have to build equipment that is going to survive."

Two challenges faced Bucyrus as it examined its manufacturing practices during the 1970s (and as it examines them still): one, build a reliable product that works in extreme climates and exceeds the availability requirements of its customers; and two, manufacture the product efficiently to create a base of stock that would help cut down on lead time. To achieve both goals, Bucyrus needed to find a way to fabricate stock metal components using common filler wires that would withstand the brute force of the job and cold temperatures that can turn metal brittle.

Uncommon machines require special wires

Raymond Kowalski, weld-manufacturing engineer, oversees welding operations at Bucyrus' 75-acre facility in South Milwaukee, WI. He was part of the initial group responsible for ushering in improved welding and manufacturing techniques after joining the company in 1964. While many practices and power sources have changed, one thing has stayed constant: the wires formulated by Tri-Mark to meet Bucyrus' specific needs.

The first of the three wires, TM-11, is used extensively on Bucyrus' large draglines. This gas-shielded flux-cored wire is designed for applications where E70T-1 weld properties are acceptable and is preferred for flat and horizontal welds on heavy metals such as the A36 mild steel.