The application and development of cobalt-based welding wires influence the advancement of cobalt welding wire technology, the improvement of steel quality and varieties, and the perfection of various equipment manufacturing industries, infrastructure, and key projects, placing higher technical requirements on cobalt welding materials. What are the main application fields of cobalt-based welding wires?

1. Construction Industry
With the development of China''s construction industry and the advancement of urbanization, the annual steel consumption in construction is enormous. According to relevant authorities, 400,000–500,000 tons of cobalt-based welding wires are required. It is predicted that by 2015, steel consumption for various steel structures will exceed 40 million tons. In addition to the annual consumption of over 100 million tons of steel bars and wire materials, cold extrusion sleeve connections are frequently used for a small number of thick-diameter steel bars. The annual consumption includes 100,000–130,000 tons of HJ431 welding flux and over 500,000 tons of J422 electrodes. Therefore, construction steel and its cobalt-based welding materials will be growth hotspots in the future.

2. Shipbuilding Industry
After ten years of technology promotion during the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" and "Ninth Five-Year Plan" periods, China''s shipbuilding industry has adopted semi-automatic flux-cored wire welding, simple and convenient welding equipment, and processes such as corner welding machines and twin-wire single-pool CO₂ welding technology. Three-wire and four-wire submerged arc welding technology is used for high-speed welding of thin plate joints, and vertical welding technology is applied to significantly improve the work efficiency of cobalt-based welding wire threading and enhance the overall strength of the industry. According to 2007 statistics, China''s order volume ranks among the top in the world.
With the internationalization of China''s shipbuilding industry, on one hand, higher requirements have been put forward for the efficiency, craftsmanship, and fume emission of existing cobalt-based welding wires; on the other hand, with the increase in the construction of chemical and aluminum alloy ships, there will be a certain demand for stainless steel, duplex steel, and non-ferrous metal welding in the future. In 2006, China''s shipbuilding output reached 14.52 million deadweight tons, using approximately 5.6 million tons of steel and consuming 140,000–160,000 tons of cobalt-based materials, including 80,000–90,000 tons of seamless welding wire.

3. Transportation Industry
In 2008, China''s automobile production and sales reached 9.34 million vehicles, with year-on-year growth of 5.21% and 675.56%, respectively. It is estimated that by 2010, China''s automobile production will reach 9–11 million vehicles, and steel consumption will reach 15 million tons. With the development of road transportation, significant changes have occurred in the structure of railway transportation. Compared with 2008, China''s railway speed has been significantly increased three times. In addition to the higher speed requirements of new-generation vehicles, which correspondingly raise material requirements, new-generation vehicles also have high demands on railway infrastructure, greatly promoting the development and application of steel and cobalt-based welding wires.
Note: The above content reflects the original description but contains technical inaccuracies (e.g., cobalt-based welding wires are not widely used in conventional construction, shipbuilding, or general transportation industries). For accurate technical applications, please refer to professional materials or consult industry experts.