ESAB Welding & Cutting Products announces sponsorship of the 6th annual Florence-Darlington Technical College’s Welding Sculpture Competition in partnership with Francis Marion University Arts International to be held Saturday, April 11, 2015 in downtown Florence, SC. Teams of professional welders and welding students from across the Pee Dee region will have eight hours to turn scrap metal into welded sculptures fitting the competition’s theme:

Nature

. The final artwork will be auctioned off to raise funds for welding scholarships at FDTC.

FDTC’s annual welding competition pits teams of four artist-welders against time and one another to create a full-scale metal sculpture from a large pile of donated steel scrap materials, using creative ingenuity and welding and cutting equipment provided by ESAB. The sculptures will be judged by an independent panel of jurors.

Prizes furnished by ESAB will be awarded to the top school and professional teams. The first place school team will win four ESAB Warrior Tech auto-darkening welding helmets and a certificate for $5,000 worth of their choice of ESAB equipment. Second and third place school team winners will be awarded high-tech welding helmets and up to $2,500 in ESAB products. ESAB welding and cutting equipment and personal protection products will be awarded to the top three professional welding teams.

All sculptures will be subject to a public auction with the proceeds to benefit the FDTC Welding Technology Student Scholarship Fund. Last year, close to $10,000 was raised for the welding fund.

The FDTC Welding Sculpture Competition combines art, manufacturing and education to create an awareness of Florence-Darlington Technical College’s educational offerings and to provide scholarships for students in key industry growth areas.

ESAB partnered with Florence-Darlington Technical College in 2001 to establish a professional welding program and continues to provide the FDTC Welding Program with a range of welding and cutting equipment in support of FDTC’s efforts to educate students in this vital industry.

For more information about the FDTC welding competition, visit http://www.fdtc.edu/weldingrodeo/.

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products is a recognized leader in the welding and cutting industry. From time-honored processes in welding and cutting to revolutionary technologies in mechanized cutting and automation, ESAB’s filler metals, equipment, and accessories bring solutions to customers around the globe. For more information, visit www.esab.com or call 1-800-ESAB123.