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Arc Welding |
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Welding has been used for centuries as a joining method, and there are roughly 100 welding methods available. Industrial gases have been used since the 1940s, to optimize welding processes; many shielding-gas-based welding processes (e.g., gas metal arc (GMAW), gas tungsten arc (GTAW) and plasma welding) now predominate, though tandem, laser and laser-hybrid welding have also found many applications.
In all arc processes, the electrode, molten pool and heat-affected zones must be protected from reaction with the ambient air. This is the primary role of the shielding gas. The appropriate shielding gas will also positively affect:
- Weld properties such as strength, toughness and corrosion resistance
- Weld bead shape and size
- Weld porosity and fusion
- Welding speed and amount of spatter
Protecting the weld is a primary function of shielding gas, but protecting welders and our environment is equally important. This is why Linde has developed several families of shielding gas (PDF 436 KB), such as CORGON®, CRONIGON®, VARIGON® and MISON®. |
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| Your choice of shielding gas depends on your daily use and your weld specifications. If you have only a 10% arc-on time and work primarily with low-alloyed mild steel, a stock of two or three standard shielding gases will satisfy all your needs. However, if you are a mid- to high-volume welder who works with different materials of different thickness, an optimized multi-component shielding gas can pay quick dividends.
Shielding gas represents only a small portion of the welding cost per inch, but the use of an appropriate gas can significantly reduce labor costs, by increasing weld speed or reducing finishing efforts (e.g., spatter removal or removal of excessive overhead).
Linde knows that new materials and shielding gases are always coming to market. Contact Us or a Linde distributor to start a review of your shielding gas use – with little or no capital investment, your company could enjoy a decrease in operating cost or an increase in throughput.
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