W A Technology www.NetWelding.

com

MIG Shielding Gas Control and Optimization

The attached technical paper was prepared from presentations made at welding
conferences. References have been provided for all significant facts so you can
read further and validate the conclusions reached. There is little published
information available regarding shielding gas waste and the resulting weld start
quality problems gas surge at the weld start creates. In addition, some products
sold in attempt to solve the problem of shielding gas waste are rejected by
welders. In fact there are good reasons why welders find them less than
satisfactory. This paper presents the basics of how shielding gas flow control
works and some of the more subtle but very important aspects such as the need
to maintain automatic flow compensation.
We found a way to avoid charging for the paper – an advertiser! The paper is
FREE. The ad does not appear in the paper only on this cover note. The
product is not welding related but we have checked out the source and the cost
is very reasonable for an excellent book. So if you know of someone who is a
vegetarian or wants to reduce their meat intake please recommend they
investigate the cook book! We can also vouch that the food tastes great!
Thank You for Your Request,
Jerry Uttrachi
President
WA Technology
Jerry_Uttrachi@NetWelding.com

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W A Technology www.NetWelding.com

MIG Shielding Gas Control and Optimization

(Or - Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed To Ask
About MIG Shielding Gas Control!)

By Jerry Uttrachi

Having presented talks about MIG shielding gas control optimization conferences
at the International Institute of Welding Annual Assembly in the Czech Republic,
also at welding conferences in Peru, Denmark, South Korea and in over 20
locations in the USA; the enthusiastic reception and questions received prompted
writing this technical paper. Technical discussions in China, Japan and the UK
reinforced that the gas waste and inferior weld start issues addressed are
common throughout the world.
.
Unlike much Internet information, this paper is extensively referenced to validate
and support the information provided. In addition to technical journals and
published articles, US patents are quoted with patent numbers provided. If there
is a question about the support material or how to obtain a free copy of a US
patent, email TechSupport@NetWelding.com.

About the Author

Jerry Uttrachi is President of WA Technology, a company he founded in 1999 dedicated to
helping companies improve welding productivity and specializing in products and techniques to
eliminate shielding gas waste.
Mr. Uttrachi started his career in the welding field 45 year ago in welding R&D at the Linde
Division of Union Carbide, a leading company developing welding gases, equipment and filler
metals. After managing the companies Material Technology Laboratory developing welding
shielding gases and filler metals he became Director of Welding Market Development. When the
welding division became a separate company he was named Vice President of Marketing for the
newly formed company, L-TEC. He was responsible for Business/Product Management,
Marketing, Customer/Technical Service and Communications. When the business was acquired
by ESAB in 1989 he remained in that position for the L-TEC brand and for ESAB’s Equipment
business. In 1999 he left to form WA Technology.
Mr. Uttrachi is an active volunteer of The American Welding Society having served on numerous
volunteer committees including recently being on the AWS Board as Director at Large, three
years as Vice President and the 2007 President of the Society. He currently serves on the Board
as Past President and is the Chairman of the Societies Education Foundation.
Mr. Uttrachi has Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Masters degree in Mechanical
Engineering (Emphasis Behavior of Metals) and an Masters in Engineering Management from
the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He has 9 patents in the welding field, with 4 recent ones
related to reducing shielding gas waste and improving weld start quality. He has published a
number of articles in technical trade publications and journals.
 Page 2 of 18

Executive Summary
From the introduction of MIG welding in the early 1950’s the developers knew excess
shielding gas flow created problems. One of the key statements in claims in the original
MIG patent states gas shielding must be; “… none turbulent to exclude air from the
arc.” Several references sited show shielding gas flow rates can not exceed about 50
cubic feet per hour (CFH) to achieve this none turbulent flow.
The engineers who originally designed the gas flow control systems understood that
spatter build-up in the torch nozzle, twisting of the small torch cable gas passages etc
caused variations in flow restrictions. They used a “choked flow” design to
automatically keep shielding flow at the preset level. It requires a minimum of 25 psi
upstream of the gas flow control (needle valve or orifice) to maintain choked flow.
However the use of high gas pressure combined with a gas wasting large ¼ inch ID gas
delivery hose stores up to 6 times the amount of gas needed every time welding stops. At
the weld start this excess stored gas in the hose from the gas supply to wire feeder or
welder exits the torch nozzle at a peak flow rate often exceeding 200 CFH. This causes
very turbulent flow that lasts for several seconds wasting considerable shielding gas.
Published data shows the average MIG welder uses 3 to 6 times the amount of shielding
gas they should! After conducting extensive laboratory and field tests WA Technology
determined a major cause of this waste in the gas surge at the weld start and not the often
blamed gas leaks. A 1980 patent is cited showing that some extra shielding gas is needed
at the weld start to purge air from the torch nozzle and weld start area. However this
initial extra gas must not be supplied at a high flow rate to avoid excess turbulence.
A recently patented, inexpensive device (GSSTM) that reduces this waste is discussed. A
fabricator employing it was able to weld 632 parts with one cylinder of gas using the
same steady state flow rate of gas where their existing system only allowed 236 parts to
be welded. An appendix presents tests of other fabricators who saved 40% to 50%
shielding gas use with the gas saving system. In addition to gas savings the reduced gas
surge flow rate at the weld start achieved with this GSS significantly improves weld start
quality. Specific production examples are sited showing elimination of internal weld
start porosity and less weld start spatter due to this reduced starting flow rate.
Past attempts to reduce gas surge and gas waste have often met with objections by
welders. Some devices tried have used: (A) low pressure, (B) orifices or (C) other flow
controls mounted at the wire feeder. Others combine low pressure devices mounted at
the wire feeder to. The reasons welders often rightfully reject these solutions or counter
their use by setting excess flow rates are discussed. These approaches either eliminate
(A) automatic flow compensation by using low pressure or (B) the extra gas needed at the
weld start by trying to control flow at the feeder. Or, in the worse case, create both
problems! Examples of where fabricators had to remove these devices are presented.
The patented GSS is shown to have neither problem. It does not interfere with the
operator setting welding shielding gas flow rate. It does limit peak gas flow rate at the
weld start and reduces surge gas waste by over 80%. It has no moving parts to set,
adjust or maintain. Welders accept and appreciate its benefits. Thousands are in use. It
is inexpensive and easy to install with payback measured in weeks.

Copyright by W A Technology - all rights reserved - DO NOT COPY


History of MIG Welding
Several sources quote MIG welding
as being invented in the 1930’s;
however these systems did not work.
An example is shown in the figure
above from a 1936 General Electric
patent (reference 1.) When reading
the patent teaching it’s obvious some
elements required to produce quality
welds were missing. One of these
was proper gas shielding.
A 1950 patent by Airco (reference 2)
was the first that many sources
acknowledge as producing a viable
MIG process. One of the key
Copyright by W A Technology - all rights reserved - DO NOT COPY
Page 3 of 19
elements was a torch that provided
quality shielding. In Claims 8, 9, 11
and 12 they state the shielding is:
“..none turbulent to exclude air from
the arc.”
Maximum MIG Gas Flow Rate
Only a few technical publications
discuss the maximum shielding gas
flow rate needed to produce a non-
turbulent or minimum turbulence gas
shielding. Two references that
discuss the subject do quantify this
maximum flow level. The first is by
The Welding Institute (TWI) in
Cambridge England (reference 3.)
This research discusses tests made
using a number of methods to
measure air intrusion in the shielding
gas stream. For a common size 5/8
inch ID MIG torch nozzle the
transition from desirable laminar to
turbulent flow occurs at 48 CFH.
In another recent published article
(reference 4), Kevin Lyttle, Manager
Welding R&D for Praxair states; “In
many instances production site surveys
(of fabricators using MIG and Cored
Wire) determine that shielding gas flow
rates typically are set in excess of 50
CFH. This can contribute to poor weld
quality as atmospheric gases are drawn
into the arc zone because of excess gas
turbulence. Optimized flow enhances
quality and reduces shielding gas
usage.” This supports The Welding
Institute findings of 48 CFH being the
maximum flow rate producing no or
low turbulence.
Much more information on desirable
flow rates and problems caused by
excess rates is available in our Lean
Manufacturing Study Programs.
Information about these programs
can be found at:
www.NetWelding.com/prod03.htm.
 Page 4 of 19

Setting Gas Flow Other devices such as fixed orifices

or simply needle valves may also be
Several devices are used to set
employed in pipeline service.
shielding gas flow rates. One is
used on cylinder Consistent Gas Flow
or pipeline gas It is important that the flow rate set
supply, a on the flowmeter or regulator/
flowmeter with flowgauge remain constant while
flow control knob. welding. However restrictions occur
The knob adjusts in production which could alter flow
a needle valve such as spatter build-up in the torch
that lowers the nozzle, twists occurring in the small
pressure in the
gas passages in the MIG torch
gas delivery hose cable, debris build-up in the torch
to that needed to gas passage sections (that often
flow the desired amount of shielding double as the wire conduit etc.)
gas. A float ball is visible and rises When the MIG process was
in the flow tube as flow rate developed in the 1950’s the
increases. When used on cylinder engineers used a technique to
gas supply a regulator precedes the assure constant flow rates
needle valve and is set for a fixed regardless of these normal flow
delivery pressure ranging from 25 psi restrictions. This principle is called
to 80 psi depending on the gas type “choked flow” or critical flow.
and model. For example, to prevent
ice particle formation flowmeters How Choked Flow Woks
designed for CO2 service may use Understanding how the “choked
pressures from 50 to 80 psi. flow” systems work will help avoid
The second the pitfalls of products sold which do
type is only not maintain constant flow and cause
for cylinder flows to vary when the inevitable
gas supply production restrictions occur.
and The following is a short explanation
employs a of “critical flow” or choked flow”. A
very small technical paper on the subject was
orifice and published in The Welding Journal
varies and has more details (reference 5.)
pressure upstream of the orifice to
control flow. These are called When gas passes through an orifice
regulator/ flowgauges. The output the flow rate depends on the
gauge, although actually measuring pressure difference across the hole.
pressure, is calibrated to read flow However once the gas flow velocity
based on the orifice size and gas reaches the speed of sound the flow
type. Pressures for typical flow rates though the control orifice can not
range from 40 psi to 80 psi. increase above that flow rate.
Therefore even with changes in
downstream restrictions the flow will
remain content. There is a specific

Copyright by W A Technology - all rights reserved - DO NOT COPY


minimum pressure difference that
causes this “choked flow” to exist.
When the pressure upstream of the
orifice is greater than approximately
2 times the downstream pressure the
flow will have reached the speed of
sound (for that gas at the upstream
pressure.)
Note: all pressures are measured as
absolute, i.e. gauge pressure + 14.7
psi (~15 psi for our purposes.)
Using this fact we can define the
pressure needed above an orifice or
needle valve to produce “choked
flow” in a MIG system. The pressure
needed at the wire feeder to achieve
normal MIG shielding gas flow rates
will vary from 3 to 8 psi. The exact
value will be dependent on the torch
length, number and tightness of
bends in the torch cable, spatter
build-up in the nozzle and gas
diffuser etc. If we assume an
average of 5 psi is required then that
that would be 5 psi + 15 psi to get
absolute pressure designated as 20
psia. To achieve constant flow
regardless of normal downstream
restrictions will require twice that
pressure above the orifice or needle
valve. That requires 40 psia.
Presented as normal gauge pressure
that would be 40 psia – 15 psi = 25
psi. It is no coincidence that most
regulator/ flowmeters use a minimum
of 25 psi regulators! The engineers
that developed gas flow systems in
the 1950’s knew what they were
doing! We’ll present some
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Page 5 of 19
information later in this document of
the significant flow variations that
occur if lower pressure systems are
used.
Some Extra Gas Needed at Weld
Start
We have defined that it is important
not to have an excessive gas flow
rate to avoid turbulence causing air
to be pulled into the shielding gas
stream. One more factor must also
be considered. Air enters the MIG
torch and MIG torch nozzle when
welding stops. In addition it is
necessary to purge the weld start
area of air. Stauffer in a 1982 patent
(reference 6) defines the need
stating; "... air leaks back into the
torch and lines when welding is
stopped. The air must be quickly
purged and replaced with inert gas to
produce high quality welds. Also, it is
critical to displace the air at the weld
zone of the work piece upon initiating
the weld." His patent defined a
device that mounted near the wire
feeder. He added a reservoir (item
112 in patent figure below) to store
some initial gas to be expelled at the
weld start. Unfortunately it also uses
relatively low pressure to avoid
excess surge, eliminating “Automatic
Flow Compensation!”
 Page 6 of 19

High Pressure Causes Initial Gas times the physical hose volume of
Surge gas is stored in the hose when
welding stops. In addition our tests
We defined that a minimum of 25 psi
show a standard gas delivery hose
was needed to have automatic flow
expands when subjected to these
compensation. However this
pressure levels. The volume
pressure is much higher than the 3
increased 13%. Therefore the
to 5 psi that is needed to flow the
amount of excess gas is 5.3 X 1.13 =
desired amount of shielding gas and
6 times the physical hose volume.
creates problems. When welding
Every time the torch switch is pulled
stops, gas continues to flow through
most of this excess is rapidly
the needle valve flow control or the
expelled out the torch nozzle!
orifice in a regulator/flowgauge
device. Pressure in some regulators Excess Gas Expelled at the Weld
and pipeline gas supply is as high as Start Causes Significant Waste
80 psi. With these higher pressures Most welders understand that the
there is an excess quantity of gas excess surge creates problems; they
stored in the gas delivery hose from can hear it! However only a few
gas supply to wire feeder. The published documents quantify the
amount of excess is dependent on typical amount of waste.
the absolute pressure difference and
the hose volume. Looking first at
documentation on
To help with understanding excess waste. An article
gas storage we’ll examine a typical in Trailer Body
gas cylinder holding Builders
310 Cubic Feet (CF) magazine
of gas. It has only 1.8 (reference 7)
CF of physical quotes a
volume. How does it representative
hold all that gas? By from Praxair, a leading producer and
raising the gas marketer of shielding gases,
pressure to 2500 psi indicating their market survey
(= 2515 psia.) findings show the average MIG
Therefore the gas welder consumes 6 times the
volume will be amount of gas theoretically needed!
2515/14.7 or 171 x Stated as a percentage, 83% of the
1.8 (physical) CF = shielding gas used is wasted!
310 CF of gas at 70
degrees and Another article in The Fabricator
atmospheric pressure. magazine (reference 8) confirmed
this finding of up to 6 times the
The shielding gas delivery hose is needed shielding gas being used in
subjected to the same pressure fabrication shops.
relationship. Therefore for an 80 psi Just how much gas waste is caused
regulator and only 3 psi needed to by this surge at the weld start? We’ll
achieve the desired flow rate: (80 discuss an actual case history of a
psi+15 psi)/(3 psi + 15 psi) = 5.3 company who found out! We’ll also

Copyright by W A Technology - all rights reserved - DO NOT COPY


introduce our Gas Saver System
(GSSTM) to help explain this
fabricators test results.
Truck Box Fabricator Tests GSS
A fabricator of truck boxes had 25
MIG welders. They knew they were
using
excess gas
and wanted
to try our
GSS as a
possible solution. They use pipeline
gas supply but to test our GSS they
purchased two gas cylinders with the
same mixture they employ. They
purchased a regulator/flowmeter that
operated at the same 50 psi as their
pipeline. A part was selected that
they made by the thousands, truck
box doors. With their standard gas
delivery hose and normal welding
conditions, gas flow etc they
connected one of the full cylinders
and proceeded to welded 236 doors
until the cylinder was empty. Only
replacing their gas delivery hose with
the small volume patented GSS they
used the same welder, same welding
conditions and the same shielding
gas flow. The new cylinder was able
to make 632 doors before it was
empty! Stated another way, it would
have taken 2.7 cylinders to weld that
number of doors with their old
system! After over a
year in use they
expanded their
operation and added
10 more welding
machines. They
called and asked for 10 more of the
“Magic Hose!”
Other fabricators test data are shown
in Appendix A.
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Page 7 of 19
What is a GSS?
The GSS is recently patented device
(reference 9) that reduces the
volume of excess gas stored in the
gas delivery hose by over 80%. The
GSS has no moving parts and does
much more than just save gas! The
picture below shows the cross
section of this custom
extruded very heavy wall hose. In
addition to the small ID; to limit surge
flow rate and avoid excess
turbulence at the weld start, the GSS
has a built-in surge orifice at the
feeder/welder hose end. The surge
limiting orifice does not affect the
steady state flow, which is set
normally with an existing flowmeter,
regulator/ flowgauge or a fixed orifice
at the gas source.
Will this smaller ID gas hose flow the
required amount of shielding gas?
Yes, even 50 feet of hose will have
only a moderate 5 to 6 psi pressure
drop at normal flow rates. On
pipeline supplies with a 50 psi line
some fabricates have used 100 feet
of hose. If you have longer lines,
email:
TechService@NetWelding.com we
have two recent patents that will
allow any length hose to be used
with equal results. Appendix C
discusses the reason normal gas
delivery hose is ¼ inch ID. It has
nothing to do with pressure drop!

More Than Saving Gas; The GSS
Improves Weld Start Quality
The GSS not only saves gas
(typically 40 to 50% is reported) it
improves weld start quality. This is
best described with another
fabricators experience.
A manufacturer of large diameter
pipe had several MIG welders using
flux cored wire and CO2 shielding
gas to make weld repairs. Working
with the welding engineer to check
the amount of potential gas savings
we installed a GSS on one of the
repair welders having a long gas
delivery hose. This welder was
repairing submerged arc weld pipe
seams and making the internal splice
welds. All weld deposits required
Ultrasonic Testing before the
repaired welds were accepted and
the pipe could leave the welding
station. When making the first weld
repair with the GSS installed the
operator was excited, he could “see”
the improvement! Not in gas usage
but in the reduced initial gas surge
which he knew was causing internal
weld porosity that made defective
welds! He told us he tried to weld
with the wire cut back in the torch
and with the torch held high to have
the start gas surge reduce in flow
rate! The graph below shows flow
rates measured in this application.
It clearly shows what he was up
against and the GSS solution.
Copyright by W A Technology - all rights reserved - DO NOT COPY
Page 8 of 19
The blue line shows the starting gas
flow with their standard gas delivery
hose. Note it peaks at 225 CFH! At
this high gas flow rate air is being
pulled into the shielding gas stream.
Note the flow rate remains above
100 CFH for about 3 seconds!
Therefore air was being pulled into
the gas stream for at least that long!
Note with the GSS the peak flow is
under 90 CFH and is only above 60
CFH for a very short time!
Of interest, although they measured
over a 40% gas savings, the weld
quality improvement no doubt saved
more money. After 6 months of use
the operator was asked what he
found in terms of repairs. He said he
hardly had any need for rewelding
which was a common problem
before the GSS was installed!
Nitrogen and Hydrogen Are
Problems
What’s wrong with air entering the
shielding gas stream? Plenty! Air
contains three items that create
welding problems. Nitrogen is 78%
of air and Oxygen 21%. Both are
problems but the water vapor
(humidity) can be a major problem
as well. Actually elements can be
incorporated in the welding wire to
handle some amount of Oxygen.
However Nitrogen and the Hydrogen
in water vapor can cause significant
problems and there is no way to
combine these ingredients without
causing other problems. Only 2%
Nitrogen in the shielding gas is
enough to produce internal porosity
(reference 10.) Ludwig, using a
bubble chamber and mixtures of
shielding gas with various amounts
of nitrogen, found 1% was sufficient
to cause problems (reference 11.)

Assuming 2% Nitrogen will cause
internal porosity and possible brittle
welds; since air is 78% Nitrogen we
only need to mix 2%/78% or 2.6% air
into the shielding gas to create
problems. A turbulent shielding gas
stream can mix far more than 2.6%
air into the shielding gas stream!
Therefore the excessively high gas
surge at the weld start caused by
most shielding gas delivery systems
allows air to be mixed with the gas
stream at the weld start and can
cause internal weld porosity.
Also some extra gas is needed to
purge the torch nozzle, cable and
weld start area of air. If you every
inadvertently started welding before
turning on your shielding gas
cylinder (haven’t we all) you have
seen what a weld start looks like
without shielding! The high spatter
level was one thing you no doubt
noticed.
Attempting to control flow at the wire
feeder is one way insufficient extra
gas is available to purge the torch
nozzle and weld start area of air.
The use of flow control orifices or
flow control regulators mounted at
the feeder cause lack of sufficient
start gas. Excess starting spatter
occurs with these systems.
By maintaining system pressure and
having a surge flow control orifice in
the delivery hose end, our GSS
provides optimized starting gas flow.
Maintaining high pressure delivers
the extra gas quickly to purge the air
in the nozzle and weld start area.
The peak flow control prevents
excessive turbulence. The 80% less
gas stored eliminates starting surge
waste.
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Page 9 of 19
There is currently some interesting
research being conducted by a major
welding manufacturer with one of our
patented systems. They have found
the weld start current and voltage in
a critical aluminum weld can be
monitored with an oscilloscope and
improvements shown with flow rate
surge control and adequate
shielding.
Use of Low Pressure Devices
Understanding the problems created
by the start gas surge some
manufactures have introduced low
pressure devices in attempt to solve
the gas waste problem. However
they forgo automatic flow
compensation built into gas delivery
systems since the inception of MIG
welding! In fact one manufacturer
who introduced a low pressure
system to their line of flow controls in
a technical paper published in Flow
Control Magazine (reference 12)
states: “… there are applications in
which a compensated unit (referring to
higher pressure flow compensating
regulator/flowmeters) may be required.
When long lines from the flowmeter to
the gun cause back-pressure or when
wind causes the shielding gas to blow
off, the compensated system may be the
solution to these problems.”
We have found they create problems
in most cases not just where it’s
mentioned! A number of fabricators
relayed the significant problems
encountered with a version of a low
pressure device that mounts at the
wire feeder. It has both problems; 1)
lack of automatic flow compensation
causing variations in flow from preset
levels and 2) insufficient extra gas at
the weld start causing inferior weld
starts. We ran tests with this device
 Page 10 of 19

versus a normal 25 psi regulator/

< Typical Production
flowmeter. Flow Restriction Range; psi >
Control
The following System
table shows 3 psi 4 psi 5 psi 6 psi 7 psi 8 psi
the test
results with a Conven-
31 31 31 31 31 31
conventional tional
CFH CFH CFH CFH CFH CFH
regulator/ = 25 psi
flowmeter that
operates at Low
25 psi (photo Pressure 37 34 31 27 23 16
Device; CFH CFH CFH CFH CFH CFH
left) and a low = 9 psi
pressure
device With the conventional 25 psi
subjected to varying torch regulator/ flowmeter the gas flow did
restrictions not change with the restriction
(photo right.) variations. The pressure in the gas
Both were delivery hose was able to increase to
initially set to compensate for spatter buildup in the
flow 31 CFH gas diffuser, clogged gas passage in
(shown in the torch (which for many torches is
red.) Placing a the wire conduit, spatter in the
test pressure nozzle, twisted torch cables etc.
gauge after the Note with the low pressure device
low pressure the flow reduced to a low of 16 CFH
device showed 9 psi was required to and also rose to 37 CFH.
flow 31 CFH.
Three fabricators documented the
As noted previously, 9 psi is well problems with this device and their
below the minimum 25 psi needed to experiences are outlined in
provide automatic flow Appendix B. Note one of the
compensation. That means the fabricators discarded 50 such
shielding gas flow will not only be systems!
determined by the pressure
upstream of the flow control device Recent tests of another low pressure
(in this instance and orifice) but also device (yellow arrow,
the downstream pressure. This photo right) showed it
device does not operate using the was twice as bad at
“choke flow” phenomena. For the controlling present
test the controls were left at the initial flow! A 1 psi extra
settings as if they were padlocked. restriction caused an 8
Torch restrictions were then added CFH flow variation!
and removed (as if the gas ports This device tries to
were alternately clogged and use pressure to set welding flow. It
cleaned) to vary the amount of reduces the surge and creates
restrictions. problems more difficult to analyze!

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 Page 11 of 19

Use of Restriction Orifices to and torch nozzle of moisture laden

Control Flow air. The surge orifice in the GSS
also limits peak gas flow to a rate
Another method that has been used
that minimizes turbulence.
to reduce weld start gas surge is
restriction orifices mounted at the The use of an orifice also maintains
feeder: automatic flow compensation as long
as the pipeline pressure is greater
1. One approach is to use an
than 25 psi; which most are.
orifice to reduce surge flow but
still control steady state flow One issue with orifices is being able
back at the gas source. This to set the flow desired with the
reduces the surge but when pipeline
welding stops gas pressures
pressure/volume still builds in available in
the gas delivery hose. When some cases in
welding starts the excess is different parts
expelled but instead of in a very of the shop.
short time it takes somewhat We have
longer! This may save 10 to developed a
15% of the waste but not the device that
80% reduction provided by the allows an
GSS! orifice insert to be easily changed
from 10 different available sizes.
2. Another method is to use the
Details are available at:
orifice to control the steady
http://netwelding.com/Orifice_Flo
state flow. With this approach
w_Control.htm
or with any flow control placed
at the feeder there is insufficient Use of GSS with Spool Gun
extra gas to purge the torch An excellent application of the GSS
nozzle and weld start area. is with Spool Guns that incorporate a
You’re essentially starting in air gas valve in the torch. The
with the accompanying combination of the long gas delivery
problems. Our experience is hose and gas
welders often drill out these valve in the
orifices increasing total flow to torch create
try to compensate! very high gas
surge at the
weld start
Use of an Orifice at Pipeline
causing turbulence.
An orifice is a satisfactory way to
If the Spool Gun has a separate gas
control shielding gas flow in pipeline
delivery hose the GSS can replace
supply situations. However it should
the existing delivery hose
be placed at the pipeline outlet and
significantly reducing gas surge and
incorporated with our GSS. That
waste and reducing start turbulence.
way the flow rate is controlled and
sufficient extra shielding gas is There are several ways to connect
available to purge the weld start are the GSS to a Spool Gun. The photo

Copyright by W A Technology - all rights reserved - DO NOT COPY


below shows a splice fitting and a
special
fitting
that can
be used
with
some
brand Spool Guns. Both have
integral peak surge flow orifices.
With this system not only is gas
waste significantly reduced in
addition weld start quality is also
improved. This is especially visible
when welding aluminum where
higher quality weld starts are evident
from the improved weld appearance.
Average MIG Welder Wastes 7
Tons of CO2 /Year!
If CO2 shielding gas is being used,
each welder is wasting about 7 tons
per year!
Using the
market
survey results
reported in
reference 7
and validated
by reference 8, the average MIG
welder uses 30 CF of shielding gas
per pound of welding wire when
5 CF/lb is needed. (Note: 0.045 solid
wire welding at 200 amps deposits
6 lbs wire/hr. Assuming a flow rate
of 30 CFH is set on the flowmeter
then 30 CFH / 6 lbs/hr = 5 CF/lb,
validating the assumption made in
reference 7.)
Therefore if 30 CF/lb is used and
only 5 CF/lb is needed, 25 CF/lb is
wasted or 25 wasted/5 needed = 5
times what should be used is
wasted. Considering the average
industrial MIG welder operates at
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Page 12 of 19
about a 40% duty cycle (percentage
of time the arc is on) then:
 A welder operating 8 hr day X
40% duty cycle = 3.2 hr of arc
on time.
 3.2 hrs X 30 CFH gas flow
which should be used =
96 CF/day of CO2 that should
be used. But 5 times that
amount is wasted, therefore
5 X 96 CF/day = 480 CF of
CO2 /day wasted.
 480 CF/day X 5 days/week X
50 weeks/year = 120,000 CF
of CO2/year wasted.
 There are 8.7 CF/lb of CO2
therefore 120,000/8.7 =
13,793 lbs wasted/year
Or about 7 tons of CO2 wasted per
year for each welder!
Benefits of GSS
The recently patented GSS:
1. Has no moving parts to wear,
repair or leak,
2. Requires no pressures to set or
knobs to adjust.
3. Has a unique, design that
maintains the gas pressure in the
delivery hose allowing a
controlled amount of extra gas to
flow at the weld start to quickly
purge air that diffuses into the
torch nozzle and gas line during
weld stoppage and air in the weld
start zone.
4. Maintains system pressures to
retain automatic flow
compensation for pressure drops
that occur in production. This
happens when the delivery hose

and torch cable are bent and
twisted and when spatter builds
in the torch nozzle and gas
diffuser.
5. Hose is made with a heavy wall
thickness and fiber reinforced
construction to provide a robust
product. It will continue to flow
even when stepped on. The
heavy wall thickness makes the
hose resistant to leaks caused by
abrasion.
6. For most applications, it will pay
for itself in gas waste reduction
alone in a matter of weeks. The
improved weld starts are added
benefits.
7. May cost about the same as
heavy duty conventional gas
delivery hose. For new
installations the payback may be
instant – “Just Do It!”
8. Most important, welders
appreciate the benefits and the
fact that they still control the
steady state flow rate. (Note: we
have another recently patented
product that can lock flow rates if
desired! See
www.NetWelding.com/Flow_Ra
te _Limiter.htm)
We receive other questions about
the GSS and gas delivery systems in
general. Some of these are
addressed in Appendix C.
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Page 13 of 19
References:
1. Brace, P. H., Welding Apparatus, assigned
General Electric, US Patent number
2,053,417, September 8, 1936.
2. Muller, A. et all, Electric Arc Welding,
assigned Air Reduction Co., US Patent
number 2,504,868, April 18, 1950.
3. Wilkinson, M. E., Direct Gas Shield
Analysis to Determine Shielding Efficiency.
Report of The Welding Institute,
Cambridge, England, December 1974.
4. Lyttle, K. and Stapon, G., Simplifying
Shielding Gas Selection. Practical Welding
Today, Vol. 9, No. 1, Jan/Feb 2005.
5. Uttrachi, G. D., GMAW Shielding Gas Flow
Control Systems, The Welding Journal, Vol.
86, No. 4, April 2007.
6. Stauffer, H. R., Application and Method for
Reducing the Waste of Shielding Gas, US
Patent number 4,341,237, July 27, 1982.
7. Weber, R., How to Save 20% on Welding
Costs. Trailer/Body Builders, Volume 44,
Number 3, January 2003.
8. Standifer, L. R., Shielding Gas Consumption
Efficiency. The Fabricator, Volume 30,
Number 6, June 2000.
9. Uttrachi, G. D., Welding Shielding Gas
Saver Device. US Patent number 6,610,957,
August 26, 2003.
10. MIG Welding Handbook, ESAB Welding &
Cutting Products, October 1996.
11. Ludwig, H. C., Nitrogen Effects in Argon
Arc Welding Atmospheres, The Welding
Journal, September 1955.
12. Uccellini, J., Gas-Saver Flowmeter
Regulator. Flow Control, Volume 9,
Number 5, May 2003.

APPENDIX A
Case Examples of GSS Saving
Shielding Gas
A number of fabricators have
reported their GSS testing results in
addition to the Truck Box
Manufacturer whose data was
mentioned previously in this paper.
The following summarizes some of
this data:
Truck Body Builder
Double A Body Builders knew they
were wasting shielding gas and
wanted to reduce the high cost. Ken
Ard, President, set up a test using
two of his 23 MIG welders that were
both welding with the same 0.035
wire and the same welding
conditions. He started the test with
one welder using their standard 25
foot gas delivery hose and the other
with an equal length GSS. Both
welders operated at the same
current. He also started with new
coils of wire on each machine.
When both cylinders were empty he
weighed the coils of wire. The one
with the GSS had used twice as
much wire. Since both welders were
doing the same job the one with the
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Page 14 of 19
GSS also welded about twice as
long! Needless to say Ken
purchased systems for all his MIG
welders. When he expanded his
business 2 years later of course he
purchased 20 additional systems.
OEM Exhaust Manufacturer
This company
was
conducting a
Black Belt
Lean
Manufacturing
study to
reduce costs.
They only had 6 foot gas delivery
hose from their gas pipeline to their
126 MIG robotic welders. They
purchased four 6 foot GSS’s to test
all of their various weldments. Since
the robots repeated each joint with
precision their test data is very
accurate. Although on pipeline gas
supply they used cylinders for the
tests. Since their pipeline operates
at 50 psi they made sure they used
regulator/ flowmeters that matched
that pressure. Since they make
many of the same parts they could
easily count the number of parts
made with a full cylinder of gas with
their standard hose and with the
GSS. After testing all their
weldments they found savings
ranging from a low of 25% to in
excess of 40%. They purchased
systems for all 126 robots! Several
other Exhaust system fabricators
have also installed GSS’s.
Pipe Fabricator
A pipe fabricator tested the GSS for
gas savings. They again used

cylinders to define a fixed amount of
gas usage. In their case they used
flux cored
wire and
on one job
with their
standard
gas
delivery
hose they
welded 32
pounds of
wire with one cylinder. Just
substituting the GSS with no other
changes in welding conditions or gas
flow they used 53 pounds of flux
cored wire with a full cylinder. That
equates to a 41% shielding gas
savings. They initially purchased
114 systems and recently another 80
as they added more welding
machines to their busy shops.
Chiller Manufacturer
A company in Mexico conducted
tests for their
production of
chillers. They
purchased a use cylinders for
12 foot GSS
and found
savings ranged
from 30% to a
high of 42% easily justifying the
investment. Since some of their
applications use longer hoses than
the 12 foot system tested their
savings will be even higher.
Remember it’s the excess gas
volume stored in the gas hose that
causes waste and excess turbulence
on each weld start. They initially
purchased 60 GSS’s and after a year
in use expanded their operation and
purchased an additional 55 systems.
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Page 15 of 19
Suggestions for Testing GSS
If it is desired to see how much
shielding gas you can save the
following is an easy way to test this
inexpensive product.
1. Select an operation that has a
typical gas delivery hose length
used in the shop.
2. Purchase a GSS of the same
length. (We can make special
lengths if needed.)
3. If you use
cylinder gas
than use your
existing
regulator/
flowmeter
(photo left) or
regulator/ flowgauge (photo
below right.) If you are going to
test two different welders be sure
whichever regulator flow device is
used it is the same
brand and model.
4. If you have a
pipeline gas supply
you’ll still need to
the tests. Just be sure to pick a
regulator whose output pressure
when welding stops is similar to
your pipeline. The ESAB R5007
regulator/flowmeter shown above
left uses a 50 psi regulator.
Many others use only 25 psi
which will give inaccurate results.
Email
TechSupport@NetWelding.com if
you need assistance in selection.
5. If counting identical parts is not
possible than measure wire
usage with a full cylinder with and
without the GSS. That provides
CF gas per pound of wire used.

APPENDIX B
Fabricators Reporting Problems
with Low Pressure Devices and
(Orifices)
As mentioned, low pressure devices
eliminate what was designed into
shielding gas delivery systems since
the invention of MIG, “Automatic
Flow Compensation.” Several
fabricators have found these devices
create sufficient problems to have
them removed and discarded.
Automotive OEM Supplier
A welding engineer in a plant who
purchased 32 systems stated:
“After purchasing and
using 32 low pressure
gas saving devices
(photo right) that
mounted at the wire
feeders we decided to
discard all of them!
There were two major
problems:
1) Lack of sufficient extra gas at the
start made inferior starts and
2) Large flow variations from preset
levels were evident when flow was
checked at the torch. In fact as he
stated; "Even if the flow was blocked,
the flow calibrated pressure gauge
supplied with these devices had the
same preset reading!"
Farm Equipment Manufacturer
A very interesting recent example of
problems with the same low
pressure device mentioned above
was discovered with extensive
testing. This fabricator had two
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Page 16 of 19
plants making the exact same part.
Both used the same wire, gas
welding conditions etc. However
one was getting porosity and the
other none. After looking at all
variables it was discovered that one
of the problems was the plant having
porosity was using low pressure
regulator devices (the same device
as the first reported incident)
mounted at the feeder! They were
removed and combined with some
other changes the problem was
resolved. Quite probably the
variable flow rates being
encountered were causing either too
low of too high a flow rate. The flow
calibrated pressure gauge would not
show this variation! Note this does
not happen with typical regulator
flowgauges used on cylinder gas
supply since they operate at high
pressure and will provide flow
compensation for any normal flow
restrictions.
Bar Joist Manufacturer
A manufacturer of Bar Joists with 50
MIG welders had purchased the
same low pressure regulator flow
control mentioned in the two
previous cases. These were
mounted on their wire feeders. They
found welders were continually
adjusting them setting excessive flow
rates. All 50
were discarded
in favor of
orifices placed
at the feeders.
Although the
orifices set flow
at 45 CFH, which should have been
more than sufficient, the welders
wanted more flow, they said for

drafts. The welding engineer did not
want to increase flows. He called us
in and we found an interesting result.
We set up a welder using cylinder
gas supply. We removed the
restriction orifice mounted at the
feeder on one welder
and set the flow at 45
CFH on the regulator/
flowmeter; connecting a
GSS to the feeder.
Using a 50 psi regulator
we connected another
welder with standard ¼
inch ID hose. For that
welder the flow control
orifice at the feeder
was left in place. We
measured flows with a flowmeter at
the torch (which we highly
recommend for all shops.) Note at
www.NetWelding.com we offer a
high quality portable flowmeter, see
photo above right.) The flowmeter
with the GSS was set to the same
steady state flow as the fixed orifice
which was 45 CFH. The welder
using the GSS instantly saw a better
arc. He even adjusted the voltage
on his welder! Since in bar joist
manufacture the welders are close to
each other and the welds are
identical and very short most of the
weld is a start. With the fixed orifice
at the feeder there was little extra
gas to purge the torch nozzle and
weld start area. The welder with the
GSS and the flowmeter back at the
cylinder was quickly supplying a
controlled amount of gas at the start.
It was obvious that the welder with
the GSS had less spatter when
starting and for the short weld. The
welding engineer decided to lower
the flow rate to 35 CFH on the
welder with the GSS. The arc was
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Page 17 of 19
very stable, and more important the
welder was very happy! It proved
that providing more steady state gas
flow, in this case 45 CFH, could not
compensate for the inferior starts
caused by the lack of starting
shielding gas. After several months
of testing to assure it worked in all
draft conditions, all 50 welders were
equipped with GSS systems and the
flow controls placed back at the
pipeline drop. Not only did the
welding engineer not have to
increase flow rates he could lower it
somewhat. Their tests showed an
overall 30% reduction.
An interesting anecdote occurred
after about one year of use of the
GSS’s. Their gas supplier called and
asked if their work load had reduced
since they saw a 30% reduction in
gas deliveries! It had not!
Tests.in.Drafts: Supporting a
misunderstanding on the part of
some welders that high gas flow
rates can overcome draft problems
are the results from some
unpublished research. Tests were
made to see what flow rates might
assist in up to 5 mph drafts. Visual
observations of weld quality and X-
Ray’s of the deposits to detect
internal porosity showed interesting
results. In up to 5 mph drafts, welds
made at 45 CFH with a 5/8 ID torch
nozzle had less internal porosity than
welds made at 65 CFH gas flow rate!
This again validates that with this
size nozzle 50 CFH is about the
maximum flow rate that should be
used. If drafts are present a small
wind break will often solve the
problem but increasing gas flow
beyond 50 to 55 CFH will not.

APPENDIX C
Some Questions and Answers
About The GSS
Question: What is the best way to
deliver shielding gas to a MIG
system?
Answer: For systems with up to 50
feet (for typical pipeline pressure it
can even be longer) from gas supply
to wire feeder, the best system is
shown in the picture below. It
consists of a rotameter flowmeter
(one with a flow indicator ball) and
our Gas Saver System. This system
will work for any gas supply.
The benefits of this system include:
1. The gas flow can be quickly seen
and read by the position of the
flow indicator ball to define if
you’re within your Weld
Procedure Specifications.
2. The GSS reduces the normal gas
waste associated with these
systems by about 80%, and
controls the gas surge velocity
within limits that eliminate start
turbulence thereby improving
start weld quality.
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Page 18 of 19
Question: Why is MIG gas hose a
wasteful ¼ inch ID?
(Hint; it’s not for the Nonexistent
Pressure Drop!)
Answer: Why is most MIG gas
delivery hose ¼ inch ID? This large
size causes excess gas to be stored
in the hose when welding stops and
wasted every time welding starts.
Fabricators find it causes from 30 to
over 60% wasted gas!
Is this large hose size needed to
handle pressure drop? No! The
typical 35 CFH shielding gas flow
rate creates very little pressure
drop. A 100 foot ¼ inch ID hose,
operating with pressures needed to
flow 35 CFH, has a pressure drop of
less than 1 psi! The answer is MIG
welding was developed in the 1950’s
by two of the dominant US industrial
gas producers. Working at the
Welding R&D Lab at one of these
companies, a Division of Union
Carbide Corporation, it was located
with our equipment factory. The
major equipment product line
manufactured at the time MIG was
introduced was Oxyfuel Welding and
Cutting apparatus. The flow rate of
Oxygen required when cutting is
quite high. It can use 250 CFH and
higher flows. At a 50 psi regulator
pressure setting 250 CFH will
produce an 11 psi pressure drop in a
100 foot ¼ inch ID hose versus the
less than 1 psi at 35 CFH flow used
for MIG welding. (Note the pressure
drop at 35 CFH will be less than 1
psi either at 50 psi or 5 psi hose
pressure.) The highest volume gas
hose used for the largest sales
volume hoses sold (25 feet) was ¼
inch ID which easily handled the
pressure drop. Cutting and fitting this

size hose was automated. In
addition when the Compressed Gas
Association (CGA) committee
developed gas hose fitting designed
for various size hoses. The inlet end
of these fittings handles hoses up to
3/8 inch ID. Using CGA designs, ¼
inch inert gas fittings are relatively
easy to make. Production can start
with heavy wall tubing, making
drilling the gas passage hole quick
and economical. A minimum amount
of material is required to be removed
with this design approach. Functional
hose clamps are also readily
available for ¼ inch hose fitted to a
hose barb.
Therefore 1/4 inch hose, hose fittings
and hose clamps were readily
available and lowest in cost!
Production economics is the reason
MIG gas delivery hose was ¼ inch
ID!
The special fittings required for use
with our very
heavy, wall
small ID GSS
hose are much
more difficult
and costly to
manufacture. The hose does not
expand over the fitting as do thinner
wall hoses. Even special hose
clamps must be used. See the photo
above left versus a ¼“ fitting.
As the saying goes, “Follow the
Money!”
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Page 19 of 19
Question: Are There Other Things
We Can Do Other Than Purchase
GSS’s to Reduce Gas Waste?
Answer: Yes.
1. We have fond many welders set
flow rates too high. We have a
patented Flow
Rate Limiter that
can be installed
on most
flowmeters. You
set the maximum
desired flow
rates and install
the lock which
prevents the flow rate from being
increased. See details of this
recently patented product at
www.netWelding.com/Flow_Rate
_Limiter.htm
2. Another thing to consider is
leaks. These can be very
wasteful and also allow moisture
laden air to enter the shielding
gas lines.
In addition to leaks there needs to be
an ongoing vigilance to check the
gas delivery systems in a systematic
way. We offer several training
programs that are a big help. One is
called "Lean Welding
Manufacturing" Learning Program
Optimizing Shielding Gas Use and
Eliminating Waste. It is a 130 page
program that can be used as a self
study leaning program. A shorter 59
page program is also available. A
simpler program that just defines
shielding gas flow rates, minimums
and maximums and can be used to
educate welders and welding
foreman is also available. See
www.NetWelding.com/prod03.htm