Accurately measure your gas flow rates at the torch where it matters most with thermal flow meters from Fox Thermal. Shield gas flow meters help weld shops manage inventory and improve efficiency.
Fox Thermal shielding gas meters can be used to measure the flow of pure or mixed shielding gases whether at high or very low flows, with exceptionally broad measurement range (up to 1000:1 turndown, 100:1 typical).
Fox Thermal meters can be calibrated to measure any gas mix. Models FT1, FT4A, and FT4X are built ready to be programmed to measure gas mixes using the Gas-SelectX® gas selection menu tool.
When the gas type or gas concentrations change, Gas-SelectX® makes the gas flow measurement switch between these gas concentrations easy with the push of a button!
Automotive production lines and large-scale weld shops often need to keep several different types of gases on-hand to account for different types of welds on a variety of metals and joining techniques. These gases are called shielding gases and are used to improve the quality of welds.
These gases are categorized as either inert or semi-inert gases and are commonly used in several welding processes including arc welding and MIG or TIG welding. The presence of atmospheric gases can reduce the quality of the weld or make the welding process more difficult. These shielding gases may be used in order to protect the weld area from oxygen and water vapor.
When choosing a shielding gas or gas mix, the three most important properties are their thermal conductivity and heat transfer properties, their density relative to air, and the ease with which they undergo ionization. Choosing the wrong gas can lead to a porous and weak weld or to excessive spatter, thus causing labor productivity inefficiencies to correct errors, re-do weak welds, or clean spatter drops.
Help Me Choose A Flow Meter
Also important for shielding gas meters and applications is the surface type to be welded. Welding a flat surface requires higher flow than welding grooved materials, since the gas is dispersed more quickly. Faster welding speeds, in general, mean that more gas needs to be supplied to provide adequate coverage. Additionally, higher current requires greater flow and more helium than argon is generally required to provide adequate coverage.
Either inert or semi-inert gases will be used for this purpose. Most popularly, helium and argon (or a mixture) will be used as the shielding gas. Pure argon and helium are generally used for nonferrous metals.
Plant managers must manage and track their use of shielding gases for inventory and efficiency accounting purposes. The direct mass flow measurement of gases in standard volumetric units makes the thermal mass flow meter by Fox Thermal a perfect solution to your shielding gas flow measurement needs.
The FT1 is the most popular flow meter for pure gas applications. Features include a list of pure gases in the Pure Gas menu on Gas-SelectX®, Calibration Validation with CAL-V™, a great price point, and a short lead time.
Features include:
The Fox Thermal Model FT4A includes the Gas-SelectX® expanded gas selection menu, including the Pure Gas menu, and the CAL-V™ calibration validation feature. It is CE, FM, and FMc approved, along with ATEX and IECEx.
Features include:
The Fox Thermal Model FT4X thermal mass flow meter comes with an advanced data logger which maintains a 7-year history. Includes the Gas-SelectX® & CAL-V™ calibration validation features.
Features include:
If you're not sure which flow meter is right for your shielding gas application, our Help Me Choose app walks you through a short series of questions to help you choose the ideal meter.
Simply enter your process data and measurement requirements into our automated product configurator. Drop-down menus and Help icons will guide you to answer each question.
Save the data you entered into the configurator to create a PDF with a model code and application ID. When you're ready, submit your application to the team at Fox Thermal for a quote.
Pure gases are used in a multitude of ways across different industries, requiring accurate flow measurements. Pure gas flow monitoring is essential for specialty gas producers of nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen, etc.
Industrial gas flow meters must be rugged, packed with features and options, and ready to measure out of the box. Fox Thermal provides easy installation with either insertion or inline style meters.
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