Welding and Cutting FAQs

How can I increase my welding speed when TIG welding?

Increase your welding current. Not only does this allow you to increase the welding speed, it often enhances penetration.
Increasing the current, increases the size of the weld pool, so the work piece may need to be orientated into the PA or PB position.
Certain weld process gases can also be used to further enhance welding speeds - see the Welding Gas Selector Tool.

How can I increase my welding speed when MIG/MAG welding?

Assuming you need to maintain the same weld size, increase your wire feed speed (WFS) or welding current. Not only does this allow you to increase the welding speed it also increases deposition rate and often enhances penetration.
Increasing the current, increases the size of the weld pool, so the work piece may need to be orientated into the PA or PB position.
Certain weld process gases can also be used to further enhance welding speeds - see the Welding Gas Selector Tool.

I want to increase my speeds, but not sacrifice quality - is this possible?

Our Alumaxx® Plus gas increases speeds and quality too. For example in 20 seconds you could TIG weld 50mm compared to 30mm with pure argon.

Is it possible to increase welding speeds with a common welding process such as MAG welding carbon steel?

Ferromaxx® Plus is a unique gas and results in increased welding speeds of up to 17%. Not only do you weld more quickly, set-up times are reduced as well.

What is EN 1090 and ISO 3834?

EN 1090 is a European Standard that regulates the fabrication and assembly of steel and aluminium structures and is recognised by the Construction Products Regulation 2011 (CPR).
As of 1st July 2014, under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), CE marking for structural steel to EN 1090-1 became mandatory for products produced and sold on the EU construction market.
EN 1090 comprises three parts:

EN 1090-1: Requirements for conformity assessment for structural components (CE-Marking)
EN 1090-2: Technical requirements for the execution of steel structure
EN 1090-3: Technical requirements for the execution of aluminium structures

Where welding is part of the process, a Welding Quality Management system is needed which must conform to EN ISO 3834. The company should engage a responsible welding coordinator to control their welding quality management system.
When you have an EN 1090 certificate for execution class (EXC) 2 or lower standard welding procedure reports can be used. Air Products provide these standard Welding Procedure Qualification Records (WPQR) for different welding applications.

What is the difference between ISO 14175 and A5.32?

These are equivalent standards that are produced by different organisations using different terminology. When a gas complies with one standard it also complies with the other.

Where can I get a welding procedure for my welding application?

Depending on your welding application, you may be able to develop your Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) from standard Welding Procedure Qualification Records (WPQR).
If you need to develop your own WPQR’s, then standard versions may be a useful starting point.
Air Products provide standard Welding Procedure Qualification Records (WPQR) for different welding applications.

Can I get cylinder gases without the need for cylinder regulators which I have to maintain?

Yes. Check out Air Products' Integra® cylinder which is available for welding, cutting and brazing.

How can I minimise weld surface oxidation?

Ensure the gas shield is sufficient to protect the weld pool and adjacent weld area.
When welding reactive materials such as titanium or zirconium or working with high currents or large weld pool
Use Air Products’ Maxx^® gases range to ensure optimum performance.

mig-mag-flow

stainless-steel

aluminum

How can I obtain flatter, smoother welds?

Increase arc voltage or arc length.
Weld using a forehand (push) technique.
Use Air Products’ Maxx^® gases range to ensure optimum performance

How do I reduce welding spatter?

There are many factors that cause spatter. It is created during MIG/MAG welding when molten metal droplets are ejected from the arc weld pool. Potential causes include:

Incorrect welding parameters; arc voltage, wire feed speed, welding current, stick-out, gas flow and torch angle need to be optimised.
Sub-optimal weld process gas selection; for instance, in MAG welding, argon/CO₂ mixtures generate more spatter than argon/CO₂/O₂ gas mixtures such as Ferromaxx^®7 or Ferromaxx^®15 gas.
Poor base material surface condition. Joint faces and weld area need to be clean and free from contamination such as oil, paint, scale and rust
Using welding equipment in poor working order.

How is the minimum size of a fillet weld determined?

A fillet weld’s size is defined by throat thickness (a) or leg length (z).
For a fabricated structure this should be calculated by a qualified structural design engineer and indicated on the drawing.
Apart from AWS D1.1, international standards do not generally provide guidance on minimum fillet weld sizes.
As a rough guide, the throat thickness should be between 50% and 70% of the base metal thickness.
The ideal relation between throat thickness and leg length is given in the following formula and is shown in the table below - z = √2 * a.

Fillet weld size

a-size (mm)	z-size (mm)	Weld surface (mm2)
2	2.8	4.0
2.5	3.5	6.3
3	4.2	9.0
3.5	4.9	12.3
4	5.7	16.0
5	7.1	25.0
6	8.5	36.0

Is it possible to increase weld speeds and improve the appearance of my stainless steel weld?

Inomaxx® Plus increases weld speeds by up to 17% and gives a smoother weld. Why not book a demonstration and try out this mixture for yourself.

Can I reduce the smell when welding stainless steel?

A lot of the smell comes from ozone. Using Inomaxx® TIG gas reduces ozone from 0.013 ppm to only 0.001 ppm - an amazing reduction of over 90%.

How can I set and maintain the optimum flow for my welding process?

Our Integra® cylinder features integrated flow optimisers - these great precision engineered device ensure the optimum preset flow for your welding process.

How do I know what gas mixture or purity of gas I need for my laser resonator?

At Air Products, our teams of laser experts have access to data detailing the necessary purities, pressures and flows of most popular lasers.

Which is the best fuel gas to use with oxygen; acetylene, propane or propylene?

Each of these gases has advantages and unique properties. We've produced the attached table showing these benefits of each.

Fuel gas selection criteria
Factor for choice	Acetlene	Apachi	Propane
Time to start cut	••	•	•
Cutting speed	••	•	•

••• = best choice • = also suitable

I need to reduce post-welding cleaning when welding thin sheet carbon steel - can you help?

Ferrolinx® F weld process gas is specially developed for welding sheet up to 10mm. It cuts post-weld cleaning times and ultra low spatter levels.

I need to reduce cylinder stocks. Is there a single gas mixture for MAG welding stainless steel?

Inomaxx® 2 is a great all-rounder for stainless. It is suitable for all material thickness as well as giving excellent weld quality and a bright weld finish.

Inomaxx® 2 is a great all-rounder for stainless. It is suitable for all material thickness as well as giving excellent weld quality and a bright weld finish?