How can I evaluate the potential savings of shielding gas?

The fact that saving gas in welding is possible without compromising the quality of the welding seam is not a secret anymore. A gas management system can regulate that there is always enough gas used for the welding application, while not using more than necessary. But how can companies evaluate the actual potential gas savings for their welding application before deciding to purchase a piece of equipment? No matter if it's manual or automated welding, the process is the same. Let's walk you through the process!

The first thing to figure out is: Are you currently using too much gas in the welding process?

To even start to identify a savings potential, the actual situation must first be identified. This includes the current gas usage, but also a look at the entire manufacturing process and the workplace. The first step is to go to the gas bottle and check the settings on the gas pressure regulator. There also needs to be a check of the settings on the welding torch, this is done with a simple gas measuring tube. In both situations, a gas measuring tube can be used to see if more gas than necessary is being used. With these measurements, however, it is still not possible to say for sure whether or not too much gas was used during the welding process. There is also the additional risk that too much back pressure in the gas system will affect the gas consumption.

First step on the way to gas savings: installation of a gas management system to measure the amount of gas currently consumed

With the EWR 2 gas management system from ABICOR BINZEL, you can be on the safe side and check with the bypass-mode how much gas was used during the welding process. To do this, one must first install the gas management system in a few steps. To do this, the device is connected between the gas hose, the power supply is secured and a measuring shunt for measuring the welding current is connected to the ground cable of the power source. The measuring shunt must be selected according to the application, as the gas should be regulated according to the welding current. To complete the installation of the gas management system, the connection between the gas management system and a laptop with the associated EWR 2 service software installed must still be established. After successful installation, the gas management system can record the current gas consumption in bypass mode. In bypass mode, the gas is not regulated, it is simply passed through. This has been done to find out the actual gas consumption during welding of the current workpiece. Once the data is recorded and the current situation is identified, the next step is to identify the potential savings.

Comparing welding current, welding gas and inlet pressure = finding out the potential savings during welding!

The gas management system makes it possible to adjust the gas with different parameters according to the welding task. Before starting the welding process, the monitoring is started by the service software so that a recording is made during the welding process. After the recording has been saved, the EWR 2 gas management system can be switched on and the first settings for optimizing the parameters can be made. After that, a new recording is required. Before welding, a precise dynamic pressure is adjusted in the gas hose by the EWR2, which prevents the unnecessary gas push at the start of welding and ensures good ignition performance. During welding, the EWR actively controls the amount of gas flowing through in synchronization with the welding current. With the two recordings, the following parameters can be compared in detail: Welding current, gas consumed, inlet pressure. In order to have meaningful information, you should make two to three runs. In the best case, you can save 60% gas with the EWR 2 gas management system!

To identify your individual savings potential, simply use our EWR 2 calculator: