The shielding gases proposed in the table below for MAG and TIG welding of Hardox and Strenx are well balanced in order to support a high-quality welding performance. If Hardox and Strenx grades are welded to other types of steel the same gas types may be applied.
Welding method
Arc type
Position Shielding gas [weight %]   MAG, solid wire Short arc All positions 18-25% CO2, rest Ar  MAG, cored wire Short arc All positions 18-25% CO2, rest Ar  MAG, solid wire Spray arc Horizontal (PA, PB, PC) 15-20% CO2, rest Ar  MAG, MCAW Spray arc All positions 15-20% CO2, rest Ar  MAG, MCAW Spray arc Horizontal (PA, PB, PC) 15-20% CO2, rest Ar  Robotic and automatic MAG Spray arc Horizontal (PA, PB, PC) 8-18% CO2, rest Ar  TIG Spray arc All positions 100% Ar
Suggestions of different gas mixtures for welding the Hardox and Strenx grades.
Note that shielding gases other can also be used. The consumable manufacturer can also specify a certain shielding gas composition for a specific consumable. In such a case, the recommendations for the consumable should be applied.
Gas flow
Gas flow can be optimized in order to get a well-balanced welding performance. Too little gas flow results in inadequate protection of the melt. Excessive gas flow can become turbulent thus deteriorating the gas protection.
The gas flow for all welding methods based on shielding gases, as a rule of thumb, can be set by using the same number of the gas flow measured in l/min as the inner diameter of the nozzle measured in mm.