Weld Trailing Shields® – effectively long gas cups fixed onto and dragged along behind the welding torch (photo: HFT)

When welding titanium using the GTAW/TIG process, the gas shield from the welding torch needs extending for protection from oxidation and for productivity. Although welders will use a larger than normal gas cup to provide a big surface area of protection, this still limits the speed at which they can move the welding torch.

To provide additional surface protection and in order to weld faster, Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® manufacture a range of Weld Trailing Shields®, effectively long gas cups fixed onto and dragged along behind the welding torch, which ensures the weld remains under an argon gas shield until the metal has cooled below its oxidation temperature.

Ron Sewell, Chairman for HFT® says, “Professionally manufactured Weld Trailing Shields® are usually around 100 – 150 mm long as standard, with specials for automatic welding being as long as 450 mm, although many applications require smaller Weld Trailing Shields®.

With the lack of commercially available small Weld Trailing Shields®, users have been required to fabricate their own using innovative methods, however HFT® have now designed and developed the smallest Weld Trailing Shield® available at only 40 mm long.”

These lightweight devices simply attach to all standard manual or automatic TIG/GTAW and Plasma/PAW welding torches and will at least double the area being shielded as well as allowing access to tiny spaces.

For manual welding, the welder finds that with this low cost tool, there is no difficulty in dragging it along the surface being welded. One further benefit is that it carries the welding torch at 90o to the weld.

With automatic welding machines it is possible to raise the welding speed dramatically and enjoy the major benefits of automatic welding. Weld Trailing Shields® are also manufactured in flat format for sheet metal welding.

Tags: Huntingdon Fusion Techniques