Argon

Features

Refrigerated liquid gas
Boiling point -186°C
Non-flammable
Heavier than air
Inert at most temperatures and pressures
Colourless and odourless

Specification

Argon 99.999%
Oxygen <2vpm
Moisture <1vpm
Nitrogen <6vpm

Product Applications

Electronics	In the semiconductor industry, argon is used in a number of device fabrication steps but its largest volume use is as a protective atmosphere in the manufacture of single crystal silicon by a number of processes known as crystal pulling. The single crystal is then sliced into thin wafers for subsequent processing into semiconductor chips.
Fabrication	Argon is used as a shielding gas for MIG and TIG Welding processes and plasma-cutting. Argon is used alone or mixed with other gases such as helium, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen or hydrogen. Each mixture is often specific to welding a particular material or to a particular process.
Lasers	Argon can be used for the assist gas for the laser cutting of titanium as well as laser welding in CO₂, ND:YAG and Diode machines.
Metals	Argon is used to exclude atmospheric air from contact with metals and metal alloys that will either react with nitrogen contained in the air or take it into solution.
Spectrographic analysis	Arc-spark analysis uses argon in the process of measuring the characteristic wavelength of light generated by striking an arc onto the metallic sample being analysed.
Window unit insulation/double-glazing	Argon is used to fill the inter-space in double-glazed window units because of its low thermal conductivity relative to air or nitrogen.

Industrial argon is also available in certain geographies. To give better penetration as a shielding gas, it contains 2% oxygen. This is mixed with varying proportions of CO₂ for MIG welding and used on its own for TIG welding.

Reference Information: