Titanium is the metal of choice in a variety of industries, due to its excellent corrosion resistance to acids, chlorides and salt.

It also has a wide continuous-service temperature range, from liquid nitrogen (-322°F) to 1,100°F — and the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal.

That said, titanium is a reactive metal; when heated, it will react with the surrounding oxygen, discolour and lose its corrosion-resistance properties.

In critical welding applications, it is therefore crucial that the oxygen level surrounding the weld is kept at 50ppm or less.

The PurgEye Desk, a new weld purge monitor designed and manufactured by Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT), Burry Port (www.huntingdonfusion.com), is offering inert gas purging technology by being able to read oxygen levels from 1,000ppm right down to 1ppm, thereby ensuring that welders processing titanium achieve “perfect oxide-free zero-colour welds time and time again”.

HFT chairman Ron Sewell said: “Titanium parts are often welded inside a welding enclosure, where the entire atmosphere surrounding the weld can be kept at a controlled level of oxygen.

“The PurgEye Desk is ideal for use with welding chambers, cabinets and flexible enclosures, as well as with orbital welding machines and other automatic welding systems.”

The PurgEye Desk features HFT’s PurgeNet for the in-line connection of additional accessories that allow the weld purge monitor to control welding systems based upon the oxygen level, and to provide indications of high and low oxygen levels.

The unit has automatic diagnostics that can detect and report a number of possible faults. It also features an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display that gives sharp readings at long distances.

Applications for the PurgEye Desk can be found in ultra-clean conditions, such as in the cryogenics, food, drinks, semiconductor, aerospace and pharmaceutical sectors.