Atmospheric Gases: Argon

Whether Cylinder, Dewar or Bulk - We Have the Supply Mode to Suit You

Argon (Ar) is a colorless, odorless, non-reactive inert gas, generally sourced by separating air. It accounts for 0.93% vol. of air. A crude argon stream containing up to 5% oxygen is removed from the main air separation column in air separation plants and purified to produce the commercial purity grade required. Argon can also be recovered from the exhaust streams of certain ammonia plants.

Argon has many different applications in many industries. The most common one is as a shielding gas for arc welding and now as a process gas for additive manufacturing - either in pure form or as part of various mixtures. It is one of the main gases used in filling mixtures for incandescent (filament) lamps, phosphorescent tubes and thyratron radio tubes. It is also used as a carrier gas in chromatography, sputtering, plasma etching and ion implantations. It provides a blanket atmosphere in crystal growth, viniculture and pharmaceutical packaging. For excimer lasers, argon is blended with fluorine and helium. As an insulation gas, argon is a popular way of improving thermal insulation in multi-pane windows.

In addition, it has many protective applications in the iron, steel and heat treatment industries - particularly in the case of metals susceptible to nitriding when treated with a nitrogen-based atmosphere.

Enabled by the extensive network of air separation plants that we operate around the world, we offer argon gas and liquid argon in a variety of purities in different cylinder, dewar and bulk tank sizes to suit your application needs.