Abstract
A method and apparatus reduces the consumption of process gases used in gas shielded industrial processes such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW), metal inert gas (MIG) welding, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, laser welding, plasma welding and plasma arc cutting processes by containing and capturing process gases used at a work site. The captured gases are drawn into a recirculating circuit, filtered to remove impurities, molecularly separated, and injected back into the incoming gas supply line. A hood substantially contains the process gases at the work site and a recirculating pump draws the process gases from the filter and molecular sieve where they are injected into the gas supply line.