Blogs

Welding Guide Subscription Form
Welding Guide

Get your FREE guide on what every welding engineer must know

Subscribe to get our latest content by email.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
Search
Prequalified Welding Procedure and Qualified Welding Procedure
Commonly overlooked steps in developing a welding procedure

Developing a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) involves much more than selecting amperage and voltage—it requires a structured approach to ensure weld quality and consistency. The process begins with understanding the base metal’s properties and how it responds to heat, followed by selecting the most suitable welding process for quality and productivity. Choosing the correct filler metal and joint design are equally critical, as both influence weld strength, cost, and efficiency. Proper control of preheat and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) helps manage metallurgical changes that prevent cracking or distortion. Finally, setting appropriate welding variable ranges ensures balance between quality and productivity, resulting in a reliable, code-compliant welding procedure.

Our Website Just Got a Major Upgrade!

Our website has undergone a massive transformation, designed entirely with your experience in mind. Discover a cleaner, ad-free environment, effortless access to all your favorite free resources, and a brand new embedded store for our premium content. Plus, to celebrate, we're offering an exclusive discount on all paid resources for a limited time!

Weld Failures: Why They Happen and How to Prevent Them

Weld failures in the field often expose deeper systemic issues within a company's welding operations, leading to severe consequences like litigation and financial distress. Many companies mistakenly rely on past success as justification for lacking proper quality control, including welding procedure and welder performance qualifications, and robust inspection processes. When failures occur, the absence of crucial documentation complicates failure analysis and almost guarantees liability. This post emphasizes the critical need for proactive measures like developing welding quality standards, qualifying procedures and welders, and implementing stringent inspection processes to prevent catastrophic failures and ensure long-term structural integrity.

8 Common Mistakes Made When Using Prequalified Welding Procedures

Thinking about using prequalified welding procedures to save time and money? This post uncovers the eight most common mistakes fabricators make when developing and using AWS D1.1 prequalified welding procedure specifications—and how to avoid them. You’ll learn about code restrictions, filler metal requirements, joint tolerances, and other critical factors that ensure code compliance and weld quality. If you're serious about preventing costly rework and audit issues, this is a must-read.

welding procedure development
Welding Procedure Development: Qualification

This blog post concludes a series on developing welding procedures by discussing the crucial topic of qualification. Qualification involves performing both destructive and non-destructive tests to ensure a procedure can produce sound welds, typically following the requirements of specific codes like AWS D1.1. An alternative to this rigorous testing is prequalification, which allows the user to forgo testing if all the requirements of the applicable code's prequalification clause are met. Regardless of the method, the document emphasizes the importance of verifying and documenting the suitability of all developed welding procedures for future reference and quality assurance.