How To Qualify A Welding Procedure

Whenever you hear that a welding procedure needs to be qualified it simply means that its suitability for use in a welded structure needs to be proven by testing. This means that the welding procedure must be capable of producing sound welds.  But what are sound welds?  Sound welds are welds that will perform in […]

What is a Qualified Welding Procedure?

A qualified welding procedure is a welding procedure that has been proven to produce sound welds after undergoing extensive testing.  When using structural welding codes, these tests include both destructive and nondestructive tests. Some of these tests are: Visual examination Macroetch Break test Bend test Ultrasonic inspection Radiographic inspection Hardness test Tensile test The reason […]

Frequently Asked Questions about Prequalified Welding Procedures

The following FAQ are related to 322 Prequalified Welding Procedure Specifications for Steel Fabricators.   To learn more or to get your copy simply click here   Is this a physical book?  No. The procedures are provided as digital files (PDF) and are available for immediate download.  The user has the option to print the files […]

Why More Customers are Requiring Qualified Welding procedures

If you own or work at a job shop you may have noticed an increase in the number of customers that require the use of qualified welding procedures to build their products. Some fabricators are even getting this request from long time customers who never required them in the past. So why is this? The […]

Basic (Overlooked) Steps to Develop a Welding Procedure

A welding procedure specification (WPS) consists of a series of welding variables and corresponding allowable ranges. The selection of these ranges is very important.  The idea is that if the welder is within all acceptable ranges he or she will deposit a sound weld, provided of course that the welder has the required skill.  The […]

Importance of Implementing a Specification for Weld Quality

Understanding the basic components

If you have been reading our articles for some time you know how strongly we feel about having documented welding procedure specifications which have been qualified by testing or prequalified in conformance with code requirements. Yet when we recommend that these very important documents be developed and used in production we get a lot of […]

How to Develop a Welding Procedure Specification

Developing a welding procedure does not have to be complicated.  But when we are dealing with demand critical welds or with hard-to-weld metals we need to be careful. Simply setting our welding machine to get an arc we like is not enough if we are dealing with materials for which we need to limit heat […]