7 Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Welding Process for your Welding Procedure

Selecting the best welding process is a critical step in developing a welding procedure that attains the desired quality and optimizes productivity.  Many times we look for the welding process that can give us the highest deposition rate to optimize productivity. However, every welding process has limitations. For example, submerged arc welding (SAW) has extremely […]

Which Welding Process Produces the Strongest Welds

SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, MCAW or SAW?

This is a question that is often asked.   The short and quick answer is: they are all the same.  However, to understand why that is let’s take a quick look at the three elements that determine the strength of a weld: Weld length Weld size Weld (filler) metal strength Since we are trying to compare […]

6 Reasons Why Metal Fabricators Must Understand Metallurgy

Metal fabricators, or at least those in charge of welding operations, must have a sound understanding of metallurgy.  Metallurgy is the study of metals, their properties and their behaviors, especially when undergoing the welding process.  Below are 6 areas of fabrication for which an understanding of the metallurgical properties of metals is vital. Material Selection […]

How to Develop a Welding Procedure Specification

Developing, or writing a welding procedure, goes far beyond setting up amps and volts.  It entails the selection of many variables which fall under the 9 required components of welding procedure specifications we discussed last week. Today we look at those 9 components again, but rather than just stating what they contain we explain how […]

Which Arc Welding Process is the Most Efficient?

This question can be answered very quickly.  Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) and Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) can have 98-99% deposition efficiency.  However, the question is a bit more complicated since when we talk about efficiency we don’t just care about deposition efficiency (how much of the electrode becomes weld metal).  What we care about […]

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 […]

8 Ways to Increase Welder Efficiency

In our many years of working in the welding industry we have come across some phenomenal welders.  We continue to be impressed by the level of skill of many of these men and women.  Unfortunately, many business owners and managers allow this skilled labor to go underutilized.  Welder efficiency, which also goes by other names […]

8 Common Mistakes Made When Using Prequalified Welding Procedures

Before getting into today’s topic we wanted to make you aware of a new resource we are creating and which will be available soon.  Prequalified Welding Procedures for Steel Fabricators will provide a list of prequalified procedures written in conformance with AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code which can be used in the fabrication of carbon […]