Troulbe with text or images? View this in your web browser Hello Reader Most fabrication shops don’t struggle with welding because they lack capability. They struggle because of the decisions they make every day—especially when those decisions are based on habit rather than engineering and economics. One of the most common examples is electrode selection. Many shops default to using flux-cored wire for everything, assuming it provides the best combination of quality and productivity. Others...
23 days ago • 4 min read
Trouble with text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader If you are a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), welding engineer, or anyone responsible for interpreting welding codes, you have likely encountered situations where the code language is not completely clear. Many of the questions we receive from readers are related to interpreting welding codes and standards such as AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code – Steel. In many cases the challenge is not simply understanding...
30 days ago • 3 min read
Trouble with text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader Taking responsibility for welding operations is a significant step in any welding professional’s career. This role might fall to a new welding supervisor, but it can just as easily be a welding engineer, certified welding inspector (CWI), operations manager, or even a plant manager. Regardless of the title, the responsibility is the same—you are now accountable for the quality, productivity, and cost of welding...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Trouble with text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader In most fabrication businesses, welding labor is the single largest controllable cost. Yet in many shops, welding labor is not actively managed, it is absorbed. When margins tighten, management looks at material pricing, overhead, or scheduling. Rarely is welding itself analyzed as a controllable engineering variable. But welding labor cost is not fixed. It is heavily influenced by engineering decisions. Why...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Trouble with text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader Most welding professionals are familiar with the major structural welding codes, such as AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code – Steel and AWS D1.6 Structural Welding Code – Stainless Steel. These documents are referenced in contract specifications, discussed during audits, and cited when problems arise. Yet in day-to-day fabrication, welding codes are often misunderstood—not because they are ignored, but because they...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Trouble with text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader Prequalified welding procedures are an excellent tool. When used correctly, they provide a fast, reliable, and code-compliant way to establish welding procedures without the time and cost of qualification testing. For many fabrication environments, prequalification is not just acceptable—it is the smartest starting point. At the same time, there are situations where a welding procedure must be qualified by...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Trouble with text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader One of the most persistent challenges in welding quality is that many serious problems are not obvious at the surface. In the previous articles in this series, we established that welding quality is created through procedures, qualification, and process control—not inspection alone. Visual inspection remains an important quality tool, but it has inherent limitations that are often underestimated. This article is...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Trouble with text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader In many fabrication shops, welding procedures exist—but they don’t always work. They may be technically correct, code-compliant, and properly documented, yet once production begins, problems start to surface. Welders struggle to follow them. Inspectors flag recurring issues. Rework increases. Productivity suffers. And eventually the welding procedures end up as simply a compliance document that no one follows....
3 months ago • 4 min read
