Trouble with text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader The qualification of welding procedures is one of the most important steps in ensuring weld quality. A welding procedure may look good on paper, but unless it has been tested—or developed within the limits of an accepted prequalified procedure—there is no assurance that it can consistently produce sound welds. As discussed throughout this series, welding quality is not determined by appearance alone. Proper...
12 days ago • 4 min read
Trouble seeing images or text? View this article on your web browser Hello Reader, What drives the need for preheat prior to welding carbon steels? Is it carbon content, material thickness, welding process, or all of the above? We get asked this question all the time so we decided to update a previous article on this topic. Preheat is used when a base material, due to its chemical composition, thickness or level or restraint, is susceptible to cold cracking. Knowing what temperature to...
26 days ago • 5 min read
Trouble with text or images? View this in your web browser Hello Reader Stainless steel can be challenging to weld. Especially if most of your experience in welding has been with carbon steel. Stainless steels possess many properties that make them different from those of carbon steels. These differences provide certain advantages, such as corrosion resistance, but we must be aware of some of the intricacies of welding stainless steel to avoid problems. Many welding professionals, including...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Trouble seeing text or images? View this article in your web browser Hello Reader, We constantly hear welding experts, welding engineers, CWIs and other industry professionals say that concave fillet welds are bad and should not be allowed. This is a hard stance that may be supported by field failure, but more often than not only by anecdotal evidence. However, it is worth noting that a concave fillet weld is not necessary a problem and sometimes it provides a desirable bead profile. The...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
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...
2 months 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...
3 months 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...
3 months 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...
3 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...
3 months ago • 3 min read
