By Randy Smith, Woven Metal Products /IndChem Foreman
April is National Welding Month, and I’m happy to recognize our team of expert welders at Woven Metal Products (WMP) for their skilled craftsmanship. All WMP team members are important, but our welders are especially critical to carrying out our mission of reliable quality, partnership attitude and attention to detail in their role as fabrication finishers in our shop.
What does a welder do at WMP? What guidelines do welders have to follow? What skills are needed to become a welder? Read on to find out more.
Our Shop: Types of Welding and Technology
One thing that sets WMP apart is our shop setup. Each of our welders has a mobile welding station, so he or she can move to the job instead of having to move projects around. By doing this, we don’t compromise on timing or quality. And our welders are involved in all types of projects — from making simple assemblies and creating art and decorative metal orders — to more complex tasks like fabricating precise tower and reactor internals, which require significant expertise.
Our team is always exploring new welding techniques to make sure we keep delivering the best work. We offer ongoing training and skills development, so everyone can integrate the latest approaches into their work.
We use many types of welding techniques, including Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), commonly known as MIG welding, as well as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), also called tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. Each method has specific applications, with MIG welding being highly versatile and TIG welding offering precision and quality finishes.
One of our focus areas is continually expanding our robotic welding capabilities and capacity. We have several robotic welding stations for projects that require extreme precision and / or repetitive tasks. While these powerful tools are very useful, they still require skilled human operators to program and supervise.
Welding Procedure Specifications: Blueprints for Success
A key part of welding many people don’t realize is the importance of following Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS). We create WPSs and Procedure Qualification Records (PQRs) that have been tested to some of the highest standards in the world.
What is a PQR?
Creating a PQR involves experimenting with different techniques and settings and putting the procedure through rigorous testing to make sure it’s reliable. Once it’s been successfully created and qualified, we can then develop a corresponding WPS. This detailed set of instructions gives guidance on how to perform a specific operation in the safest way possible while meeting industry regulations.
WMP has more than five decades worth of certified welding procedures in our collection, all with PQRs. If we don’t have a PQR or WPS that meets a customer’s specific need, we can create new ones. For example, if a customer requests a product that uses an uncommon metal alloy or process, we can create a new specialized procedure to meet the project’s specific heat input and material properties.
Welding Careers and the Next Generation
At WMP, we actively support our welders in their career growth, offering mentorship and training to help them advance from entry-level positions to more advanced roles. We have several success stories within our team, as many of our seasoned welders started as basic welders or shop helpers. Over the years, they took the initiative to learn new skills and gain certifications to grow in their careers with us. Apart from their technical skills, some of the most successful team members in our shop are open to feedback and bring a positive attitude to their work.
I’m very proud that our team also hosts local high school and community college students studying welding through WMP’s Woven Together community outreach program. Our goal is to inspire those students and show them what a quality career in welding can look like.
If you’re interested in a welding career, look into joining us at Woven Metal Products. We’re growing, and we’d love for you to grow with us. Check it out here: https://wovenmetal.com/about/careers/.