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Arc Welding 101: Certified to weld?

Q: What does it mean to be an AWS-certified welder?

Joe C.

A: Certification can open doors, present opportunities, and put you out front in a tough job market. However, not all welders are AWS-certified. My younger brother Joe, a service manager for an import car dealership on the West Coast, received a recall notice concerning receiver hitches on crossover SUVs. Welds on the hitch could not be verified as being completed correctly; therefore they would need to be removed and rewelded. The recall notice stated, “All welding shall be completed by an AWS Certified Welder.”

Certified welders are tested at an accredited test facility, and their records need to be strictly maintained within AWS QC7-93 guidelines (QC7 is the AWS standard for AWS-certified welders).

So where does Joe go to find a certified welder? My first suggestion was to contact the nearest accredited test facility. The AWS maintains a list online at www.aws.org/certification/docs/auto/atf_listing_1002.pdf.

With a little information about where to look and the right questions to ask, Joe was able to get the 40 SUVs on his lot repaired so his sales team could feel confident and start moving them.

If you want to know how you can become certified, long on to www.aws.org/w/a/certification/index.html. AWS offers certification programs for welders, inspectors, supervisors, and others.

About the Author
Braun Intertec

Paul Cameron

Braun Intertec

4210 Highway 14 East

Rochester, MN 55904