What is the American Welding Society?
AWS is the universally recognized authority on welding. It was founded in 1919 as a nonprofit organization to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes. Klein Products of Texas is a proud, active member of AWS.
What is an AWS Welding Procedure Specification?
An AWS Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) is a document that serves as a guide for the effective creation of a weld that meets all applicable code requirements and production standards.
Think of a WPS as a recipe for welders. In the same way that a recipe for a cake details what ingredients and quantities you will need, a WPS contains details necessary to create the desired weld. This includes information such as base metal grade, filler metal classification, amperage range, shielding glass composition, and preheat and interpass temperatures. The idea is that if a group of welders all adhere to the details on a WPS, they will each be able to produce welds with similar mechanical properties.
What is an AWS CWI (Certified Welding Inspector)?
An AWS CWI has the knowledge and training to qualify a company’s welding processes to AWS and ASME guidelines, and qualify other welders to those processes. Earning this certification requires meeting strict prerequisite criteria, completing an extensive training course and passing a highly challenging, all-encompassing test. The test is so difficult that 60% of people fail the first time they take it.
Klein Products’ on-staff AWS CWI earned certification in 2016 and maintains his expertise on an ongoing basis to meet renewal requirements.
What does it mean to be an American Welding Society Supporting Company Member?
American Welding Society (AWS) Supporting Company Membership is designed to help companies maintain their employees’ expertise and professionalism. Through this membership, Klein Products team members have access to AWS conferences, seminars, publications and education programs to continue to grow their knowledge and skills.
In addition, the Klein Products of Texas factory uses qualified “Welding Procedure Specifications” in accordance with AWS (and ASME) codes and standards, ensuring consistent quality and compliance every time. Additionally, we test and qualify our welders to these specifications through strict and challenging documented testing under direct supervision of our on-staff AWS certified welding inspector (CWI). The CWI works in conjunction with our quality control team to assess quality, code and standards compliance.
How does this benefit Klein Products customers?
Our commitment to following AWS welding protocols gives our customers a high level of confidence in their investment in Klein Products and peace of mind that our equipment is strong, safe and completed with the highest level of quality.
Through ongoing collaboration and the educational opportunities provided by AWS, our team continues to expand their expertise, allowing us to work more efficiently and deliver superior results.
Finally, our resident AWS CWI ensures our welding procedures measure up to all AWS and ASME requirement, and trains our welding team to be the very best in their field. Having a CWI on staff allows us to work more efficiently, because we don’t have to call in an outside expert to qualify our processes. Our customers demand excellence, and our AWS CWI makes sure we never disappoint.