The sequence of actions for the welder’s certification is included below:
- The main parameters definition;
- The check of suitability of the equipment and materials;
- The check of configuration and provision of the control sample;
- The observation of the welding for check of respect for applicable technology;
- The select, determination and cutting of the necessary control samples;
- The test and assessment of samples;
- The required documentation execution;
- The observation of the production welding works.
The certification of each welder allows the producer or the contractor to attract the specialists capable to perform welding works according to the certified technologies. After the start of the welding work, the welding inspector must observe the performance of welding in order to verify compliance with technical requirements and the quality control of the welds. Any shortcomings should be noted and eliminated. If the regular problems are found, the corrective actions can be taken, which consist in changing the technology and/or replacing personnel.
Although the existence of the certified technologies and personnel does not guarantee the satisfactory quality of all working seams, this, at least, gives some confidence that technology and personnel are able to ensure the performance of seams quality. However, we should not forget that welding seams which are performed in the process of the certification is carried out under more favorable conditions in comparison with the conditions of the production process. In this regard, the differences associated with the assembly of joints for welding, the configuration of joints, accessibility can contribute to the emergence of conditions that increase the possibility of error. Thus, the welding inspector should try to detect and identify such inconsistencies before they cause stitches that do not meet the established requirements.
