Employers, when searching through job websites or Curriculum Vitaes, look for certified coded welders. Put simply, this individual has completed an industry-approved accreditation program, which proves his skills using at least one welding process, if not more. The person who provides these certifications is clearly more than a hobbyist, more than a journeyman or craftsman worker. This welding professional has been trained and process-vouched as a coded welder.

Establishing a Proven Career Record

The welding sector is somewhat unique in this regard. While intellectual types and craftsmen supply printed certificates, welding qualifications go further. For example, if a pro welder has earned a code in TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding, the employee can usually supply an on-the-spot sample. This way, an employer can actually see how expertly the welder goes about his metal fusing duties. On top of samples, coded welders dismiss employment ambiguities by supplying their “codings.” These are qualifications that demonstrate training and knowledge of a specified welding process. Engineering employers tend to gravitate towards welders who have proven work records, as verified by an industry-standard welding certification.

More Than a Certification Process

Dependent on the country the welder works in, different qualifications are preferred, if not downright coveted. There’s no shortage of certificates and codes, including the BS 4872, ASME IX, and the EN ISO 9606-1 standards. Certified welders can collect these documents, of course. Coded welders, yet again, tend to go the extra mile. Along with a Curriculum Vitae and a handful of certificates, there might be a photographic portfolio, which shows a past history of the welder’s best work. Then there are the aforementioned samples, with many a process class marked out in real, solid detail on actual metal blocks. And remember, coded welders can ably prove their abilities in any number of welding processes. From MIG (Metal Inert Gas) to TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding or any other welding variant, the proof is there to see, and to feel.

One last thing, the welding industry can be viewed as a ladder. Climbing the rungs, beginner journeymen collect stick welding codes and simple MIG welding certificates, then they graduate onto TIG equipment and pulsed welding rigs, which also utilize arc welding technology. Apart from the processing codes, there are the industry locations and types to work upon, then there are the seam types and fabrication codes, too. And that’s not even the whole picture. Welders need to work in the most awkward positions while cleanly fusing pipe joints and structural steel plating. As such, they must be capable of mastering tricky joints. Horizontal welding is one thing, but a truly skilled coded welder can pull off a perfectly applied butt seam in the vertical up position.

To a fabrication shop, what does a do-it-the-right-way methodology entail? That’s a question that can make a seasoned welder or machinist stop in his tracks, at least for a minute. The work-at-hand demands attention, and there’s a safety margin to remember, too. At any rate, free to think about the matter, we’ll ponder this issue. Come on, for an expertly addressed welding and fabrication operation, let’s determine our high-yield workflow.

Don’t Leapfrog S.O.P

Standard operating procedures make the difference. Between an average joe who’s working out of his garage and a professionally equipped fabrication service, one who has years of experience, there’s no real competition, right? Every time, without fail, a customer who’s pursuing a high-quality, performance-oriented shop owner will always choose a fully-equipped workshop. Moreover, the customer in question won’t choose someone who has no idea how to run that gear. The shortlisted engineering service must come with a qualified team of eager workers, with people who have the competence-tested goods to deliver a desired end service. Finally, before even getting onto the machine shop floor, there are dozens of decisions to make. Design plans need to be drawn up, discussions made between the client and the job manager, then there’s the tool setup work to address.

Competence-Tested Fabrication Skills

While it’s true that milling equipment and drilling benches are all entering a new and exciting development phase, they’re mainly made to facilitate mass production runs. CAD machinery and electronic workstations automatically fabricate parts. They accurately apply repeatably drilled holes and bends, plus all kinds of geometrically dense details. Moving on multiple axes, Computer-Aided Design equipment has indeed transformed our industry beyond all recognition. Still, they’re not about to replace a skilled journeyman. For instance, trained welders know the various ins-and-outs of coded fabrication work in a way that no machine can ever match. Likewise, master fabricators can incorporate fine details and artistically adorned elements in a way that no automated CAD system can duplicate.

The right fabrication and welding service carries out all necessary prep work. Again, that’s not a feature that can be attributed to an automated machine, nor is it one that’s usually awarded to a fly-by-night operation. Coded welders select the right seam procedures and positional joints, as assigned to a GMAW arc welding rig or an oxy-fuel setup. Aesthetical considerations are properly conveyed by customers, transformed into blueprints by design engineers, and transformed into real-world products by line fabricators. Repairs or revisions, original product designs or single-run customized part, the results are certain. They’re designed in-house and brought to life by professionals. That, in a nutshell, is how the Sureweld Engineering mission statement defines a quality-oriented workflow.