WPS posting

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 05-10-2011 02:10

UH just a wild guess but if they are required, I would say they will be posting hundreds of copies of a WPS ?

By 99205

Date 05-10-2011 02:16

I don't know about that. I worked at a plant producing 10 wheeler dump trucks with pups and all the big wheels would say is "weld this piece here". I never once saw any paperwork and everything was welded with .035 solid wire. The engineer would come out, set the welders machine and say "there ya go, get to work". I stayed there 2 weeks.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 05-10-2011 02:39

That is the way the production welding at the auto frame plant was, but as the welders were on an assembly line, each one only had to know how to make the weld at the station they worked. Line welder and skilled trades welder were 2 different jobs at that plant.

By jrw159

Date 05-10-2011 14:23

I do not believe any code requires this. This is a requirement for AISC, IAS & ISO certification/accreditation. Depending on the product, yes there could be several WPS's at a station.

By Metarinka (****)

Date 05-10-2011 16:27

Bingo,
A lot of different contract specifications require the WPS to be "available to the worker" and that can be anything from a rider, to welding prints, a traveler, or other work instructions. In the mil-specs I work to, usually a contract requirement is that the welder has a copy of the code as well, but that means one in an office or the workplace.

having a WPS at a work site, is not a code requirement. That could be a contract requirement of a customer, which can differ from job to job. Usually it's on the vendor's head to prove they can make the weld, prove they transmit the information sufficiently to the welder, than prove the welder did what he said he did.

From the practical standpoint most places use signed off travelers or work instructions that follow the piece.

By Skaggydog (**)

Date 05-10-2011 19:18

For AISC we have WPSs by our welding stations. I have spent hours+ in almost a classroom environment (training is also an AISC requirement) teaching my welders about WPSs. Now if you should ask any welder or fitter here what a WPS is, you will receive a blank stare indicating that you are the dummies for asking a question that they do not know the answer to.

By Bob Garner (***)

Date 05-11-2011 16:18

I work on a lot of Navy Contracts and they require that all necessary WPS be submitted for review. The final WPS are given to the field inspectors who then ask the individual welders if they have their copies and check to make sure thay are the same. These are usually large contracts that can afford the inspection efforts.

By Joseph P. Kane (****)

Date 05-11-2011 18:58

At Canam-Manac in Quebec City Canada, thee company gives each welder a small, pocket sized booklet with the WPS in it. The welders have to have these booklets on hand while they are welding. This "at - hand" requirements is found in many contract specifications. You will not see it found in any AWS Code.

Every welder up there used those WPSs routinely, and they all knew how to read and interpret them. I do not know if they were specially trained, but that Company was AT LEAST the second best place I ever performed Third Party Inspections at. It is a Bridge Fabrication facility, and for my money, it is staffed by thoroughly professional QC people and floor managers.

On many Bridge Fabrication contract documents in the USA, the welders are required to have the WPSs on hand and of course know how to use them. While most welders do not know classification from specification, they all know weld positions, volts, amperes, WFS, and travel speed. They all seem to know a 7018 from a 8018-c3, and most seem to recognize different electrode diameters.