CWI For Engineers

By rturnbow Date 10-30-2013 21:20

I am a Facility Engineer with 6 years experience in various fields of oil & gas engineering (structural, mechanical, piping, etc). I am currently looking into taking the CWI as I deal with a significant amount of welding and would like to be able to converse more fluently on the subject (I also have a general interest in welding). I recently recieved backing from my company so I have fairly good resources to become prepared and am currently located in Houston. I have some weld design experience from my days as a structural engineer, have about a year of field experience as a site engineer that resulted in some interaction with welding, and have taken part in many shop visits/inspections but have not actually done any significant welding. I am in no way looking into becoming employed as an inspector at this time, just interested in the topic and want to better myself. A few questions for the crowd:

1. What classes should I take to learn the most about welding? (Community college classes, CWI Pre-Seminar Online Course, CWI Seminar, etc) Keep in mind I work full time at a fairly demanding job.
2. What is the likelihood of my passing the exam?
3. Is there a best way to prepare for the hands on portion for inexperienced welders?
4. Is there a better certification or path I should take for a similar time/money investment? My primary purpose is to better myself but also see the CWI as a nice resume booster. Does anyone suggest an alternate?

Any and all suggestions or commentary are welcome. Thanks everyone for your help.

By Tyrone

Date 10-31-2013 10:40

Welcome to the AWS Forum rturnbow!

Wow. You want to become a CWI to enhance your knowledge and be able to speak the welding lingo? That sounds like major overkill to me....
Your experience is great, but I think you also need a good foundation on Welding Technology.

I don't know what's available in Houston, but I suggest picking up courses at a Community college geared towards a Weld Engineering Technician diploma.

Tyrone

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 10-31-2013 13:44 Edited 10-31-2013 18:55

Welcome to the forum rturnbow !

Houston is a great place for you to get what you need.. It has the largest AWS section in the U.S.
http://awshouston.businesscatalyst.com/

If you are really looking to help your company to profit and not in a big hurry... I would suggest taking the first step by studying for the AWS Certified Welding Supervisor designation (CWS)... The designation has little value.. But the study material "Certified Welding Supervisor Manual for Quality and Productivity Improvement" is probably the best single piece of work published by AWS. It also contains much of the body of knowledge for the CWI.
It is much more focused on weld economics than the CWI.. But has great data on process, managment systems, inspection, metallurgy, symbols etc. If you buy this manual.. You can make your company money the day after you read the first two chapters... It's that good.

The AWS website has all the CWI base specifications available for free download here
http://www.aws.org/certification/CWI/

Pay particular attention to the "body of knowledge" link
The recommended self study materials are listed.
WIT and it's accompanying workbook are top shelf for a start.
Plus the AWS Welding Handbooks.. Which every engineer should have on there desk.

I"m brand new in Houston myself (when I'm not traveling for work) so maybe we will meet up at an AWS section meeting one day... They are a great place to network and learn from some titans in our industry.
http://www.aws.org/certification/CWI/

By welderbrent (*****)

Date 10-31-2013 15:25

Lawrence,

I think it is a typo, but the Certified Welding Supervisor is CWS, not CWE. Good suggestion though, at least the study material. I understand the exam is pretty stiff. May be over his head. So also is the WIT book and it's workbook companion.

Then, there are the new on line courses that AWS offers if one is after background education first to add to their knowledge base.

The seminar for the CWI training is great, if you don't qualify for the exams it is still a good place to get a lot of good information on the fast track but you can get the majority of that material on one of the on line courses. Just won't have the personal touch and applications and networking opportunities.

Have a Great Day, Brent

By ssbn727 (*****)

Date 11-12-2013 22:08

Ummmm, I believe you need to get your eyesight checked soon Brent! Lawrence did write "CWS" and not "CWE"...

I would like to suggest that you read the "Certified Welding Supervisor Manual for Quality and Productivity Improvement" because although it has much of the same material as does the CWI/CWE book, the entire contents is NOT the identical FYI. :eek:

Everything else you suggested I can agree with.

Respectfully,
Henry

By welderbrent (*****)

Date 11-13-2013 02:40

Edit is such a great function of this forum!

Good to see you Henry. Hope all is going well.

Have a Great Day, Brent

By MMyers

Date 10-31-2013 18:26

I can't speak to the CWI specific questions, but as a welding engineer, I think (at least) one of the classes Ohio State offers may be up your alley. I'm not sure how they handle a la carte registration, so there might be a hoop or five to jump through.

WE3001 is the overview class which gives a really good overview of the WE field, and would definitely get you the vocabulary you need to communicate with the work force and understand the nuts and bolts of welding. When I was there, it was offered via distance learning so it'd be a flexible option for you. After completion of that, if you feel you need further depth on a particular topic, you may be allowed to take the appropriate higher level course(s) that correspond to your interests.

That aside, the AWS welding handbooks are an excellent resource for this type of information. Your local AWS chapter should have a library which will have a copy of these books which you can look at ahead of purchasing them for yourself.