Certification vs Qualification

By bonzai_4 Date 08-03-2005 21:50

I have recently began a position with a new company which involves welding and am a little lost... AWS D1.1 refers to welders being "qualified". 4.1.2.2 ( 2002 version) states "Each manufacturer or Contractor shall be responsible for the qualification of welders, welding operators, and tack welders, whether the qualification is conducted by the manufacturer, Cintractor, or independent testing agency." Is there a difference in being "Qualified" and "Certified"? Can a CWI at our facility certify welders using a visual and bend test? In one of our contracts it states, "all welders shall be qualified to AWS standards..." would you take this to mean Certified? I appreciate any help.

By swnorris (****)

Date 08-03-2005 21:58

..." would you take this to mean Certified? Yes.

"Can a CWI at our facility certify welders using a visual and bend test? Yes. See 6.1.4 items (1) and (2).

Also worth mentioning, 6.1.4.1 Basis for Qualification, item (3) states that An engineer or technician who, by training or experience, or both, in metals fabrication, inspection and testing, is competent to perform inspection of the work. The "engineer or technician" has been replaced with "individual" in the 2004 edition.

Which qualification tests will the welders be taking?

By NDTIII

Date 08-04-2005 03:53

The main difference between "Qualified" and "Certified" is that qualified means you meet the minimum requirements for a specific task. Certified is written testimony of the qualification.

By bonzai_4 Date 08-04-2005 13:17

Forgive me, I am still learning...and am not sure what kind of qualification test they will take, other than most of our welding is GMAW and they will use WPS's which have already been established. I also ran into what may be a problem with some previous testing which was done. An outside source certified both welders, PQR's, and WPS's for the company. The paperwork was all signed and stamped. We have just learned that at the time some of this work was done he was no longer a CWI, but instead a CAWI. The stamp though is with his CWI number. Am I wrong or does that mean that all paperwork done in this manner is invalid?

By swnorris (****)

Date 08-04-2005 14:09

I probably don't have the current standard, but AWS QC1-96, AWS Standard for Certification of Welding Inspectors, section 4.1.3 states:
The CAWI shall be able to perform inspections, under the direct supervision of a SCWI or CWI within visible and audible range, and as defined in 4.2. It is the SCWI or CWI, however, who has responsibility for determining if welded assemblies conform to workmanship and acceptance criteria.