Welding is essential to any kind of infrastructure. To emphasize its importance, do you realize that about 70% of manufactured products are produced through welding? Yes! To name just a few, welding is involved in the construction of buildings, fences, gates, vehicles, and appliances. Without proper welding procedures, most of these products that people benefit from would not function properly. That being said, welding is an industry that requires professionalism, extra precaution, extra care, and compliance with the highest standards of procedure.
Having said that a large portion of time and investment goes into the welding procedure, any wrong move or wrong decision can be extremely costly, and even disastrous. A reliable welding company provides up-to-date training, proper PPE for welding, proper care of welding equipment and knows by heart the 5 essentials for proper welding. This way, the project will surely be a success. Let us talk more about each of these things.
Proper PPE for Welding
Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, is crucial for keeping the welders safe. Welding is a physically demanding industry and the safety of the welders should come first.
- Eyes and face should be covered by a welding helmet, goggles and shield to protect from radiation, sparks, debris, intense light, chemical burns and flying particles.
- Respirators are used to protect the lungs from oxides and fumes.
- Fire resistant clothing is used to protect from burns, radiation, heat and fires.
- Fire resistant ear muffs protect the ears (and hearing) from too much noise and sparks that could enter the ear.
- Boots and gloves to protect feet and hands from heat, burns, fire and electric shock.
Proper Care of Welding Equipment
Maintenance of welding equipment requires special care:
- Follow the specs of each piece of equipment to ensure proper use. Make sure the welder knows how to follow this properly and accurately to ensure maximum performance of each equipment.
- Taking off the cover and blowing compressed air into the units can remove debris stuck inside. Work far away from the machine to prevent sparks or fire caused by flying debris.
- Whenever needed, replace parts to ensure the best usage each time. Parts like torches, nozzles, and wire feeders are most often replaced in order to function properly.
- Most importantly, there should be a scheduled maintenance for each of the parts:
- Monthly: Checking of electric cables and inspection of equipment
- Quarterly: Cleaning of wire feeder, outlet, inlet, drive rolls
- Semi-Annual: Disconnection of vacuum machine and power units
- Annual: Servicing of welder gun and liner. This should be done only by licensed technicians.
5 Essentials for Proper Welding
In any welding procedure, a professional welder needs to know these 5 essential things that must, at all times, be correct and accurate.
- Electrode Size: Consider position, type and joint preparation, ability to maintain original properties after the welding procedure, capacity to carry current values without loss of efficiency, and metal work mass.
- Current: Too high of a current results in quick melting of electrodes while too low is not enough to melt the metal.
- Arc Length or Voltage: Too long of an arc or too high voltage causes quick melting of electrodes in large globules, while a short arc or low voltage would not be enough to melt. Both produce an uneven bead and poor fusion.
- Travel Speed: Too fast results in a pool that doesn’t last long, causing impurities to be locked in; the bead is narrow with pointed ripples. Too slow causes metal to pile up, producing beads that are high and wide.
- Electrode Angle: Correct angle has an impact with deep groove welding and fillet welding.
Clearly, there are a lot of things to keep in mind when it comes to following the proper welding procedure. As intricate as it sounds, Welding Procedure Specification (or WPS) is a document that provides clear-cut directions on how to ensure a high-quality product that abides by industry standards and codes. WPS is used as a guide on how to properly weld a product to achieve the desired result. A good welding company should use WPS properly.
Any welding company’s endmost goal is to provide high-quality products that last a very long time. Being in the business for 10 years (and counting), Flawless Steel Welding satisfies the needs of its customers when it comes to serving their structural steel needs. Proper welding procedures are always in place as we ensure nothing but the highest quality products that provide solutions for your business, whether big or small. If you are looking for a reliable company offering steel fabrication in Colorado Springs, look no further than Flawless Steel Welding. Visit our website and see why we have everything you need in welding services.
