EWI offered the first in a series of one-week training course covering arc welding and allied technology in late August. The course provides engineers and technicians an overview of the various aspect of welding technology with a goal of providing practical experience in the various aspects so the students can understand how to develop and review qualified weld procedures. The information presented in the course is mostly geared to ASME Section IX requirements, however other codes were discussed.
The course is organized into modules discussing arc welding processes, welding metallurgy and weldability, welding design and testing (including mechanical testing and NDT), and a final module discussing qualifications and procedure review. The students get hands-on instruction in SMAW, GTAW, and GMAW processes so they leave with an appreciation for welder skills and a solid understanding of welding variables and their effect on weld quality. Throughout the remainder of the course, the students are given demonstrations of the material as appropriate. During the final day of the course, the students get a chance to “walk-through” a procedure qualification using welded samples from the hands-on demonstration earlier in the week.
This class was largely populated with students from the oil and gas industry who were given a chance to review procedure examples that relate to their specific industry requirements. The course feedback was very positive with interest already started for the next course offering. EWI plans to offer this course on a regular basis and will customize the course content to relate to industry sectors as applicable.
This class will be offered again in March and June of 2011. Look for an updated open enrollment schedule on the EWI Website in the next few weeks.