Certified Welding

Astro Engineering and Manufacturing has long been known for excellent workmanship and high quality welding. In 2008, we decided to take that a step further and become a provider of certified welding. The purpose of certified welding is to give assurance that a certain type of weld can indeed be produced by a certain company by certain individuals. The American Welding Society (AWS) sets the standards, process, and testing required for certified welding in the United States.

Astro currently holds certifications in steel conforming to AWS D1.1, and aluminum conforming to AWS D1.2. Our welders are also highly proficient at stainless steel welding, and Astro will obtain certification for stainless when needed. There is a plethora of welding certifications that can be obtained, and our policy is to add to our library of certified welds as deemed appropriate by customer demand. If you have a project that requires certified welding, call today to see how our program fits with your needs.

Who requires certified welding?

Currently our customers who require certified welding include Minnesota Department of Transportation for bridge railing and others in the construction business. Even if certified welding is not required, having policy and procedures in place, and welders trained and tested to AWS standards is indicative of that company's ability and commitment to quality welding and fabrication.

About Certified Welding

The American Society of Welding (AWS) sets the standards for certified welding. The purpose is to document the ability of welders to deposit sound welds. Controls are imposed on the documents and the maintenance of certification.

Documentation includes:

Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) listing the base metal, thickness, welder settings, and about 20 other parameters must be identified. These WPS's are documented and filed for easy reference.

Procedure Qualification Records(PQR). Documentation of a welder's ability to produce welds meeting prescribed standards.

Welder Qualification Test Record. This documents the results of the testing of the welds performed by a welder using a certain PQR. The test facility must be accredited by the AWS.

Welder Certification: The document shows that a certain individual is certified to a certain PQR. In order to maintain certification, documentation of a particular weld performance must occur at least every 6 months.

A good source for more information about certified welding is www.aws.org