Welding Skills to be Hottest ever in the Future Job Market

Welding world is hard but extremely rewarding for willing mind, steady hands, creativity. Specially, welding skills sure will be hard sought for amid the world's green economy in the future!

Welding skills never stop being hot!

With fail, welding has been attracting an increasing number of career choices. It has been around in many industries and the decisive factors to many successful finished products. The future door for welding is even opener in midst of green jobs expected to dominate the world economy future.

The world keeps craving for clean energy. Sooner or later, there will be a green economy, but what types of skills will be in demand? In answer to that question, let’s name some clean energies – ethanol, solar, wind, natural gas, among others. All of those industries share one thing in common. That’s metal. Whatever it’s ethanol manufacturing, nuclear power plants, wind and water turbines or natural gas pipe lines, there need piping systems, structures, large storage tanks. And welding is a must-have skill for those green energy solutions.

Welding is not just the green collar job but is a hot skill in those tough times. There needs a relief of serious shortage of skilled welding workers. 

For those who are interested in:

Welding in Vietnam: In-demand and Good Pay Occupation

And even without being employed in the green industries, skilled welders have been accessible to tons of welding job chances. So just imagine what if the clean energy becomes a hot trend? Welders will be in hottest demand ever. That’s why many enterprises are now cementing their relationship with welding vocational training centers or developing their own training centers as the skills they need aren’t available. They gear those welding programs towards training welding workers to the highest level. For example, welders are required to welding in any position and be capable of producing flawless welds using either right or left hand. It will be a long story to have such perfect welding manpower though, the eventual ending will be rewarding and much satisfying.

Aside from being accessible to the green energy industries, with needed welding skills, welders can seize such good opportunities as – making more money than doctors, travelling around the world without paying any expenses, enjoy high-flying career choices in engineering, education, science, computer programming, etc., 

All in all, welding offer attractive careers, especially for those with can-do attitude and hard work. They will make money, enjoy the job, travel globally, be respected for what they can do, and help make a greener, cleaner, better place to live.

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Should I Hire Women Welders (Part 2)

There are both upsides and downsides to hiring women welders…

See also:

Should I Hire Women Welders (Part 1)

Downsides of hiring women welders

While there are certain advantages that drive you to hire women welders, especially in mid of welder shortage. Still, there are some downsides you should consider before decision-making.

You should hire women welders for many reasons though, there are some problems you should consider, too.

1. Working in a male-dominated environment, your women workers should be do the best they can. Otherwise, it is difficult to endure the hardship here. If you decide to choose them, check their willingness to learn and to accept challenges in the interview and probation aside from testing their skills.

2. If you have an excellent, young female welder in the welding shop, there is also some problems you and she may face. She will find it difficult to tell the experienced, older men that they are not using the right rod, they are welding out of range, others. You know, they are constructive ideas though, it is uncomfortable to work with such a just-too-perfect welder. Then clever strategies from you should be employed. For example, help your women welder along the way. Let her make small mistakes, but prevent her from making the big ones.

3. It is safer now to work in the welding shop. Still, for women, especially those with visual sensibility, they will have hard time accepting burns, or the like. If they aren’t afraid of them and have ways to minimizing such cases, you will have excellent workers. They will know how to protect themselves and accomplish their tasks. 

4. The discrimination isn’t that serious. Still, depending on where they work and whom they work with, the different treatment will be zero, low or high. You, as a stellar manager, should have good regulations related and penalty for any violator. 

5. When it comes to pay, there is something that may concern you. For example, you will think of paying women welders as high for avoiding anything called discrimination. Still, as a fair boss, you should clarify the pay scale and bonus that lines up with the skill, capability, experience, performance, and productivity. Make them fair and then there won’t be any blame.

Stay tuned for part 3 with tips for beating downsides and promoting upsides!

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Should I Hire Women Welders? (Part 1)

There are both upsides and downsides to hiring women welders…

See also:
Should I Hire Women Welders (Part 2)

In such a male-dominated trade as welding, women welders are often considered a brave solider who accept toughness, danger, and frustration. But it doesn’t mean that this job experience is not rewarding and fun, even a thousand times more rewarding than other trades. Acting as a stellar employer who knows how to let the upsides beat the downsides, you will be immensely benefited from recruiting women welders. 

Should I hire women welders?

Upsides of hiring women welders

1. They are often more hard-working than men

They may not be the best all the time though, never ever are they the laziest. Women welding workers are often diligent and show can-do attitude. Once they are willing to pursue what set fire in their heart and mind, they will accept sweaty, dirty, and probably burns and cuts at some point. 

2. They are awesome

They are just so amazing for words. They are strong, of course. They are steadfast, of course. They are sacrificing, of course. They are respectable, of course. They are really good welding workers, of course.

Working in a tough working environment with all guys around is not always easy. Still, women that accept to enter this battle and conquer it are just so awesome. Who don’t want such a physically and mentally strong, dedicated, passionate and diligent worker?

3. Some of them are the best welders

Some of them are, no doubt, the best welders with all their sacrifice and efforts. It must take lots of courage to leave things familiar with them and become cool at a new environment with such problems that are kind of alien, or obsessive to women as dirty hands, burns, worsened skin, among others. Once they accept those things, they don’t want to give up and strive to attain rewarding things to make up for their sacrifice. 

That’s why many of them are the best welders with certifications, skills, experience, and moving on their career. 

4. They are skilled

It is a pity that there are not enough women in such trades as welding, electric, plumbing.  No matter what their sizes are, every women working in the welding field are generally great, especially with TIG. For those who don’t super at TIG, it doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with them. They will follow you off the ends of the earth and be willing to learn and skill up if you take them under your wing.

To say nothing about the current trend that women are more educated than men, and they can be a master at work with their hard work, talent and smartness. 

5. They  complement your workforce

If you’re worried about welder commitment, it will be a good idea to have women welders in your human resources. They will help uplift the working environment, motivate other welders.

Male welders are universally more satisfied at the workplace with some women fellow workers. Gender differences, especially pertaining to communication, often are the cause of interesting conversation and much laughter. That’s not all, the gender differences make the workplace less boring and just lively like a colourful flowers, which is specially needed in the pretty tedious workplace like welding shops. The differences are, indeed, reflected through the thought processes, giving orders, expressing feelings, tackling problems, achieving goals, giving feedback, asking questions, etc. For example, while men are often more direct when giving feedbacks, women are more tactful and sensitive. Both men and women are devoted to attaining goals, but they do so in different fashions. Men are often more focused on the result, and tasked oriented. Meanwhile, women shed more focus on the process toward accomplishing the goals, and they are often more people oriented. That why a workplace with both men and women will be more interesting, harmonious.

Helpful information for those who are interested in:

7 Easy Ways of Motivating Your Welders

6 Sure-Fire Ways of Motivating Your Unskilled Welders

How to Retain Your Experienced Welders

6. Welding work is much safer than in previous years

There are significant improvements in equipment, engineering, procedures, training for mitigation of injuries. Welding shops these days are not an absolutely safe place for women though, it isn’t definitely a too dangerous one.

7. Discrimination is not that serious

As far as different treatment, the younger male welders at many welding shops treat the female ones well. And most of the older ones are be fine, too. Also, it should be noted that welders are often terrified of the superiors, then they won’t dare to cross the line.

It will be much better if your female welder gets her certification. It would be a shame that men don’t respect a woman. Even if they aren’t willing to respect her, they will have to respect her certifications. 

On a more positive note, many male welders are extremely kind to the female. The younger view women welders as their respectable senior while the older view them as the daughter or the like. They are golden, treated with respect. Once your female welder treats others as she wants to be treated, she will get the same.

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34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 4)

Fun facts about welding that may travel you through welding history and grow your love towards welding!

See also:
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 1)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 2)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 3)

27. Unlimited career paths for welders to choose

Welding is such an inviting career when offering more options of industries to work in and job advancement opportunities than almost any other careers. Welders are sought after in just about every industry and those desiring to further their career can realize it with further schooling. Some fields that welders can hunt for job opportunities are engineering, inspection, robotics, project management, sales, education, to name a few.

28. Skilled welders are always highly needed

Welding is considered one of few careers always in high demand. As welding workers are highly sought after in just about every industry, they can flexibly switch between industries without changing their career. While career choices often come with ups and downs, welding offer endless job opportunities that consistently fuel the demand.

29. Welding environments can be indoor, outdoor, even in space

The first welding test in space was made in 1969 in an effort to checking whether welding can be conducted in the de-pressurized environment. Those pursuing underwater welding career receive tempting compensation. Still, it should be noted that about 20 people out of 300 have to lose their lives due to the danger related to the process.

30. The average age of welding workers these days is 50+

Most of them will be retired within few years. Then there will be required of skilled, experienced employees to replace them in coming days.

31. Welding is the hot green collar job choice

The energy industry is striving for green future with the domination of green collar jobs. There need alternative energy sources though, at the moment, what green energy source will be the winner is still a question. 

What energy source will become the winner is not that important to the welder. Welders will be in demand no matter what is built inasmuch as it is made of metal. Welding is the safest choice for a green collar job as whatever technology is developed, this career is wanted to make it real.

32. The welding career outlook is awesome

Welders are in demand at all times. Whatever economic performance, so long as there is an thriving industry, welders can land a secure job. As a welder, you can switch industries without changing your career. Over recent years, the recession has hit various careers though, welders are not the victim when simply shifting to another industry.  

33. Various types of welding are used today

The most common forms are Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW). 

34. Welding, in many situations, involves incredibly high temperatures

Steel melts about 2800°F.

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40 Important Interview Questions You Should Ask Your Welder Candidates

Consider those welder interview questions to proceed the interview as seamlessly and effectively.

Other useful interview questions for those who are concerned about:
20 Interview Questions You Should Ask Your Welding Engineering Candidates

You are seeking for competent welders for the company? You are wondering how to ask the candidates so that you can see well how skilled they are and what are their attributes? If so, you have better to make strategic preparation for the questions to ask. They should be designed in ways that you can get what information you want from candidates,  avoid long-winded interviews and save your time and efforts, and your candidate’s .

Specified below are 40 welder interview questions that you can refer and apply flexibly to different skill levels you are looking for.

1. Can you work well under pressure?

2. Whose accountability is safety?

3. Can you please tell me about a time you disagreed with one decision made at work?

4. Can you please tell me about a challenge/ conflict you confronted at work, and how you handled it?

5. What is the most recent skill you have learned from previous jobs?

6. Why did you leave the last job?

7. What are your career goals as a welder? How do you plan to attain those goals?

8. Why do you want this position?

9. What do you about my company?

10. Why should I hire you?

11. What is your dream job?

12. What other enterprises are you interviewing with?

13. What have you done to enhance your welder knowledge last year?

14. How do you practise safety on the job?

15. Have you ever take action when seeing an unsafe act?

16. What is your biggest strength, and how does it help as a welder?

17. Can you describe in detail some of your welding work?

18. Do you get any technical experience (ex. working with computers or ipads)?

20. Metal won’t stay together after welding, why?

21. Do arc welders have to warm up?

22. Why does sometimes welding rod stick to metal?

23. Do you like building things, working with your hands?

24. Are you proud of your work and able to address high standards?

25. What is the thickest level of shielding metal you have used when arc welding?

26. What was your greatest achievement as a welder?

27. What was your biggest disappointment as a welder?

28. What do you consider functions of welding? What tasks would implement each of those functions?

29. How to do each welding function/ welding task?

30. How to measure each welding function/ welding task?

31. How to control each welding function/ welding task?

32. What are key welding tasks?

33. What are top 3 skills/ knowledge for welding?

34. What is appropriate procedure of cleaning the base metal?

35. How do I deal with high-frequency interference issues?

36. What are cause and solution to arc rectification?

37. How do I prevent tungsten from being contaminated or discoloured?

38. What causes unstable arc? How can I fix it?

39. What causes porosity of the TIG weld bead? How can I prevent it?

40. Should I employ a water-cooled or an air-cooled torch?

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Delve into 3 Leadership Techniques for Welding Quality Improvement

Be more insightful into 3 leadership techniques for improvements of welding quality and productivity.

You may find below information helpful:

How to Train Welders about Quality Welds

What Make A Qualified Weld Manager?

The welding manager is in charge of allocating the required resources for attaining cost-effectiveness in the welding processes. He/ She is also responsible for maintaining equipment and consistently addressing throughput requirements with the quality level in line with the required standards.

For productivity improvement, managers must:

1. Lead by example

2. Standardize welding procedures

3. Diminish scrap, rework and warranty costs. 

Lead by example

The welding leader is required to be actively engaged in all the welding operations. Managers must hear shop-floor workers’ voices, consider new ideas before making any improvements. Productivity of the common operation can be enhanced 25-45% with just humble or without capital investment.

Project managers can improve the effectiveness of welding processes through writing daily schedules. Those schedules specify welders, shipping personnel, materials, quality. To manage welding operations, leaders should set daily goals that are specific, action oriented, measurable, realistic and timely.

Simply, managers should effectively listen to new ideas for any improvement. Written daily schedules and daily goals help smooth the welding process and ensure everything necessary done.

Standardize procedures

Successful managers should go for standardized procedures that make clear all the applicable basic variables specified in the contract documents. Both leaders and welders are required to share the common production goals with managers of other departments.  

Managers must be concious of the non-welding duties carried out by their welding workers and mitigate those activities. Being instinctively creative, welders will do everything needed to have the job done. They often perform tasks unrelated to their job description, and don’t always maximize the arc-on time.

Particular values of welding procedure variables are obtained from the procedure qualification record that verifies the correctness of welding procedure specification. Tables show basic variables for every welding code. Alternations beyond the limitations of essential variables from the procedure qualification record needs re-qualification of the procedure.

Welding codes, specifications, or standards make clear the procedure types and required qualifications for welding. Standard welding industry terms includes welding procedure specification (WPS), procedure qualification record (PQR), and welding qualification test report (WQTR). WPS demonstrates the process along with base materials, parameters, consumables and techniques. PQR records the real welding process along with based material, variables, consumables, optimal conditions. WQTR records the real proficiency a welder possesses to attain the required results in PQR.

Maintenance

As far as welding comes, any failure to equipment during the process will induce unsuccessful welds. That’s why equipment must be routinely maintained, and its performance checked.

Reduce rework and warranty costs

Welding workers need supervision to help them mitigate scrap, rejects and reworks – the main culprits of excessive welding costs. Equipment warranty costs must be written down and monitored. 

Sometimes, supervisors are in charge of too many welding workers. In other words, welders may lose their welding time while waiting for the supervisor to check the weld or decide their work. Helpers can be allocated to wait for the repairs at tool cribs or maintenance shops. They can be lift truck divers and get necessary materials or consumables. Those time killers are a waste of time to welders. In the market these days, enterprises can’t recruit an adequate number of welders to keep up with the production schedules.

Managers are required to record previous equipment accomplishments as well as failures, and review warranty claim data. Welding workers, designers, salespersons and the estimating department need know about the warranty experiences or changes of the shop operations for future result prediction. There require continuous improvements to guarantee success with the existing and brand new welded items.

Check, record welding operations

Managers should daily record the welding operations to enhance welding reliability and raise productivity.

Also, closely examine the established procedures, which often unveils inconsistencies between the welder and equipment. As such, changes can be made for easier-to-follow procedures.

Higher productivity can be associated with optimizing the existing gains without extra capital investment, just by knowing adjustments to make in the workforce use, equipment and methods. Gains can be cited as higher quality attained from attention to details, lowered costs due to more effective methods or different welding processes used, higher throughput, safety awareness that is another name of reduced lost time accidents, gaining more time on the work for the experienced and less time lavished handling accidents.

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6 Sure-Fire Ways of Motivating Your Unskilled Welders

Lack of skilled welders can hurt welding business. One of effective solutions is to motivate and better unskilled welders so that they can, in a long run, become the backbone of the operation. 

You may also want to have a look at:

How to Retain Your Experienced Welders

Developing Effective Welding Workforce: Learn from a Successful Model

Amid skill shortages, you find it hard to look out the experienced and skilled workers. You are truly in need of workforce, that is why you take the plunge to hire the novice welders with enthusiasm and eagerness to learning skills. Whatever they are already motivated to learning and working or not, you should put fire in their heart and mind so that they can accomplish their training and do greatly their jobs. Below gives in-sights into how to uplift unskilled welders, and how to motivate welders to continue developing their skills. Hope they help out a lot!

What are considered skilled and unskilled welders?

Skilled welders seize how to read blueprints and comply with particular technical directions. They also grasp physical and chemical characteristics of different metals, how about their bonding in heat and their properties when cooling. Some skilled welders can use computer controlled welding machines, or even robotics.

Meanwhile unskilled welders understand welding essentials. They know how to fuse metals, but have a limited understanding of the science behind this process. Unskilled and semi-skilled welders are hired in many fields, commonly in an environment in need of the repetitively same weld. Unskilled welders often work in construction sites, manufacturing facilities and shipyards.

How to motivate skilled welders

You can set their hearts on fire with factors of responsibility, personal growth, career advancement, appraisal and recognition, work-life balance, targets being achieved, safety needs, bonuses and other fringe benefits. Once they are satisfied with those factors, they will be utterly motivated.

How to motivate unskilled welders

Skilled welders seek responsibility, are more self-directive, expect safety working environment and work advancement. They look for self-actualization, esteems, love and belonging. Meanwhile, unskilled welders tend to be content about:

1. Pay

Whatever welders are skilled or unskilled welders, a large majority would prefer a workplace with secure pay. With sustainable wages, welders will be more satisfied with their work and do a lot for the company. Simply, they often weld for money. They have to care about cost of living, fend for themselves and family. The reasonable pay will, of course, push them up with their hard work.

The pay often varies by level of skills though, you have better to pay your unskilled welders above the minimum wage. While the minimum wage just allows those welders to handle their minimum expenses, those paid higher can afford more and have more peace of mind striving for work productivity, skill-up and a worthy pay rise. Specially, the unskilled welders that show good work attitude and improved work performance deserve such a pay.

Another way is to investigate other companies’ pays in the same industry and the company size, and consider a competitive pay. 

2. Essential physiological/ survival needs 

As per Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the unskilled will be satisfied with physiological or survival needs aside from safety needs. This applies to welding workforce, too. The unskilled welders are often content if their basic needs are meet – for example, water, food.

3. Safety needs

Safety needs should be addressed; also, create a working environment in which they are comfortable.

4. Work-life balance

They are human; that’s why they need make friends and socialize. You can require their diligence, targets met and minimized defects. At the same time, facilitate their socialization. For example, sometimes hold a party with involvement of your employees to cement their relationship and refresh them after tedious work time. Overtime is necessary. Just about every workshop takes overtime hours. Whether it’s voluntary to work overtime or not, unskilled welders often choose to work more normal working hours for added earnings besides keeping their work. Commonly, they are afraid that the employer thinks them as being idle without accepting overtime work or the like, and ends up firing them.

5. Workforce benefits and privileges

Ensure basic benefits for the unskilled

Such benefits as health insurance, holidays should be ensured. A working environment with good benefit offer will sure motivate unskilled welders. They would be truly appreciated and move on with their hard work.

6. Quality of supervision

Quality of supervision contributes to unskilled welder's motivation

As they are unskilled, they need good supervision for their work quality guarantee. That way will avoid redoing welds and their being reprimanded and even losing the job. To say nothing about the fact that a close supervision will help them with skill improvement and, accordingly, better pay.

All in all, unskilled welders would be satisfied and motivated at work if hygiene factors are ensured at workplace. Those are, company policies, quality of supervision, personal life, relations with others, rate of pay, job security and working conditions. Make sure you address those factors, and your workforce motivation will work out a lot.

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34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 3)

Fun facts about welding that may travel you through welding history and grow your love towards welding!

See also:
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 1)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 2)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 4)

19. Electric arch discovered for the first time back in 1802. The phenomena occurring in the arch was investigated and described later on. After that, the arch was practically applied. It was employed to weld and separate steel details since 1881. 10 years later, welding was advanced using the electric arch with electrode in the molten state. The first workshop in which welding works were done was founded in 1882 in Perm (Russia).

20. During the second world war, welding advancements enabled ships to be built super fast. The SS Robert E Peary set the record for the quickest constructed ship. Built in 1942, it took just 4 days, 15 hours, and 27 minutes. This record, funnily enough, has not been broken.

For the ship herself, she had a notable career as operating in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans before ultimately being scrapped in June, 1963.

21. Over 50% of all man-made products rely on welding. From the trains, cars, plants we travel around in, to buildings we work, live in, or even the computer you are working on, they all require a welding spot before becoming full functional.

22. Fascinatingly, welding is called ‘the best kept secret’ to career as this important welding skill is always in demand. 

23. From ancient time, people were familiar with welding techniques. An image of ancient welder coupled with tool has been tracked down in long sealed Egyptian tombs. Still, the modern welding form appeared just after the 19th century.

24. Welding is one of few jobs that don’t require a college degree. Welders can attain a certificate in as few as 9 months to kick up this career and earn a secure living. Welders are graded by their skill level, and most jobs require a pass in the hands-on welding test.

25. A highly skilled welder can be paid the same as a doctor or lawyer. Welding is one of limited skills whose grasper can earn a six-figure income without any college degree. The highly skilled welder not hesitating to travel or/ and work in the hazardous conditions can get a good earning of more than $100,000.000 annually. 

As far as welding comes, the pays vary much. It all relies on how skilled the welder is and how far he/ she is willing to travel. Commonly, local jobs don’t pay a lot or require lots of skills. Still, if a student learns welding pipe and accepts to travel, then the wages are almost too tempting to be true. Being a welder, your career is what you create it. You can get a pay as humbly as $20,000.00 per year, or can seriously take your career to the top. Welding is the career that return a buck to those desiring the best and willing to travel globally to collect top dollar.

26. Welders can enjoy most unbelievable travels throughout their life as their job can involve in industrial shutdowns, shipping building and repair, military support, on-board ship maintenance and repair, pipe line installation, motor sports, underwater welding.

Welding means amazing travels

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How to Retain Your Experienced Welders

When you do get skilled and experienced welders, just keep them. Reflect those effective and proven ways to perfect your manpower retention strategies.

You may also be interested in:

7 Easy Ways of Motivating Your Welders
6 Sure-Fire Ways of Motivating Your Unskilled Welders

Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 1)

Now that there need a large number of skilled and experienced welders who can handle well welds and help train and inspire novice welding workers who are expected to make remarkable future contribution to your business. It is important that you hunt out the experienced, complementing your manpower. And it will be more crucial if you can retain them and earn their commitment. Keeping those employees will help prevent the revolving door of welders at the shop-floor and in the field. 

Below are some effective ways that many companies have successfully applied. You can refer to and it will be great if you make some constructive additions to this list. 

1. Regular events for honouring the laborforce

Those events not just help cement relations between employers and employees, and between employees, but free welders’ work stress and concern. They dedicate much time to their job, then there need some time spared for their life entertainment. Those events do help out. If brand-new welding workers often think of dwelling into their work for skilling up and solidifying their career, the experienced, to some extent, prefer a work-life balance. Of course, they will strive for more recognition, much better pay and work advancement. At the same time, they want to have some space to entertain. The workplace include such entertaining events can keep the veteran welders for long.

Regular cookouts or the like will be very effective to foster labor relation and keep experienced welders

These events may include a large workforce event with nicely served food and drink,  games, raffles for gift cards, TVs and cash, and regular party outdoors where the office workers act as the serving lines. 

2. Paid handshakes for welders

Handshakes bring warmth, sincerity, willingness and commitment. Shake your welder's hand and give him worthy encouragement

The company management takes a random walk around the workshop and hand out a bill (ex. $50) to a welder with well organized workspace or demonstration of a significant effort in dealing with a customer. That way will bring out surprising happiness to employees and motivate their contribution. Plus, they will enjoy more job satisfaction, feel more comfortable with their employers, which is more important than pay. Not to mention the fact that bonus is a remarkable motivator of workers.

3. Perks to promote positive welder activity

If welding workers display safe working practices, have their training, certifications updated, or enhance operations through a helpful suggestion, for example, they will be entitled for the perks. Perks here vary by companies. However small or big fringe benefits are, they sure will put a big smile on your welders because you manage to create a culture that your employees want to engage in, be proud of and share in the company growth.

4. Effective training on new technologies, machines, consumables

It is important to offer useful training on state-of-the-art technologies, machines as well as consumables to the company workforce to keep the welders engaged in their work. The employees need feel that they are contributors to an organization’s success. A company’s investment in training its existing welders will be just like assertive words for its commitment to their future, and significantly more cost effective than hiring and training new workers.

5. Safety as the culture

The workplace stressing safety as its culture will be more inviting and enable welders to exert their best efforts. This should cover repetitive  safety training, frequent assessment of working practices, OSHA requirements and safety standards. Also, the employers should allow the welders to involve in open discussions and suggest safe working habits.

Developing a welding fume extraction system may solve ventilation, communicating a message of workforce appreciation. Such a heartfelt care for employees will help contribute to improved retention. 

All in all, an enterprise’s goal is to create and sell products that best serve its customers whilst reaping profitability gains. A strong manpower is pivotal to accomplishing that goal. Strategic recruitment coupled with structure workforce retention efforts will surely go a long way to maintain safety, engagement and productivity of a skilled and experienced workforce.

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What is Your Definition of Mig Welding?

 Below specify definition of MIG welding along with its pros and cons. Read on and don’t hesitate to leave your viewpoints of this process.

You may also be interested in:

8 Useful Tips for Mig Welding

MIG welding (also, Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)) involves a process that takes advantage of a persistently fed solid electrode, shielding gas from an external supply, and electric power for melting the electrode and depositing this molten material in the welding joint. The equipment employed automatically regulates the electric characteristics of the arc. The welder is required of the only manual control (travel speed, travel direction and gun positioning). As far as appreciate equipment settings come, the power supply will give the needed amperage for melting the electrode at the required rate to maintain the pre-selected arc length (voltage). For instance, a higher stick-out resulted from drawing the torch back from the work piece leads to a decrease in current from the power source. That way maintains the similar electrode heating and returns the arc length to its pre-set condition. The selection of filler metal should be closely associated with the base material to be welded. Regarding MIG welding, the filler metal helps reinforce the completed welding joint aside from conducting current to the arc zone (and melting base metal and electrode as a result).

MIG welding can be employed on various metals, and base metals of numerous different thicknesses. Its successful application is related to the appropriate selection of:

• Electrode (composition, diameter, packaging)
• Shielding gas (type, purity, flow rate)
• Process variables (current, voltage, mode of metal transfer and travel speed)
• Equipment (power supply source, welding gun, wire feeder)

Why Use MIG Welding?

• MIG welding is a high-productivity, low-cost welding process
• It can be used for welding all types of metals and alloys commercially available
• Welding can work in all positions with right selection of equipment and parameters
• Using a persistently fed electrode maintains a high duty cycle and minimizes the defect occurrences
• In-depth weld penetration can be gained, which enables the employment of small weld sizes for equal weld strengths in some applications
• There requires minimal after-weld clean-up as a result of the absence of a slag cover on the weld bead
• Welding speeds and rates of weld metal deposition are higher than those got with stick welding
• Perfect for multi-pass welding (with appropriate filler metal selection)
• Less manual skill is required comparatively to stick welding
• Fume rates come at really low levels as compared to stick welding and flux cored welding
• Compositions and diameters of filler metal are widely selected for welding thick or thin material
• This process is perfect for mechanized welding.
• This process provides enhanced electrode deposition efficiency in comparison with stick welding and FCAW
• Welds of X-ray quality can be produced.

What are Downsides to MIG Welding?

• Weld equipment is considered more complex, more costly and less portable compared to stick welding
• It is difficult for the required welding torch to reach into the constricted areas. Plus, the good gas shielding is needed, which makes the torch be quite closer to the weld area.
• The welding arc with its gas shield is necessarily protected from drafts, which may cause the shielding to be blown away from the arc. This doesn’t facilitate the use of this process outdoors unless the protective shields are placed around the working area
• Pretty high levels of radiated heat and light might cause operator’s discomfort, initial resistance to the process
• Burn-through commonly occurs when welding especially thin materials (smaller than 1/16”)
• Pertaining to traditional transfer when welding out of position, rates of weld metal deposition are less than those obtained with flux cored welding
• This process fails to perform well in which base metal contamination is an issue. The base metal is required to be clean and rust-free
• Lacking in fusion defects may induce where process parameters are wrongly set. This is extremely critical when welding base metals are thicker than 1/4”

Are you finishing this read? What is your definition of MIG welding? Your opinions of its pros and cons? 

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34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 2)

Fun facts about welding that may travel you through welding history and grow your love towards welding!

See also:

34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 1)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 3)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 4)

8. It seems unbelievable but it’s true that two pieces of metal without any coating on them are stuck together permanently if they touch in space. This doesn’t happen on Earth as the atmosphere places a layer of oxidized materials between the surfaces.

9. A ‘fume plume’ is the visible fume column that directly rises from the spot of cutting or welding.

10. 1,075 ft. deep  is the record for the global deepest underwater dry weld performed in a chamber sealed around the structure to be welded. It was set by Global Industries in 1990. Still, that is just half as deep as the global record of 2,000 ft. deep for wet weld. It was set by the America’s Navy in 2005. Wet welding is carried out underwater and exposed directly to the watery environment.

11. The earliest recorded welds was in 3,500 B.C, Bronze Age. Pics of welders cum their ancient tools were discovered in long sealed Egyptian tombs.

12. Welding can be done employing electric arc, laser radiation, electronic beam, gas flame, ultra-sound, rubbing.

13. The sculpture ‘Mother Motherland’ in Kiew is the all-welded structure with 450-ton weight and welded joints of around-30-kilometer length

14. 5000 °C is the highest welding temperature of burning.

15. There is a fabulous monument to a welder in Russia.

16. 2 out of 3 welding occupations are in manufacturing.

17. 55% of welders have 40 standard working hours per week in shifts of 8 to 12 hours. Relying on the project, welding workers may work overtime, adding up to 70 hours each week.

18. The median age of welders in workforce these days is 54. Many of them will retire within the upcoming 10 years, creating an enormous need for the skilled and experienced to replace them.

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34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 1)

Fun facts about welding that may travel you through welding history and grow your love towards welding!

See also:
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 2)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 3)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 4)

Ok, after long days of hard work, you should have time for your own enjoying this beautiful life. Gather with your buddies. Go shopping with your beloved family. Or just simply, go out and enjoy fresh air and love. Love is in the air. You also can read something funny to have good laugh. Below are interesting welding facts that can help you refine welding knowledge and grow more in love with this amazing job. 

1. 

Jay Leno is the celebrity comedian with large collection of antique cars and motorcycles, including models from early 1900s to latter-day vehicles. He also employed welders regularly.

2. 

3. 

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) — Hundreds of parts from chassis, suspensions to drive-trains were hand cut, welded, and machined

4.  

Explosion welding is such a fantastic welding process. Incredibly, it can succeed in what lots of other welding methods can not – that is, joining almost every type of metal together, even the just-about-dissimilar ones.

5. 

Today’s advances in welding technology have made it absolutely necessary for such projects as constructing the International Space Station.

6. 

President Roosevelt boasted that the discovery of welding techniques allow the U.S to build ships with an unbeatable speed in the shipbuilding history.

7. 

Two firsts here! The first car manufactured with a wholly plastic body was fabricated utilizing ultrasonic welding. While plastic cars didn’t get it, ultrasonic welding did. Ultrasonic plastic welding is a good example of the friction welding process that generates energy via high intensity acoustic sounds. Those sounds, as such, make plastic pieces vibrate together and establish a bond.

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Top 13 Things to Teach Your Novice Welders (Part 2)

Learning to weld is not easy. Just like a solider, one needs steadfast spirit, patience to learn. It also takes practice and firm foundation of knowledge. Following are 13 important things that companies can consider to teach their novice welders. Ensure they grasp those things for skilling up, gaining confidence needed to increase proficiency, and staying safe in the process.

See also:

Top 13 Things to Teach Your Novice Welders (Part 1)

7. Know material properties

Different materials have different chemical and mechanical properties. One of key components of training is to help new welders see the difference between materials, specifically how they respond to heating and cooling. For instance, austenitic stainless steel carries heat at about half the rate of mild steel though, it, when being welded, has much higher rate of thermal expansion. Not all, it comes with more localized heat affected zone(HAZ), which can induce buckling as the weld cools. Welders with awareness of those properties can take such precautions as clamping for distortion prevention. 

Likewise, many materials ask for pre and post weld heat treatments for the cooling rate control and cracking prevention. When welders familiarize themselves with such material attributes, they are better ready to make needed adjustments during welding process.

8. Inspect the welds with visualization

Visually inspect welds

The first step of quality control is to know how to make an accurate visual inspection of the completed weld. This is also the quickest and least costly method of inspection. Novice welders should learn how to define weld defects – for example, porosity, lack of penetration, excessive penetration, undercutting, weld cracks. Early identification of defects will help prevent time and cost poured into other testing methods, including non-destructive testing or x-ray inspections. 

9. Learn troubleshooting skills

One of key skills new welders should learn is the ability to define and rectify welding problems quickly. Downtime reduction, weld quality and productivity are associated with troubleshooting skills. Such skills also can help lower rework related costs. 

Novice welders can be benefited from learning to properly adjust the gas flow rate and/ or define gas leaks for solving instances of porosity. They should also know to adjust voltage and amperage settings if they face such issues as excessive conductivity, lacking penetration, undercutting. Defining welding problems related to worn consumables is also significant as poor conductivity can lead to an unstable arc and various weld defects.

10. Be familiar with maintenance

Each and every part of the welding system, from electric source to GTAW torch or GMAW gun and consumables, requires maintenance to keep its efficient and effective operation. New welders should familiarize with appropriate maintenance procedures, preferably the preventive ones, to be active in the continuing upkeep of the whole welding system.

11. Get the sense of proper travel speed

The most typical challenge facing welding instructors is training their students the right travel speed. It is difficult to know how slow or fast to move so as to generate the best possible weld. As the experienced, you may know how it feels for a proper travel speed though, it may be hard to tell someone how to do it.

Arc travel speed faults

Still, you can conquer this challenge by first letting your students watch you weld some practice beads. Newcomers can imitate you when you weld for getting the sense of how quick they need move. 

12. Know how to see the puddle

Teach your students about stick welding since it is easier to see the puddle. Yet, if you do start with Mig, you will need spend some time helping the new welders find out the right angle and positioning to see the puddle. When moving their heads to the side so as to see the puddle, beginners often move off the welding joint.

13. Know how to weld straight

Beginners needn’t learn how to weld uphill or in various positions. It may be the best just to start with a flat piece of metal that you draw 2 lines on and weld down the mid of it. Straight stringers are considered the best way to go with novice welders who need more focus on travel speed than the torch weaving or whipping when they work.

Teaching a new welder doesn’t just mean showing him/ her how to set the electric source or hold the torch or gun at the right angle. The best training approach is to integrate good habits which will keep welders safe and comfy, and equip them with the knowledge and tips to handle everything from materials to maintenance. Of course, the required time to shift a novice welder to the skilled will take long. Yet, the long term benefits are worth it.

Read More

Top 13 Things to Teach Your Novice Welders (Part 1)

Learning to weld is not easy. Just like a solider, one needs steadfast spirit, patience to learn. It also takes practice and firm foundation of knowledge. Following are 13 important things that companies can consider to teach their novice welders. Ensure they grasp those things for skilling up, gaining confidence needed to increase proficiency, and staying safe in the process.

See also:
Top 13 Things to Teach Your Novice Welders (Part 2)

 1. Put safety first

Teach welders to wear proper personal protective equipment

Importantly, welders keep themselves safe from electricity and heat generated from the welding process. As beautiful-like-firework as it is, the arc does harm to both eyes and skin. That’s why welders need wear appropriate personal protective equipment at all times. Those items include safety glasses, a welding helmet, flame-resistant gloves, a long sleeved welding jacket. Steel toed shoes and flame resistant clothing are also recommended. 

Aside from PPE, welders importantly employ enough local exhaust, ventilation at the arc, or use both to maintain the gases and fumes below Threshold Limit Value (TLV)/ Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)/ Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) in the general area and their breathing zone. 

Train novice welders to keep their heads out of fumes. 

Plus, explain to novice welders about how important it is for reading and comprehending the manufacturer’s equipment instructions, the workplace’s safety practices, safety instructions on the label, material safety data sheet for filler metals being employed. Overall, remind new welding workers of all needed precautions for their own and others protection.

From time to time, check for standing on a dry rubber mat (indoors) or a dry board (outdoors), and ground connections. That way also can mitigate the possibility of electric shock, further protecting welders.

 2. Properly install consumables

One important factor in attaining good weld quality is good conductivity (also, the ability for the electric current to run along the welding circuit). At all times, new welders should install their consumables like nozzles, diffusers, contact tips, etc. aligned with the manufacturer’s recommendation, ensuring each component is tightened securely. For instance, in the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) operation, with the secure connection between the GMAW gun neck and diffuser, shielding gas leaks would be prevented. Not all, such secure connections will give out the surface area necessary to carry the electric current through the GMAW gun and create a stable arc. They also help limit weld defects, help with consistent productivity and lower the risk of overheating related premature consumable failure.

3. Cleanliness is significant

Teach welders about proper cleaning procedure for particular base material being welded

It is definitely important to clean the base material before welding, and as necessary between weld passes. Oil, grease, dirt and other debris can enter the weld pool, inducing contamination. That will lead to bad weld quality and expensive rework. New welders need be taught as to the appropriate cleaning procedure for the specific base material being welded. 

In some cases, it is sufficient to wipe the base material using a dry, clean cloth. Still, more precautions need be taken when welding on aluminium, for instance. The welder will need use the stainless steel wire brush specified for aluminium to wipe out the joint prior to welding. That way will get rid of dirt and any oxide still residing on the aluminium's surface.

No matter what material, it is critical to properly instruct welders about cleaning before welding starts.

4. Always abide by welding procedures

Follow weld procedures

Like a recipe that makes a meal, welding procedures are needed to make consistent welds. Not just new welders but the experienced need grasp the importance of those procedures and always follow them.

The procedures for a certain application have been meticulously decided and qualified by the experts to guarantee that the recommended parameters can give out the desired results. 

Weld procedures cover such details as suggested gas flow rate, shielding gas mixture, voltage and current ranges. Those procedures also give information on type and diamter of filler metal to apply, and the appropriate wire feed speed in case of GMAW or flux cored arc welding (FCAW) application. 

5. Seize the importance of filler metal

Filler metals are consider a specially important but sometimes confusing component of welding system. It will be good for new welders if they familiarize themselves with attributes of different types of wires, inclusive of flux cored and metal cored wires, along with respective welding techniques. For example, those welding workers should learn whether their specific filler metal asks for a ‘push’ or ‘pull’ technique. Going by such old adages as “If there is slag, you drag” may help; it shows that flux cored wires that produce slag should be handled using the ‘pull’ technique. Also, new welders should form the habit of consulting the manufacturer’s spec sheet for more operating recommendations.

Also, learning to properly handle and store filler metals is important for new welders. They should put on clean gloves whenever handling the filler metals, and if they are in charge of storing them, they should do so in the clean and dry environment.

6. Keep comfortable

Staying cool and comfortable during welding process can help welders with lessened injuries and repetitive movement and reduced overall fatigue. If possible, they should learn to minimize their total strength moves or constant motion. Plus, the welders should employ a GTAW torch or GMAW gun with a comfy handle and cable style because those factors both make up the equipment’s manoeuvrability and weight.

Plus, new welders should be motivated to involve in raising efficiency of their welding workspace. Commonly, the more engaged a welder is in offering input about the work, the more satisfied he/ she will be. Also, such engagement can help guarantee better safety compliance and reduced welders’ compensation cost for injuries.

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