ASME Section IX Article III Regarding Welder Performance Qualifications

[AwesomeAndy3]

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding Welding Performance Qualifications as per ASME Section IX.

Let's say a company has an approved Welding Procedure Specification. Welders have their own Performance Qualification Cards with essential parameters.

Do the welders have to be tested to the company's approved WPS first before being allowed to weld using the said WPS?

Or do the welders just follow the WPS as long as it doesn't go past the limitations stated on the WPS and their own Performance Qualification parameters?

Thanks,

Andy

 

[weldstan]

Your last question applies.

 

[DekDee]

As a rule ASME IX welders cannot have their own "Performance Qualification Cards".

QW-301.2 Qualification Tests. Each organization
shall qualify each welder or welding operator for each
welding process to be used in production welding.

QG-106.2 Performance Qualifications. Each organization
is responsible for the supervision and control of
material joining performed by persons for whom they
have operational responsibility and control.

however

QG-106.3 Simultaneous Performance Qualifications.
Organizations may participate in an association to
collectively qualify the performance of one or more persons
for material-joining processes simultaneously and
may share performance qualification information with
other participating organizations within the association.
When simultaneous performance qualifications are conducted,
each participating organization shall be represented
by an employee with designated responsibility
for performance qualifications.

Is your company and the company who qualified these welders in an " association" ?

 

[david339933]

Also see QW-304

 

[gtaw]

The bottom line is that the welders must be qualified by their employer and they are only qualified to use the employer's qualified WPSs.

The exception is if they belong to a labor organization or they are employed by a contractor's association and they are qualified in accordance with QG-106.3.
Keeping in mind what the letters ASME stand for (Always, Sometimes, Maybe, or Except), one must always refer to the construction code to verify or to check the requirements of Section IX have not haven't been tinkered with. For example, if the contract cites ASME B31.3 Process Piping and if the owner specifies the fluid service is "high pressure", the conditions cited by QW106.3 are not acceptable.

Best regards - Al