Fabrication and welding guides for plant engineers
Plain explanations of the things buyers ask us about before a job starts: what certification actually covers, which stainless grade a duty needs, and how to get work through a shutdown window. Written for maintenance managers and plant engineers, not for other welders.
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Certification
What is a coded welder?
A certificate covers one process, one material group, a thickness range and a position, and nothing outside it. What the documents actually prove, the difference between a WPS, a PQR and a welder's certificate, and the five questions worth asking a fabricator.
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Materials
304 vs 316 stainless: how to choose for plant work
One alloying element separates the two grades, and chloride exposure is what decides between them. When 304 is the correct specification rather than a compromise, what the L grades change for welded work, and why a stainless weld is not finished until the heat tint comes off.
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Shutdowns
How to prepare for a plant shutdown
Shutdown work is decided before the plant stops. What to close out while the line is still running, what a fabricator needs in order to quote a window properly, the delays that cost the most hours, and when a shutdown is the wrong place for the job.
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Welding
TIG vs MIG welding: which process a plant job needs
How TIG and MIG welding differ, where each suits plant pipework and steelwork, and what to settle with your fabricator before the arc is struck.
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Straight answers about what we do, where we work and how we quote are on the frequently asked questions page.