Welding Technology Fundamentals
Brandi Wendelberger
Cochise offers all certification testing done on site through its AWS Accredited Test Facility. We are one of three AWS testing facilities in the state of Arizona. We offer AWS D1.1, API 1104, ASME sec IX, and AWS D17.1 certifications.
The Welding Technology Associate of Applied Science degree is designed to prepare students to enter the workforce in almost any facet of the diverse field of welding technology. It addresses the needs of beginners as well as those of experienced welders looking to upgrade their skills and certifications.
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Program Description: This program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in the manufacturing career cluster; provides technical skill proficiency, and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of the manufacturing career cluster. This program offers a broad foundation of knowledge and skills to prepare students for employment in the welding industry.
The content includes but is not limited to planning, management, technical and product skills, underlying principles of technology, labor issues, community issues and health, safety, and environmental issues.
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The Welding Technology program offers specialized welding and fabrication instruction through theoretical, practical and technical learning objectives and strategies. The core curriculum specializes in welding and fabrication and delves into the expanses of welding technology as a whole. Students are first introduced to welding, cutting and fabrication safety; theory and fundamentals; and then transition to more advanced welding and fabrication processes and application, such as weld quality, inspection testing and repair techniques and automated welding and cutting systems and operations. Students who successfully complete this program will have learned a diverse skillset giving them opportunities to enter the workforce as entry-level welders, fabricators, field technicians and positions them for higher learning in welding engineering, welding education or materials science.
In order to break into the welding field, postsecondary training is recommended. Aspiring welders often attend a welding bootcamp or a welding certificate program to gain hands-on experience in the field, and to learn the fundamental welding processes and techniques needed to land a job.
Today, most employers prefer to hire welders with some knowledge and practical experience under their belts. For this reason, welding programs focus on teaching the ins and outs of advanced manufacturing technology and welding processes like MIG welding and TIG welding, among numerous other welding techniques.
A disadvantage of MIG welding is the cost of obtaining shielding gas and the inability to perform vertical (overhead) welds. In addition, MIG welds are not as accurate or strong as TIG welds, and working materials must be completely clean.
Mainly automotive and construction industries practice and benefit from MIG welding. Gas Metal Arc Welding is also implemented in projects pertaining to fabrication, maritime repairs, plumbing, robotics, and more. Again, this is the most common welding process utilized in manufacturing today.
TIG welds can tolerate higher temperatures and are ideal for thin sections of stainless steel or non-ferrous metals like aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, lead, magnesium, nickel, stainless steel, steel, tin, titanium, and zinc.
With TIG welding, there is no contact between the electrode and the fused material. As a result, the electrode and metals are connected by a steady electrical arc, creating a more precise and polished outcome than a MIG weld.
TIG welding is more talent-driven and time-consuming than MIG, stick, or flux cored arc welding. Considered one of the most challenging welds to learn, the ability takes keen attention to detail and solid fine motor skills to produce a smooth finished product. Due to the long project lead times, TIG welding is a slower process with more significant production costs.
Predominantly, aviation, aerospace, bicycle manufacturers, pipe welders, and sheet metal mechanics implement the TIG welding method. TIG welding is also applied to produce door handles, fenders, and more.
Stick welding can join thick alloyed steel, carbon steel, cast iron, ductile iron, and stainless steel. Shielded metal arc welding can also combine some non-ferrous metals like nickel and copper. Stick welds are rarely used on aluminum.
Most popular among home-shop welders, shielded metal arc welding is portable, works well on dirty and rusty materials, and requires minimal equipment and cost. Stick welding does not require shielding gas and can be applied outdoors amongst rain and wind elements. This versatile method is also easy to learn.
FCAW does not require shielding gas and can be implemented outdoors in windy conditions. Flux core arc welding is efficient and enables the newly joined metal to cool faster than other methods. FCAW can also be used on materials that do not need to be cleaned.
The filler material found in flux cored arc welding is more expensive than other types of arc welding. In addition, this method is notorious for generating more fumes and smoke than other methods and is advised to be applied outdoors or under industrial ventilation.
At Goodwin, completing a welding certificate is convenient, and students can study for their careers on their schedule. With open enrollment, no waitlist, and day and evening classes available, learners can take full or part-time courses and obtain their welding certificate in as few as eight months.
At MCC, students will learn welding techniques, including shielded metal arc welding, MIG welding, TIG welding, pipe welding, flame cutting and plasma cutting. Coursework includes interpreting blueprints, electrical fundamentals, welding metallurgy and American Welding Society electrode classifications.
Student will develop an awareness of the welding industry. Emphasis will be placed on American Welding Society (AWS) welding codes and standards as they relate to the construction, fabrication and maintenance industry.
Student will develop an understanding of line interpretation and apply this knowledge to orthographic and isometric drawings. Skill development in recognizing structural shapes from prints and interpreting welding symbols on prints will also be emphasized.
The American Welding Society (AWS) determines industry standards for welding and is recognized worldwide. The AWS Level I and Level II curriculum has been implemented in all welding classes. These changes will better prepare our students for AWS certification and expand their career prospects.
Graduates can work as a welder, fabricator, maintenance welder, MIG/TIG welder, inspector, manager, salesperson, engineer, pipefitter and more. Our alumni work at construction companies, manufacturing companies, small businesses and maintenance companies.
Students will learn the theory and fundamentals of the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process including electrode selection, weld joint fundamentals and striking an arc. Students will perform flat and horizontal groove welds and flat and horizontal fillet welds according to AWS acceptance criteria.
This program prepares students for certification via a comprehensive learning process that teaches theory, fundamentals, equipment, and techniques of welding technology. This class provides thorough coverage of common welding and cutting processes, including gas tungsten arc welding, gas metal arc welding, shielded metal arc welding, oxy-fuel gas welding and cutting, plasma arc cutting, and resistance welding. The class includes extensive instruction in welding symbol knowledge, welding testing, inspection, and preparation for employment in the welding field.
The Tennessee College of Applied Technology does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnic or national origin, sex, disability, age status as a protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulations and by Tennessee Board of Regents policies with respect to employment, programs, and activities.
Notice: Enrollment closes up to 10 days in advance of when the course begins in order to accommodate shipping of course materials to learners. Upon purchase of this course, for yourself or for a colleague, please ensure that you submit the correct address for the participant. Please refer to the course description for additional information.
This course is designed for the individual that needs to expand his/her core competence on the subject of welding. Designers, inspectors, managers, or welders with a need to understand the fundamentals of welding benefit from the practical aspects of welding technology offered here.
This course employs in-class exercises to reinforce class lectures on the subjects of welding and NDE symbols, carbon equivalence, A-numbers, strength of welds, joint details, welding procedures, selection of filler metals, and preheat.
Participants should bring a calculator and several pencils or a mechanical pencil to class.
Course Materials (Included in the purchase of the course):
A hard copy of the course presentation and a copy of AWS A3.0 Standard Welding Terms will be shipped to each attendee. We are only shipping materials to addresses within North America.We cannot provide digital access to the course notes.
Recommended Course Materials (not included in the purchase of the course):
Modern Welding Technology, 6th Edition, written by Howard B. Cary and Scott Helzer.