The three records
| Record | What it is | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| WPS | The written instruction for making the weld | How was this weld made? |
| PQR | The record of the test coupon that proved the procedure | Does that method give sound welds? |
| WPQ | The record proving a named welder can apply it | Was the welder qualified to do it? |
For definitions, see WPS, PQR and WPQ.
The cross-check, step by step
- List every production weld from the weld map, with its WPS reference and welder ID.
- For each weld, check the WPS is the revision that applied on the weld date.
- Check the weld sits inside the WPS ranges: process, base material, filler, thickness, diameter and position.
- Check the WPS names the PQR(s) behind it, and that those PQRs qualify its ranges under the code the order calls up.
- Check the welder's qualification covers the weld's process, position, thickness and diameter.
- Check the welder's qualification was current on the weld date, including any continuity record the code requires.
- Record each gap with the weld number, the record and the page, so it can be fixed before the record book closes.
Check the code, not a rule of thumb
Which variables are essential, and how far a test qualifies a range, depends on the code and its edition. Read them from the code the order calls up.
Where the gaps usually are
- A weld on the map with no WPS reference, or a reference to a superseded revision.
- A thickness or diameter outside the WPS range.
- A welder ID on the map with no qualification record in the file.
- A qualification that had lapsed by the weld date.
- Material certificates and heat numbers that do not match the weld map. See how to review a material test report.
What OdysseyGPT does
The Welding Qualification Review (beta) checks that your WPS, PQR and welder qualification records support every weld on the weld map, and cites each uncovered weld. It is a review, not a welding management system. It does not interpret drawings, so the weld map must be a readable document or table. Your welding coordinator decides every finding. See OdysseyGPT for manufacturing and the technical deviation list guide for the bid-stage deviations these records must honour.
Try it on your own documents
Free sample: a certificate check report
Send up to 20 material certificates and the PO. Get a certificate check report.