The American Welding Society (AWS) was founded in 1919, as a non-profit organization with a global mission to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes, including brazing, soldering and thermal spraying.
Headquartered in Miami, Florida, and led by a volunteer organization of officers and directors, AWS serves over 73,000 members worldwide and is composed of 22 Districts with 250 Sections and student chapters. The Society is dedicated to supporting hundreds of thousands of industry professionals, including: welders, business leaders, sales and service teams, manufacturers, vendors, associations, educational institutions, committee volunteers, and students.
The organization is perhaps best known for its code and certification procedures, which provide industry standards for the welding and joining of metals, plastics and other materials. Through their publications, internet forums, social media, member services, local and national events, educational resources, networking activities, and certification procedures, AWS keeps welding professionals and those interested in materials science up to date with the most current advances and procedures in the industry.
History
The roots of the American Welding Society stretch back to World War I, when the sudden demands of swiftly producing military equipment brought about the need for standardization of the manufacturing industry. An evolving metal joining process, welding, suddenly became very necessary to enhance the war effort. To ensure that industry took advantage of this technology, President Woodrow Wilson called upon a Harvard professor, Comfort A. Adams, to chair the Welding Committee of the Emergency Fleet Corp.
Welding performed well in the war effort and its success motivated Adams in 1919 to bring together industry leaders for the purpose of merging the Welding Committee of the Emergency Fleet Corp. and the National Welding Council into a new organization, the purpose of which was to provide dependable and objective information on the developing technology of welding. On March 28, 1919, the American Welding Society was born for that purpose, with Adams serving as its first President.
That first year the Society grew to 217 members; introduced the Journal of the American Welding Society, a technical publication with a life of one issue, but the precursor of the Welding Journal; found a home in the Engineering Societies Building in New York City; and established the foundation of the committee system for the production of its operating procedures and industry standards on welding. In 1920, the first local Section was organized in Philadelphia, Pa.
By 1922, the American Welding Society had held its first Annual Meeting. Attendees were told of the formation of Sections in eight cities, and also of the establishment of the Journal of the American Welding Society. However, the first meeting also called into discussion the growing financial issues surrounding the depression and proposed solutions to alleviate it. Financial reports delivered at the meeting stated an income for fiscal year ending March 31, 1922, of $12,683.74. The budget for fiscal year 1922-23 was projected at $15,540. It was clear more earnings were needed, so the Society turned to increasing membership numbers of advertising in the Journal as a solution.
Location
The American Welding Society's first headquarters were located in New York City, inside the Engineering Societies Building. For 42 years the organization held all their business in this building, before finally making the move to the United Engineering Center, which was also in New York City. In 1971 the Society once again moved their headquarters - this time to Miami, FL. The American Welding Society held this location for 30 years before buying its current property in Doral, FL - only seven miles northwest of the old facility.
In August 2012 the American Welding Society moved from their longtime headquarters just outside Coral Gables, FL to their current location in Doral, FL. During the grand opening of the new building, AWS President William Rice said "Our newly renovated five-story building in Doral offers us exactly what we need. It gives us more than three times the office and meeting space of our previous headquarters, and it provides room for our board, committee, and educational activities."
The lobby of the headquarters features a bronze sculpture created by sculptor Gregory Johnson and donated to the American Welding Society by President Rice and his wife Cherry.
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Welding Journal
The publication currently known as the Welding Journal was originally born in October 1919 with a different name. The Journal of the American Welding Society was its original title - and it had just one issue under this name. In the first publication, American Welding Society President Comfort A. Adams wrote, "The American Bureau of Welding is the authoritative body to establish the facts. To make the most use of the facts, however, requires another sort of machinery and the organization that does this is the American Welding Society. Its function is not to supply the knowledge but to spread it and assist in putting it to practical uses. It is the Society, for instance, which publishes this Journal, which will push matters of importance to welding and which will open out new fields for its use. It holds regular meetings to discuss matters relating to welding, to act upon the recommendation of the Bureau and to initiate further activities. This division of the work, while it has created some confusion on account of the similarity of the names, is a logical one, and will be found effective in operating as was clearly indicated by the experience with the old Welding Committee."
Operating costs were too high for the Journal, and it was not until 1922 that the publication was reborn under its current name thanks to advertising earnings.
The Society explained the advertising move in their first issue of the newly named Welding Journal. "Advertising is also included in this issue, as it was impossible to continue monthly publication without increased revenue. The dues from members of which the National Organization retains half (the other half being returned to local sections) is barely sufficient to pay the ordinary expenses of the Society. Moreover, several members of the Board of Directors feel that these advertisements are of interest to our members and add to the value of the Journal."
Since the move to advertising, the Welding Journal has been published continually and continues to be an resource for issues and advancements concerning all types of materials joining, metal fabrication, and construction. It is offered as a benefit to members of the Society, and includes information of the latest products, trends, technology, and events; including articles covering everything from testing and inspection, maintenance and repair, design, training, personal safety, and brazing and soldering.
The Welding Journal has earned more than 60 editorial and design awards, including multiple Charlie Awards from the Florida Magazine Association (FMA), and Tabbie Awards from the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI).
The Society now also publishes the Welding Journal en Español - a free quarterly publication containing tailored articles written by and for Mexican and Latin American professionals. The Welding Journal en Español has a circulation of 10,000 printed copies and 40,000 digital copies. Along with this publication, the Welding Journal em Português is a magazine distributed in Brazil to coincide with the Brazil Welding Show that takes place every two years in São Paulo, Brazil.
Certification
The American Welding Society offers a number of certification programs that recognize and document expertise and knowledge in specific welding-related disciplines including:
- Certified Welding Inspector
- Senior Certified Welding Inspector
- Certified Welding Educator
- Certified Radiographic Interpreter
- Certified Welding Supervisor
- Certified Welding Sales Representative
- Certified Welding Engineer
- Certified Welder
- Certified Robotic Arc Welding
Since the Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) program was introduced in 1976, AWS has certified over 100,000 welding inspectors alone, plus thousands more working professionals across the other certification categories. Certification is accomplished through testing and evaluation of corresponding procedures. The Radiographic Interpretation Certification, for example, includes a detailed general knowledge exam, a test of specific information from the AWS code book on radiographic quality and interpretation, and a practical exam testing the individual's ability to read radiographic films. Most AWS certifications are typically renewed after a period of three years, and are required to satisfy re-certification requirements every nine years.
Welders are required to take a qualification test at an AWS Accredited Testing Facility. Welders must mail their qualification test record to AWS with a completed AWS Welder Application in order to have an AWS certification issued. AWS Welders are required to submit a Maintenance of Welder Certification Form to renew their certifications every six months.
Endorsements
Endorsements are supplemental inspection credentials available to all AWS Certified Welding Inspectors (CWIs) and Senior Certified Welding Inspectors (SCWIs) to enhance an individual's credentials. The examinations offered as endorsements to the CWI/SCWI programs are also offered as stand-alone exams to non-CWIs/SCWIs who wish to enhance their educational background.
Below are the available endorsement certifications that AWS offers.
- D1.1 Structural Steel
- D1.2 Structural Aluminum
- D1.5 Bridge Welding
- D15.1 Railroad
- D17.1 Aerospace
- API 1104 Pipeline
- Structural Drawing Reading
- Structural Bolting Inspection
- ASME Pressure Piping B31.1 and B31.3
- ASME Pressure Vessel Section VIII, Div. 1
Accredited Test Facilities
The American Welding Society also certifies the Accredited Test Facilities (ATF) which play an integral part in the operation of their Certification program. The ATF program establishes minimum requirements for test facilities, their personnel and equipment to qualify for accreditation to test and qualify welders. This program is open to all qualified test facilities that may be a part of an independent laboratory, manufacturing plant, educational institution, or other entity. American Welding Society ATFs are listed on the official AWS website and advertised in the American Welding Society's Welding Journal magazine.
The ATF program requires that a facility implements a quality assurance program that meets the requirements established in the AWS QC4-89, Standard for the Accreditation of Testing Facilities. The requirements include that the facility has a Quality Manual that controls the activities related to the testing of welders in the facility according to AWS QC7, Standard for AWS Certified Welders. The facility must also have a CWI on staff or contracted to perform the welder qualification tests.
The American Welding Society explains the benefits of the ATF program on their website by writing "Entrusting welder certification to ATF specialists makes good business sense for contractors and fabricators. Companies are increasingly realizing the shortcomings of self-qualification and switching to AWS Accredited Test Facilities to test and qualify their welders. ATFs help them to save money, improve productivity, and reduce liability by entrusting their welder certification to the experts."
Certified Welding Fabricator
American Welding Society certifications are not only available to individuals. Companies may also become an official AWS Certified Welding Fabricator (CWF). The American Welding Society describes the program as being "designed to recognize those select companies who prove they have the resources, procedures, and personnel to apply a quality management system to the welding fabrication activities."
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the American Welding Society have established a reciprocity agreement whereby AISC Certified Fabricators are also eligible to receive certification as an AWS Certified Welding Fabricator. The AISC certification program criteria fully satisfy the AWS Welding Fabricator Certification program requirements. AISC Fabricators that hold current building structures and/or bridge certification may apply to AWS and pay a minimal fee to also attain the AWS Certified Welding Fabricator certification.
Membership
As of April 2015, the American Welding Society had approximately 73,000 members around the world. The Society offers four types of membership options:
- Individual Member
- Welder Member
- Corporate Member
- Student Member
AWS Codes and Specifications
AWS publishes codes on multiple aspects of welding and materials joining. The code books are assigned specific letters and numbers for easy reference, and many welders will refer to a specific code letter/number combination when referring to the code book. Different welding methodologies, inspection methods, and metals are published under different codes. For example, AWS B1.11 explains how to visually examine welds; AWS B2.1-1-004 explains welding carbon steel of thickness range of 18 through 10 gauge with semiautomatic metal gas arc welding; and AWS C2.20/C2.20M explains metalized zinc cathodic protection systems. Some codes also describe the standards used by AWS to certify welders, inspectors, and welding educators. All codes are available in hard copy, and in recent years AWS has started to make most codes available online.
A very influential AWS code is AWS D1.1, which covers all general requirements for structural welding. This code has been adopted by ANSI as a National Standard in the United States.
Sections
The American Welding Society extends its reach into local communities through the use of their local sections and student chapters. The Society is composed of 250 sections around the world, and AWS describes them as "the very heart and foundation of AWS."
Section members have the opportunity to network, gain knowledge, and get answers to welding questions from Section members with years of experience. Professional Development Hours may be earned by attending technical meetings, and other planned activities may include educational seminars, plant tours, social events, student programs, community projects and more.
List of American Welding Society Sections
AWS Foundation
The American Welding Society Foundation was founded in 1989 to support research and education in welding and related technologies. It is committed to annually awarding fellowships to deserving graduate students for important research in areas important to the requirements of industry. Accordingly, each year the AWS Foundation administers two $25,000 grants - matched in kind by the participating universities. The award of scholarships to vocational and undergraduate college students is also a high priority. The Foundation is also working on the welder workforce shortage and crisis in our industry. That focus involves many aspects from Recruitment to Retirement if we are to have a sustainable and viable solution to the welder shortage.
AWS Awards
The Image of Welding Awards, presented by the American Welding Society and WEMCO, an association of welding manufacturers, recognize individuals and organizations that have shown exemplary dedication to promoting the image of welding in their communities. Starting in 2015, the awards will now be known as the Excellence in Welding Awards. Recipients of this award will receive a zinc die-cast, 24k gold statue designed by New York firm, Society Awards.
Standing Committees
The American Welding Society also has several standing committees, or partner organizations, which help promote and advance different facets of the welding industry. These include:
- BSMC - Brazing & Soldering Manufacturers Committee
- ITSA - International Thermal Spray Association
- RWMA - Resistance Welding Manufacturing Alliance
- WEMCO - An Association of Welding Manufacturers
Officers
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