6 Questions to Ask Your Industrial Welder Before Fabrication Begins

A good design and carefully written set of plans is valuable but plans only go so far. The welder and fabricator you select for your project make or break the results of the end product. 

With the right service provider, everything gets turned around on time, on budget, and with a reliable standard of safety and performance. With the wrong one, you may face delays, cost overruns, and issues with safety or consistency. 

Each weld is integral to the structural strength and longevity of your product or assembly. Seemingly small oversights, such as minute holes that invite rust or invisible flaws in welds that later lead to breaks can have expensive — or even dangerous and catastrophic — results. 

Here are a few of the top questions to ask your industrial welder before the work begins.

6 Questions For Your Industrial Welder and Fabricator

1. Do you have any prior experience welding this type of product?

Direct experience building this kind of product is essential. Once you’ve confirmed that this isn’t the first time they’ve accepted this type of work, you might follow up by asking about the industrial metal fabricator’s years of experience.

2. Will you be completing the build yourself?

Subcontracting is a more common practice than some realize. Many companies will outsource welding and fabrication work — especially if your project is custom or outside of their experience. Without knowing who the subcontractors are, it’s hard to have confidence in their process or the results.

3. What are your qualifications or certifications? Can you provide documentation?

You’re looking for marks of expertise and quality, including essential certifications like ISO 9000, AWS, and/or ASME. Certifications like these indicate familiarity with all proper procedures, tests, documentation, material sourcing, and handling. An uncertified company is not properly trained to complete your work.

4. Do you have a Quality Control (QC) program to ensure safe industrial welding practices?

Safe, confident industrial welders working in safety-conscious environments are less apt to make mistakes in the welding and fabrication process or cut corners that could result in structural defects. Ensure that your industrial welding provider operates a QC program that aligns with AWS, ASTM, and/or CWB safety standards and specifications. It’s also a best practice for the welder to supply you with photographs of work during QC inspections for peace of mind.

5. Do you provide engineering and component parts design? Is there an engineer on staff?

If you do not yet have exact specifications for the component parts and welds that you need, you want to be in good hands. Otherwise, you’ll need to furnish and check your own approval or “as-built” drawings. 

Putting the experience of a qualified engineering staff to work may even make it possible to save money. A fabricator with a resident engineer might have a design available for your needs or can consult with you and offer advice on improvements to your design. You might also use an engineer to furnish drawings, provide certifications, or produce pressure calculations.

6. What’s the welding and fabrication capacity at your facility?

You’ll want to get an idea of the footprint of the industrial spot welder’s facility, the sorts of equipment they have available, and the number of experienced welders (or CNC programmers for CNC robotic welding) that they have on staff. Without sufficient capacity and capabilities, the shop may not be able to handle your project with a fast turnaround while meeting strict specifications.

Connect With the Experts

If you’re looking for qualified, experienced industrial welders, you’ve come to the right place. Get in touch with TIW Machine & Fab for quick turnaround times and superior quality fabrication work at a fair price. We’re excited to learn more about your project and get to work.