In Australia and New Zealand, they aren’t really alternatives. ISO 9606-1 is the international standard for qualifying welders of steel. AS/NZS 2980 adopts it and adds local requirements. A welder qualified for Australian structural work is usually tested to ISO 9606-1 together with AS/NZS 2980.
What each standard does
- ISO 9606-1 sets out how a welder of steel is tested: the test pieces, the examination and what the result qualifies them for.
- AS/NZS 2980 applies ISO 9606-1 in Australia and New Zealand, with additional requirements for local use.
Welding standards such as AS/NZS 1554 refer to these for welder qualification. Your customer or contract has the final say on which standard to use.
What a test qualifies a welder for
A welder isn’t qualified for “welding” in general. The qualification covers a range based on what was tested:
- the welding process (for example MIG/MAG, TIG, stick or flux-cored)
- the material group
- the type of joint, plate or pipe
- the thickness and pipe diameter
- the welding positions
Test in a harder position or a thicker plate and the range is usually wider. So it pays to plan the test around the work the welder will actually do.
How the test is examined
The test piece is checked visually first. Then, depending on the joint and the standard, it is examined further by radiography, bend tests or fracture tests. The examiner records the result and the range it qualifies.
How long does it last?
Under ISO 9606-1, a welder’s supervisor confirms every six months that they have kept working within their range. The qualification is then kept current in one of three ways, chosen when it’s issued: a retest every three years, a check of two production welds every two years, or ongoing validity backed by a certified ISO 3834 Part 2 or 3 quality system.
If a welder stops welding with that process for more than six months, the qualification lapses.
What about ASME and AWS?
Other codes have their own welder tests. ASME pressure work uses ASME IX (where it’s called welder performance qualification, or WPQ), and AWS has its own rules. If the customer names one of these, the welder is tested to that instead.
How PWC can help
We qualify welders to ISO 9606, AS, ASME, AWS and API requirements, at your workshop or ours. Tests are examined by people holding an IIW welding qualification, AS 2214 welding supervisor certification, CERT 10 or an equivalent. Our founder is an authorised welder examiner to ISO 9606 (Weld Australia).
