If a WPS is required to perform the welding work we can assist your company in preparing it.

A WPS can be prepared without background in welding procedure specification testing. For welding tasks in pressure systems and steel structures, it isrequired that the WPS refers to a welding procedure.

Preparation of WPS’s

WPS’s are prepared based on the requirements for the practical welding work and the required standards and specifications. Here it is important that your company provides correct information in the dialogue with FORCE Technology’s welding personnel so that welding process, base materials, filller materials and welding data can be laid down, and so that the practical welding work can be performed by the company’s welders. 

Furthermore, it must be ensured that welds are visually acceptable, and the desired material properties can be achieved in the weld seam and the adjacent base material..    

There are three types of WPS’s:

  • WPS’s without background in welding procedure specification testing may be used for certification of welders, but they may also be prepared in connection with tested filller welding consumables or previous welding experience.    
  • WPS’s with background in welding procedure specification testing prepared according to the current standard for procedure testing and data from the WPQR, which is a certificate for procedure testing, and WPQR is short for Welding Procedure Qualification Record.    
  • pWPS is the preliminary WPS used as a work description for welding of test specimen for welding testing. In principle, it is prepared in the same way as the WPS’s mentioned above, but it may be neccessary to calculate the various welding data in advance to ensure that the requested materials properties in the welded joint and the parent materials will be attained. In case a variety of welding procedures are needed, it may often be advantageous to consider the different material thicknesses and diametres in order to minimise the number of WPQR’s.

Issuing of WPS

The welding personnel that prepares the WPS is approved internally by FORCE Technology and is trained and holds the international welding educations  EWF/IIW diploma or similar, which provides you with the certainty that the issued WPS’s meet the European/international requirements and possible customer requirements. The WPS is issued in paper format with company logo.  

Standards for WPS’s (and welding procedures)

WPS’s are prepared according to European and international standards:

  • DS/EN ISO 15607 General rules for WPS and WPQR
  • DS/EN ISO 15609-1 WPS for arc welding
  • DS/EN ISO 15609-2 WPS for gas welding
  • DS/EN ISO 15609-3 WPS for electron beam welding
  • DS/EN ISO 15609-4 WPS for laser beam welding
  • DS/EN ISO 15609-5 WPS for resistance welding
  • DS/EN ISO 14555 Stud welding of metallic materials
  • DS/EN ISO 15620 Friction welding of metallic materials
  • DS/EN ISO 15610 Qualification based on tested welding consumables 
  • DS/EN ISO 15611 Qualification based on previous experience
  • DS/EN ISO 15612 Qualification by approval of a standard welding procedure 
  • DS/EN ISO 15613 Qualification based on a pre-production welding test
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-1 WPQR for arc welding of steel and nickel
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-2 WPQR for arc welding of aluminium 
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-3 WPQR for fusion welding of cast iron
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-4 WPQR for finishing welding of aluminium castings
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-5 WPQR for arc welding of titanium and zirconium
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-6 WPQR for arc and gas welding of copper
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-7 WPQR for overlay welding
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-8 WPQR for welding of tubes to tube-plate joints 
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-10 WPQR for hyperbaric dry welding
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-11 WPQR for electron and laser beam welding
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-12 WPQR for spot, seam, and projection welding
  • DS/EN ISO 15614-13 WPQR for resistance, butt and flash welding

WPS’s may also be prepared according to other standards. Some examples are shown below:

  • Banenorm BN2-63-1f Procedure approval of rail track welding processes
  • DS/EN 14730-1 Railway applications – Track – Aluminothermic welding of rails – part 1: Approval of welding processes
  • ASME IX Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Qualifications 
  • AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code – Steel
  • AWS D1.2 Structural Welding Code - Aluminium
  • AWS D1.6 Structural Welding Code – Stainless Steel
  • DS/EN 13134 Brazing/hard soldering – procedure approval

In a number of cases, there may be requirements for supplementary specifications from customers. Below please find some examples in which the requirements will be included in the WPS’s:

  • Maersk Oil MOTS 12 Welding and NDE of welds
  • Energinet.dk Welding of Pipelines and Welding of Piping in Plants
  • Danske Kraftværkers Fællesbetingelser for svejsearbejde på rørsystemer
  • NORSOK M-101 Structural steel fabrication (www.standard.no)
  • NORSOK M-601 Welding and inspection of piping (www.standard.no)
  • DNV Regelsæt (www.dnvgl.dk) 
  • PED Pressure Equipment Directive. 

Pressure systems

If so required in the PED, welding of the test sample must be verified by a notified third-party body. 

FORCE Certification A/S with registration number 0200 is such a body, ensuring that the WPQR may be used for pressure equipment. In addition to the WPQR, an AOPJ, Approval Of Permanent Joining, may be prepared, indicating the range of validity/scope of the WPQR’s essential variables.