Why Quality Control Is So Essential for Pipe Welding

Your contractor’s work quality impacts both your budget, timeline and project safety. When it comes to pipe welding, the fabricator must correct any product defects that are found. However, regardless of visible imperfections, you must have confidence the company you hire does everything it can to deliver top-quality work. Here’s why quality control in pipe welding is so essential.

Quality assurance and quality control

First, you need to know the difference between quality assurance and quality control. Quality assurance, known as QA, is a set of rules that helps prevent mistakes and defects during manufacturing. It often includes training and certification requirements for personnel.

A business establishes a system of quality control, or QC, to ensure QA processes are followed. Quality control activities may include monitoring manufacturing procedures, testing the finished product, and comparing the results against the QA criteria.

Quality control reduces defects

If a welder’s techniques are substandard or the working conditions not ideal, the output may have defects like incomplete penetration, incomplete fusion, undercutting, porosity and longitudinal cracking. Depending on the intended use for your pipe, the result could be substandard performance or leaking that creates more extensive problems. Quality control standardizes practices and working conditions to help mitigate mistakes.

Quality control improves health and safety

Quality assurance also protects welders from safety risks. Welding processes expose workers to such hazards as electrocution, fire, vision damage, exposure to ultraviolet radiation and inhalation of toxic gases.

Quality control protects your investment

You don’t want to be burdened with delays and dangers caused by poor work output. A robust QA and QC system does more than get you a high-quality finished product. It also ensures that the contractor you hire will promptly spot and correct defects and avoid late-stage problems.

How to incorporate quality control into your contract

Before beginning a fabrication project, the contractor establishes a Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) also known as an Inspection and Test Plan (ITP) based on industry standards and the customer’s specifications. This document outlines the QA rules to be followed and outlines which personnel will ensure these practices are carried out. The welding engineer uses this to develop Weld Procedure Specification (WPS) documents and weld maps, which serve as the QA/QC guidance for welders.

While the industry has standard quality guidelines, you may have more stringent requirements specific to your project. You can build QA/QC standards into your fabrication supply contract. It’s essential to talk through these details with the contractor before the work starts.

Quality assurance with Advanced Flow Systems (ISO 9001-2015)

At Advanced Flow Systems, quality is embedded in our culture. In all our services, whether large diameter piping, pressure pipe welding or painting and lining, we’ll deliver to your specifications, and we don’t stop until we get it right. Contact us today to discuss your project and ask for an estimate.