Welding procedure specification, the document listing the allowed ranges for a weld: process, base metal, filler, joint design, position, preheat, interpass, gas, electrical settings, travel speed and PWHT. It is supported by a PQR or, under some structural codes, by prequalified status. Welders work within it, and inspectors compare actual settings against it on the floor.
Check the WPS, it only covers up to an inch and a half, this flange is two, we need another procedure.
Ask for the WPS before the first arc; a perfect weld made outside the procedure's ranges is still a nonconforming weld.
Also heard as
- procedure
- weld procedure
- welding procedure
Do not mix it up with
- PQR: The WPS is the instruction a welder follows, while the PQR is the record of the test weld that proved those instructions work.
Related terms
PQR
Procedure qualification record: the documented test weld and results that support a WPS.
Cert
Shop word for a welder's qualification, or the test taken to earn it, as in a 6G cert.
CWI
Certified Welding Inspector: the AWS inspection credential, and the usual job title for the person checking welds.
Heat input
Energy delivered to a weld per unit length, calculated from amps, volts and travel speed.