CW Certified Welder case studies
CW Certified Welder · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The AWS Certified Welder (CW) is the entry point into AWS welding certification and is a performance-based program - AWS states there are no prerequisite courses or certifications required. Instead of a written exam, you weld test specimens, most commonly at an Accredited Test Facility (ATF), and the completed work is inspected to confirm it meets AWS standards. The credential is deliberately narrow in scope: it records the specific welding process, the position, and the material and product form you qualified on. Plate tests cover flat, horizontal, vertical and overhead positions; pipe tests cover small- and large-diameter pipe, with the 6G fixed-pipe position widely treated as the most demanding. Topics on this exam: Welding process (e.g., SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, GTAW) selected for certification, Welding position (flat, horizontal, vertical, overhead), Material and product form (plate; small- and large-diameter pipe), and Weld quality and acceptance of the completed test weldment. The CW Certified Welder case studies are 5 cases and about 2,894 words.
1Wind, Drizzle, and a Choice of Two Procedures
A fabrication crew is installing stiffener plates on an outdoor structural steel frame. The base metal is 3/8 in.
587 words, about 3 min2Plate Certification Does Not Cover a Fixed Pipe
A shop is awarded a contract for 6 in. NPS Schedule 40 carbon steel pipe spools.
588 words, about 3 min3Suck-Back at the Top of a Small Pipe
Two welders are making 1 in. NPS Schedule 80 A106 Grade B butt joints in a fixed 6G position.
576 words, about 3 min4Reading a Plate Test: Visual Limits and a Bend Failure
A welder completes a 3/8 in. A36 plate test in the 3G position using SMAW with E7018, a 1/8 in.
620 words, about 3 min5A Spray-Transfer WPS Does Not Cover Short-Circuit Vertical Welding
A shop has a qualified WPS and PQR for GMAW spray-transfer welding of 1/2 in. A36 plate to 1/2 in.
523 words, about 3 min