Whether engaging in intercontinental business or merely travelling for pleasure, passenger air travel has become commonplace in modern society. However, many people are afraid of the thought of flying—despite it being statistically one of the safest methods of transportation. Having an amazing safety record is not just a matter of sheer luck; there are many events that can lead to catastrophe, including bad weather, operator or pilot error, and component failure.
Although it is impossible to eliminate every possible factor, there is a responsibility to take reasonable precautions to contribute to the track record.
The foundation is to ensure that aircraft are structurally sound and reliable. This is why the aerospace industry imposes stringent requirements on itself and its suppliers. Most aerospace “primes,” or OEMs, not only have contract requirements and internal specifications, but they also rely heavily on voluntary compliance documents such as the American Welding Society (AWS) D17 Aerospace Welding Specifications. But many challenges remain.
All welds performed in accordance with the Class A requirements of the D17.1 specification require that the welding inputs undergo stringent testing and documentation through a welding procedure qualification. After this, a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) can and must be created for the welder to follow. Gone are the days of fabricating simple parts. Readily weldable materials such as carbon steel or the renowned 6061 “aerospace aluminum” aren’t completely phased out, but new alloys are being substituted in many applications as determined material engineers are expanding their repertoire to create stronger designs.
Although these alloys may be stronger, they are often more difficult to weld. Some alloys, such as 2xxx and 7xxx series aluminum, cannot even be welded using conventional fusion welding processes. Titanium alloys require extreme care to prevent exposure to the atmosphere while at the elevated temperatures associated with welding.
Materials are not the only challenges fabricators face. The CAD design and failure simulation software is also improving significantly. This results in welds being put into places that are not as readily accessible and geometries that require more skill to successfully complete. As the tenured workforce transitions into retirement and newer, less experienced workers are onboarded, this situation is seemingly not improving.
Most companies in the industry are trying to deal with the higher quality requirements and skilled labor shortages similarly. Because they can’t find skilled workers, one conventional approach is to simply extend the backlog or production lead times to their customers while continuing to produce with the manpower they have. This may work for some, but in time-sensitive markets like aerospace, missing a production date can delay a project months or years until the next launch window arrives.
Another common method is hiring whatever workers they can find. The hope is that with additional workers, they can at least produce enough parts to meet the contract volume requirements or production dates. Using these popular approaches does not come without penalty. Hiring underqualified people has a direct impact on a company’s profitability due to increased scrap exposure if welded parts fail to comply with the stringent acceptance criteria of the D17.1 specification. Furthermore, it puts additional strain on the human resources and onboarding teams.
The struggle doesn’t stop there. Since most top-tier prime manufacturers will also require that the lower-tier suppliers be NADCAP accredited, this requires additional documentation and management oversight. Welders need to be qualified to make the welds and procedures must be in place to ensure they are using the correct parameters. Not having the correct procedures and policies in place can result in anything from a minor corrective action, loss of a contract, or even loss of the accreditation itself.
Some companies have found more effective ways to deal with the current dynamics. A low investment option is to network with technical schools in the area. Schools often measure their success by placement rate, starting pay, and job tenure post-graduation; therefore, they are not opposed to tailoring their curriculum to the industries that support these metrics.
Communicating the need for skilled aerospace welders will serve as a foundation for a continuous talent pipeline. The relationship can be furthered by involvement in advisory councils and helping guide the curriculum to be more aligned with the D17.1 specification requirements. Contributions can also be as simple as supplying excess material “drops” so that students can practice on the more exotic alloys used in the industry.
Another viable approach is to invest in new welding equipment that allows the current staff to work more effectively. Some modern welding equipment now comes with graphical user interfaces that provide welders with information about how and why to use advanced welding functions. This allows new welders—and experienced welders faced with new materials—to be successful with less direct training. For those seasoned welders, it can merely accentuate their talent and improve the first pass yield to the unforgiving inspection requirements of Clause 7 in the D17.1 specification.
Eliminating inconsistencies in an operation is another great approach to ensure welds are repeatable and pass inspection successfully. Of course, the first step that someone would use is to qualify the welding procedure in accordance with Clause 5 of the D17.1. Even with a documented welding procedure, there are select elements that a company may want to control for internal consistency purposes.
Using program or memory functions within a select welding power source can eliminate the possibility of a welder forgetting to change one of the various parameter settings that can impact weld quality. Furthermore, setting the locks and limits in accordance with the essential variables will prevent both accidental and willful deviation from a welding procedure.
Despite the increasing number of challenges, companies are still successfully welding to various requirements, including D17 specifications. By implementing partnerships, investing in more capable modern welding equipment, and controlling their processes, manufacturers can get better first-pass yield, reduce their scrap exposure, and ultimately lower welding costs.
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