American Welding Society offers full catalog in PDF, print formats

If you're looking to catalog some of the services available from the AWS, I would suggest its 2005 catalog (until the 2006 version hits, anyway). Check it out here. You'll need PDF reader to see the online version, but you can get that at www.adobe.com.

BOC Group "disappointed" with Illinois appeals court decision

The BOC Group plc is disappointed with the decision of the appeal court in Illinois confirming the decision of the trial court in the Elam case tried in Madison County, Illinois in 2003. The BOC Group, Inc. a US subsidiary of BOC – was one of three defendants.

BOC's a huge company, concentrating on compressed and Packaged gases, equipment and related products and service. This includes a range of products including compressed gases, special and medical gases and LPG, as well as smaller sales of bulk liquefied gases. Sales are mainly to customers in the fabrication, medical and scientific sectors.

BOC’s position on manganese litigation is to defend themselves vigorously against what the company believes to be meritless claims. The BOC Group, Inc. and the other defendants intend to appeal the Elam decision to the Illinois Supreme Court. That court has discretion to decide whether to accept the appeal.

Since 2003, there have been a number of scientific studies that indicate no increased risk of Parkinson’s disease or related disease among welders. These studies include a study conducted among 27,839 workers in Denmark, including 6,163 welders, which concludes welders are not at increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease or other neurodegenerative disorders, and a study conducted in the United States at three Caterpillar Inc. plants of 12,595 workers, of which 3,430 were welders. This study also found no statistically significant increased risk of disease among welders.

As of September 30, 2005, there were 8,500 manganese claimants naming BOC Group as a defendant. As of today, BOC's stock is at $41.04.

Washington Examiner: welding rod litigation "scam" is frivolous, dishonest

Interesting piece over at the Washington Examiner...

Theyr'e calling the recent spate of welding rod litigation a scam and a "hot new fad" amongst trial lawyers.

In the papoer's view, Lawyers claim that welders who breathe fumes from manganese, a component of welding rods, develop Parkinson's disease or a similar neurological disorder called manganism.

So is it a scam? A legitimate public health threat? The paper says that:

"Plaintiffs typically argue that manufacturers of welding rods failed to warn them of the risk of contracting Parkinson's. But with the one exception just noted, juries have rejected that argument, and for good reason: The risk hasn't been demonstrated."

Well, you can find other viewpoints and studies to show just about anything you like. More debate on the welding rod issue is sure to come.

American Welding Society's Free Online CWI Verification Service

AWS is touting a free new online service: its CWI (which stands for Certified Welding Inspector) Verification Service.

It's a web based service with a lot of appeal because you can get answers instantly in a browser. Here's how it works: enter a CWI number below. This number can be found on a wallet card or wall certificate produced by the inspector. The search will return the certification number, a name, and an expiration date for that individual.

The first four digits of the CWI number are the year and month of original certification. For example, 9603xxxx means that the inspector was certified in March of 1996.

The next three digits of the number are unique and the last digit of the CWI number indicates the level of certification. A last digit of ‘8’ means that the individual is a Senior Certified Welding Inspector (SCWI). A last digit of ‘1’ or '3' means that the individual is certified as an AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI). A '2' or ‘4’ means that the individual is certified at the level of Certified Associate Welding Inspector (CAWI).

See it here.

The Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) certification is widely recognized in the welding industry. The CWI examination is made up of three parts: Part A: Fundamentals – consisting of 150 questions, Part B: Practical – consisting of 46 questions and Part C: Code Book – consisting of 46 questions.

Bargain Shopping - How to get a good price for your welding purchases

So, if you're looking around online for a better deal on that Mig you just can't live without, where do you go first? You can look for bargain MIG welders on eBay easy enough; just hit eBay.com and do a search for what you're looking for. Besides the used welders offered by individuals, there are tons of eBay stores with new equipment. I have not done business with any of these people, but they are rated by their user feedback, and that's typically-- but not always -- a good indicator. I'd suggest that you use a credit card, not a debti card, for these purchases, especially with any online business. Your credit card company can easily help you dispute the charge if what you got wasn't what you were promised.

One place that I like a lot is Froogle, a service from Google. What's wicked cool about Froogle is this: you can enter a search term in Google, see information on it from the Google site, and then click the Froogle link to see products offered. For instance...

I entered welders into Froogle. Got a bunch of different results. However, I was really looking for a Hobart 500425 Tigmate AC/DC Tig Welder Kit. The results? This page, with a ton of different stores offering the weider online and all their prices. See it here. I got 3 pages of results and prices ranging from $1560.75 to $2,500. Quite a difference, and Froogle, like a lot of shopping engines, makes it easy to get price comparisons. Some of the older ones made stores pay to get in, so they only really are ads for a limited number of stores. Froogle's free, so everything's in it.

I've used it for everything major I've purchased for a while now, especially if I'm buying stuff over the web. Works like a charm.

Operation Armor-Up: Waste equipment welder armors military vehicles in Iraq

From WasteNews.com, a good story on what welders can do.

Mike Davis learned about welding at waste-equipment maker Al-jon Co. and effectively applied the skill during service with his Iowa National Guard unit in Iraq.

Upon arrival in the embattled country, Davis immediately volunteered his services to apply more protective armor and retrofit military Humvees.

He and others worked with their company Bravo´s maintenance division in welding stronger front bumpers and sides on 16 vehicles in an around-the-clock effort Jan. 24-26.

In regular duties, the sergeant´s route clearance team looks for improvised explosive devices and provides avenues for convoys of military operational, civilian contractor and Iraqi security vehicles. He is leader for a four-person team, vehicle commander and communications expert for the company´s 2nd Platoon.

Davis, 28, was awarded the Army achievement medal for "great effort and selfless service to the organization" from Jan. 24 to March 28, Capt. Doug Post, commander of company Bravo in the 224th Engineer Battalion, said in a statement. "Sgt. Davis´ skill as a welder proved to be very valuable," Post said. "We were given a very dangerous job to do and not the best of equipment to do it with."

Davis joined the National Guard in 1999. The battalion in Ottumwa, Iowa, was activated in October 2004 and arrived in Iraq in January.

His civilian experience made a difference. Davis joined Ottumwa-based Al-jon in 2000 without welding experience but following in the path of his father, Bob Davis, the company´s welding foreman.

"He didn´t have any skill or knowledge when Al-jon hired him," said Bob Davis, speaking about his son. "We gave him the chance, and he turned out to be one of my best welders. And I´m not just saying that because he is my son."

The younger man was appreciative. Those at Al-jon "took me under their wing and taught me how to weld and how to work with steel," Davis said in a news release. "I had little knowledge of working with steel when I was hired."

Davis is the only person among Al-jon´s 100 employees currently on active duty. Al-jon provided Davis with a global positioning system tracking device. "We all wanted to make sure he came back safe and whole," said Kendig Kneen, Al-jon president and CEO.

Fellow employees send packages of food, supplies, T-shirts and other items to Davis and regularly communicate with him via e-mail.

Al-jon makes car crushers, balers and landfill compactors for use the scrap, auto recycling and solid waste industries. Cutting and welding of structural steel are among the key processes.

Applying steel additions to Humvees in the field was a short-term solution. Later, U.S. factory-built Humvees arrived carrying more protective armor.

The same armoring goal applied: ward off roadside bombs designed to inflict damage on personnel and equipment.

In approaching the maintenance division, "I informed them that I work with steel and am a welder," Davis said.

"They found use of my services, and we went on from there" through what became known as Operation Up Armor, he said.

The volunteer time with maintenance did not alleviate other duties. The soldiers worked long hours in moving from Forward Operating Base Duke to Camp Ramadi and endured countless hours on the road securing the battalion, Post said.

Is the AWS Welding Journal out of Step?

Over at the AWS forums, this question came up. They've noticed that more and more of the AWS content is aimed at management and engineers rather than at welders.

I find all of it interesting, but as one poster put it...

"Is it just me or is the welding journal moving further out of the main stream of the industry? It seems to me that there is increasingly less information of any practical use to "everyday, real-world situations."

Most of the welding that I run into as a mobile contractor involves repair and maintenance work on heavy equipment and some tank and pipe work. It has been a while now since I have seen any articles on these topics. For example a recent cover story "Brazing in Space", while interesting, does not benifit me in the slightest. My absolute personal favorite was the article entitled "Tips from the Pros" with such indespensible advice as "make sure you get a good ground" and "Make sure there are no flammable materials in the area!" Please!! If you do not know this already then you are a Darwin Award just waiting to happen. Who was this little gem marketed to anyway?! A grade school special-ed class perhaps!? Amazingly, all three welders featured said almost the same thing.

I understand the purpose of the journal is to "advance the science, technology and application of welding etc.,etc." but does this mean that there will be no information geared towards the more common, everyday processes.

Please let me know what you guys think. If I am in the minority position on this issue then I will gladly keep my mouth shut, but I don't believe that I am the only one who feels this way."

Manufacturers report a lack of trained pro's - particularly welders

It's a little confusing out there.

You hear that manufacturing is fleeing the United States, and it is, but you also see increasing reports that certain skilled jobs (like welders) are in such demand that manufacturers in certain areas can't hire enough of them.

According to the Des Moines Business Journal, for instance, by the middle of next year, one Iowa manufacturer expects to lose 90 of its 420 production workers to retirement. Another manufacturer which employs 150 people in a small community says it “would hire more employees tomorrow if they were available.”

Training has been requested for trades such as lean manufacturing training, management-supervisory training, welding, geometric tolerancing, computer manufacturing and safety training.

U.S. Army Purchases SGI and VRSim Immersive Virtual Reality Welding Trainer Systems

This is just about the coolest...

ORLANDO, Fla., I/ITSEC 2005, Booth 101, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Silicon Graphics (OTC Bulletin Board: SGID.OB) today announced the sale of six SGI(R) and VRSim(TM) turn-key Virtual Reality Welding Trainers to the U.S. Army Ordinance Center and School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, to train soldiers and Marines for battlefield repairs, parts repairs and maintenance on armored and other vehicles. The immersive, Virtual Reality Welding Trainer is based on SGI visualization hardware and VRSim simulation software the Welding Trainer was announced at the American Welding Society Show in Dallas earlier this year.

Designed and integrated by SGI Professional Services specifically for the U.S. Army/Marine Corps as a time and cost-saving productivity tool for Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), the simulators are for novice and experienced welders alike. The six welding bays are linked to a central console for instructors to monitor trainee performance and store weld information for future training analysis.

The U.S. Army/Marine Corps has contracted SGI and VRSim to deliver GMAW and SMAW welding in flat, vertical, horizontal and overhead welding positions. A follow-on project to add Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) and OXY/Fuel processes is under consideration. The Welding Trainer incorporates an actual welding gun with haptic feedback and a custom headset through which the trainee experiences a realistic motion-tracked 3D welding environment. The
instructor console monitors all of the end-user stations allowing the instructor to select one, two or as many of the virtual welding bay stations as desired. From either the central console or at each individual bay, the instructor can view the real-time training exercise and monitor the graphical performance metrics, which can be displayed during and after each pass.

"VRSim's Welding Trainer represents the first commercial effort to combine haptic (or touch) simulation technology with real-time computer interaction to provide fast, efficient skills transfer for welders," said Matthew Wallace, Chief Executive Officer, VRSim.

"Whether novice or expert, each welder can learn better welding techniques, faster and with less waste. We are proud to present this new generation of training technology to the U.S. Army."

Defense rests in Wisconsin welding rod suit

From the Belville News-Democrat, more on the brewing storm of welding rod lawsuits.

Jurors heard final testimony Tuesday in a trial for a man who claims welding fumes caused him to develop Parkinson's disease at an early age.

Steve Boren, 51, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., who has worked on welding projects at various industrial sites in Madison County, is suing makers of the welding rods. The trial is in its fourth week.

A $1 million judgment awarded two years ago by a Madison County jury to a Collinsville man is believed to be the only verdict issued in the United States in favor of a plaintiff who blamed welding fumes for early onset of Parkinson's.

The final witness for the defendants was Dr. Warren Olanow, a professor of neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Olanow testified he does not believe manganese from welding fumes is a risk factor for Parkinson's.

During a lengthy and sometimes contentious cross-examination, plaintiff attorney Bob McCoy referred to studies that do suggest a link to early onset of Parkinson's. McCoy also questioned Olanow about the roughly $1.25 million paid to him by welding manufacturers for conducting studies and testifying, and about a New York lawyer for the welding industry who travels with Olanow on court-related business.

"Do you have a problem with New York?" Olanow asked McCoy.

Olanow said his opinions are based solely on science, and that his studies on the issue help patients.

"There is no evidence to claim that manganese causes Parkinson's disease," Olanow said.

"And that's for the jury to decide," McCoy said.

"Actually, it's for science to decide," Olanow said.

Many experts say a definite link between welding and early onset of Parkinson's-type diseases has not been made, but the matter deserves more research. However, in a civil lawsuit, a plaintiff has to prove only that a claim is more likely than not, as opposed to a criminal case where the burden of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt.