Welding Machine Calibration to IEC 60974-14

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Information on Electrical Safety Testing of Welding Equipment >>

Why is welding machine calibration / validation to IEC 60974-14 required?

“The quality of a weld depends upon accurate and repeatable setting of parameters such as current, voltage and wire feed speed”.

They're performed to ensure that meters attached to arc welding equipment and graduated scales are accurate within allowable tolerances.

Each inspection and test includes a certificate for each machine stating whether or not the equipment passed or failed the above standard. If the equipment fails, our engineer will discuss with you what is needed for it to pass. (Notes below refer to additional requirements for parts or labour.)

Our trained engineers are qualified to IEC 60794-14 and our equipment is calibrated to the aforementioned standard.

This also assists our clients in meeting the ISO 9000 quality criteria, which are part of the conformity required to get BS EN 1090 structural steel CE certification.

Our service and what's included

It will be carried out by our engineer on your premises unless specific alternative arrangements have been made. The test will be carried out in accordance with the standard, which calls for a resistive load since a live arc is unstable and inconsistent.

This is completed across a certain amperage range agreed upon by the welding equipment manufacturer and user, or as defined in the welding method. The welding equipment and certificate will be marked with the pertinent information when completed.

The International Standard

The term "The Standard" refers to IEC 60974-14, an international standard that governs the calibration and validation of arc welding equipment. CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, has accepted this Standard. Members are obligated to cooperate with no alterations. It specifies the requirements as well as the procedure for calibration and validation which explains how to take readings and what tolerance we work with.

Calibration and (or) validation each have two tolerances, these grades are standard and precision.

How is welding equipment calibrated?

Welding machines are connected to a calibration station to inspect the actual voltage, amperage, and wire feed speed. It’s also possible to establish the welding current source's gas flow rate.

The resulting numbers are analysed and obtained for your welding equipment and compares them to the standard requirements to find any inconsistencies.

If the necessary procedures aren't followed, the welding equipment should not be used for manufacturing due to potential quality issues.

MIG/MAG, manual metal arc welding, and TIG systems may all be calibrated. Qualified fabricators must have their welding equipment calibrated at least annually.

The standards provide the concepts that will guide the quality assurance process for welded goods. EN 1090 specifies the manufacturing specifications and CE marks for steel and aluminium.

Welding Machine Calibration Advantages & Benefits

How often should welding machines be calibrated or validated?

Typically every 12 months for standard grade equipment and every 6 months for precision grade equipment. These should be performed more regularly if it's suspected that the performance has worsened, as well as after any repairs to the power supply or its metering system i.e. the wire feed unit. The interval might also be affected by the conditions in which the welding equipment operates (e.g. machines used offshore and in shipyards are typically tested every 6 months).

Wire feed speed testing is now required if meters are present.

Replacement parts required to pass the welding machine calibration

Any defective parts that result in a test failure will be replaced if possible and thereafter stated on the certificate. The supply of any parts is not included in the test and is chargeable.

Why is welding calibration important?

It's critical to calibrate your welding machine to ensure that it's running at the correct settings. If you execute welding operations on non-calibrated welding equipment, you may create an atmosphere conducive to welder mistakes, which may result in costly rework.

Calibration of your welding equipment before starting any new welding processes will help guarantee that the procedures written are carried out in a controlled environment. This ensures that the welding processes carried out on your welding equipment are precise.

AES Engineer labour charges

As per the statement above, if additional labour is required to fit these parts, it's not included in the equipment test and is charged.

Is welding machine calibration or validation required?

How will I know when my welding machine needs to be retested?

AES provide an annual service on a contractual basis. This includes a friendly reminder by email that your compliance test is due. This is followed up by a member of our staff to make the necessary arrangements for our engineer to visit site and carry out the services required.

We trust you have found the above information helpful, if you would like to discuss anything further with a member of our technical staff, please get in contact via the button below.

Welding Machine Calibration Variables

Welding Machine Validation Variables

What's the difference between welding machine calibration & validation?

Calibration is performed on equipment which has digital meters whereas validation is run on equipment with analogue meters, this applies to MIG, MMA and TIG welders and is performed on a graded scale.

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