Criterion 6.3 (EN ISO 9606-1: 2014) Welding conditions states “The welding qualifier tests must be performed using pWPS or WPS prepared according to EN ISO 15609-1 or EN ISO 15609-2.
Criterion 10 (EN ISO 9606-1: 2014) The welder certificate contains the text “… The recommended format is in Annex A. It shall contain all the particulars listed in Annex A.” And annex A requires “WPS – Reference:” without any note or explanation.
1) Is it necessary to always state the WPS reference on the personal certificate?
I.e. : WPS has to be used for welder test or where pWPS was used for the test: at the time of certificate issuing, there must exist WPS which was verified with WPQR and which was identical to pWPS used for the test.
2) Is the personal certificate, where only pWPS is stated, acceptable?
3) In case the test was performed using pWPS (not verified with WPQR), is it acceptable to issue a personal certificate declaring that test was performed using WPS?
4) Is it acceptable on the certificate to be written the only number e.g. “192” in the part “WPS reference” without informing it is pWPS and is not WPS?
5) In case the test was performed using pWPS (not verified with WPQR), is it acceptable to issue a personal certificate where in the part “WPS reference” is replaced with “pWPS/WPS reference” and it is not clarified which document version was used for the test?
6) Is a such a situation at a factory in line with special technical standards in the field of welding? A welding supervisor (in a company which has certified management system according to ISO 9001 and ISO 3834-x) accepts a personal certificate based on pWPS /WPS from a different location (e.g. issued by accredited certification body for personnel, where test/conditions are not the same as in the company) without any additional activity/measures?
March 2018
EWF (European Welding Federation) was consulted on this question and replied as follows:
- As stated in clause 6.3, a WPS or a pWPS can be used. A certificate can be issued solely based on a pWPS or on a WPS.
- Yes.
- No. If a pWPS was used, that pWPS has to be referenced not a WPS.
- If the WPS or pWPS is referenced in the certificate, the correct reference has to be written to guarantee the traceability. Annex A is informative, but all information within the annex is mandatory to present. How to present it is not mandatory but our opinion is that in the certificate it should be clear if a pWPS or a WPS was used. Example: “pWPS nº/WPS nº:” (strike what is not applicable).
- If the test was done according to a specific pWPS, that pWPS has to be traceable to the test. If the pWPS is referenced in the certificate, the reference might not contain details of which type it is, but in the certificate it should be clear if a pWPS or a WPS was used. Example: “pWPS nº/WPS nº:” (strike what is not applicable). The identification code of an WPS or pWPS used on the welder certificate must be traceable to the test records.
- If the certificate is valid, yes. ISO 9606-1 states all the conditions to perform the tests (minimum dimensions, tests to perform, etc.), and also allows to use a pWPS or WPS. So there could be differences on the dimensions of the test pieces used, different tests used, etc. But all these are permitted by the standard since all minimum test conditions are guaranteed, and for that reason the certificate remains valid. It is up to the company to accept it, or ask for further tests.