Welder questions answered

From March, subscribers to Thatcham’s crash repair method database escribe will receive vital information on the capabilities of spot welding equipment.

Welder specification sheets will give an overview of spot welding equipment available to the repairer including for each model phases/volts, details of the required air supply, cooling systems and, in the near future, validated vehicle manufacturer approvals. The specification sheet will be updated regularly and supplied as a newsletter within Thatcham’s times and methods product escribe.

Following the formation of the Repair Industry Welding Action Group (RiWAG) and working closely with The Welding Institute (TWI) Thatcham has also introduced an accreditation programme for resistance spot welding equipment.

There will be two levels for welding manufacturers to choose from Verification and Accreditation. Verification will independently confirm the manufacturer’s claims concerning the machines power and tip force. Accreditation will go further, with the machine put through its paces performing a series of spot welds on different metals and thicknesses using coated steel, boron and dual phase and therefore representative of a difficult joint found in today’s vehicles.

Dean Lander, Accreditation Manager at Thatcham, explained further, “Amongst the range of challenges facing the modern vehicle repairer, welding to the safety and quality standards demanded by the Kitemark is perhaps one of the most difficult. With Thatcham now providing an independent assessment of a welding machine’s capabilities and a summary of uses, technicians can now concentrate solely on the repair and weld with confidence.”

Repair Technologies Manager, Andy Walker, agrees, “The welder specification sheet that will now be included within escribe is an example of just the sort of information that RiWAG was set up to provide. Alongside the new accreditation process for welding equipment, this is clear evidence of how RiWAG’s joined up approach is beginning to address the industry’s key welding issues.”