Page 11 - HIWT Winter 2011 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

THROuGH THe eyeS Of a STuDenT

(Continued from page 9)

One morning was spent touring the Hobart Gallery of
Welding History, a welding museum located at HIWT with
the President Mr. André A. Odermatt as our guide. I can only
be amazed at the skills required to use and maintain some
of the older equipment. After seeing an early machine that
weighs hundreds of pounds and produces 200 amps, then
comparing it to the multi process inverter equipment we now
have available to us, it is easy to see how much welding has
changed over the past 150 years.

There was plenty of hands-on time with the processes and
each member of the class would pick the process they wanted
to become more familiar with. The semi-automatic process
seemed the most popular due to the increase in popularity
on the job site but also because of the major advancements
in filler metals and gasses. Another process that gathered a
lot of attention was SMAW of aluminum plate. Though not a
common process, it is necessary occasionally for emergency
repair.
The course drew to a close on Friday and the HIWT instructors
took the time to lead a discussion on CWI/CWE certification,
and welding certification in general. We discussed the many
different certifications available to welders and what it meant
to be a qualified welder and a certified welder. This lead to
a discussion with everyone and a special presentation on
the subject, which in a nutshell meant to me, “As schools,
we qualify them to be able to go forth and take welding
certification test as specified by the job and industry”.

All in all, my time and money were very well spent and I
would encourage anyone who is instructing others on how to
weld to attend the course. Face it, as welding teachers we can
all weld, but being able to stay current with the advancing
welding processes and to be able to help our students make
an intelligent career/school choice makes this type of training
even more important than ever.

In 2012, the Welding Instructor Course will be held July 9 –
13. Details of the course may be found in the Course Catalog
at www.welding.org. A registration form is available at http://
www.welding.org/p-229-technical-registration-form-2011.aspx
or by calling 1-800-332-9448. Written inquiries may be sent to
hiwt@welding.org or to:
Technical Training
Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
400 Trade Square East
Troy, OH 45373

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