Validation & Calibration

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Validation & Calibration

FastArc have recently made substantial investments in state-of-the-art validation equipment & software to enable us to carry out validation procedures to the highest possible standard. Unlike other validation equipment used within the industry our equipment cannot be used to falsify reports as all data is measured directly from the machine & inputted automatically into the software programme to ensure there are no errors made by the engineer. This ensures the data that the software produces is 100% true and accurate and will automatically pass or fail the equipment on each individual setting based on the readings taken from your machine. Furthermore, the software will automatically generate a validation certificate and show all the data taken within the validation procedure as well as highlighting each individual pass or fail reading. This also eliminates errors as oppose to manually typing out reports & certificates.
We have successfully been carrying out this type of work in the UK for many years to the highest possible standard for industrial sectors including Aerospace, Automotive, Nuclear, structural steel, pressure engineering & general fabrication.
We can provide urgent on-site same day validation & certification of your welding equipment to standard or precision grade. Our reports can instantly be downloaded to a laptop whilst still on site and emailed anywhere in the world in PDF format with the click of a button before our engineer even leaves your premises.
If you have BS or ISO quality standard procedures in place, it is likely that your procedures will require annual validation of your welding equipment. We can provide a validation service to BS EN 50504:2008 & EN IEC 60974-14:2018 which are the recognised standards for validation of arc welding power sources including wire feed units. BS EN 50504:2008 & & EN IEC 60974-14:2018 are nationally recognised standards and all our test is equipment is calibrated in compliance with relevant clauses of ISO 9001, EN 50504 & IEC/EN 60974-1-5, with full traceability.

Why is it so important to Validate your equipment correctly to current BS EN 50504:2008 / EN IEC 60974-14:2018 standards?

BS EN 50504:2008 standard currently requires the machines meters to be within a certain accuracy. This is because any weld tests, welding specifications or procedures undertaken on that machine by an operative are governed by that machines meter readings & settings. If the machines meter readings are not validated correctly or are inaccurate there is no way of knowing that the welding specification or procedure has been performed to standard. Defects in the weld bead could be present due to the fact that corrupt data on the machine’s meters have been followed in order to set up the machine in accordance with the welding procedure. If this occurs it could be catastrophic for the company as technically any weld performed by that machine could be below standard or contain defects.

How do I know the company currently undertaking my Validation work are carrying out this procedure correctly?

There is currently a lot of confusion within the welding industry regarding Validation of welding equipment and as such there are certain companies that seek to take advantage of this by cheating the validation procedure and in effect not conforming to BS EN 50504:2008 or & EN IEC 60974-14:2018 standards.
“Well….. so what” you may say, “as long as Im issued a certificate my company is covered”. WRONG!!!
If your validation procedure is not carried out correctly in accordance to the BS EN 50504:2008 standards your subsequent certificate is NOT valid and will not pass further scrutiny under inspection.
Furthermore, any welding procedure carried out on your machines will not conform to standard and subsequently your products may not be covered by your insurance.
Below are some examples where you can see the person carrying out your validation procedure is not conforming to standard:-
  • No test equipment is being used to validate your machine.
  • A clamp or multi meter is being used whilst welding with the machine to obtain meter data. (This is not correct or conforming to standard. This is because the meter values must be taken under static load due to the wild variation in arc length whilst welding).
  • There must be a minimum of ten readings on your validation certificate. (5 readings going up & 5 going down all equally spaced between minimum & maximum output of the machines data plate)
  • It must only state “Validation” on your certificate. NOT calibration.
  • It must only state “Validation” on your machines sticker. NOT calibration.
If any of the above is currently taking place the validation procedure is not being carried out to the relevant standard and your validation certificates are void.

Validation or Calibration?

Validation:-
Validation is when we connect a piece of equipment to your welding machine in order to verify your machines meter readings are correct and true. This is called a validation of the machine and its meters. If the machine passes the validation procedure, no further action needs to be taken. A validation certificate will be produced and this can then be shown to the relevant inspectorate bodies. 

Calibration:- 

If the machine fails the validation procedure, due to the machine having a fault causing the meters to read inaccurately then a calibration of your welding machine is subsequently required.  Carrying out a calibration means we will have to find out why your machines meters have failed the validation process and rectify the fault in order to perform a second validation test and a subsequent pass result.

What can be validated?

Any welding power source (MIG / TIG / MMA / Submerged Arc) fitted with Amp and/or Volt meters, provided the meters work correctly. 

Any wire feed unit with a digital readout in either meters or inches per minute. 

My equipment has no meters. What should I do?

Equipment with no meters/scales cannot be Validated as is – however, we can fit a manufacturers replacement meter kit or an aftermarket digital meter kit if the manufacturers part is no longer available. The kit takes our engineer about 2 hours to fit and can be located anywhere suitable inside or near the machine (depending on meter kit type). As we provide different meter kits depending on the machine, you will need to contact our service department for pricing and further information. 

What if my machine fails the Validation process & why has it failed?

If your machine fails the validation process our software will automatically produce a failed validation report. This report is then issued and calibration of the equipment is required before a re validation can take place. If the machine fails validation it is because the meter readings produced by your machine are either showing incorrect readings or no readings.

This could be due to the following reasons:- 

  • The meters are out of tolerance. If the meters are out of tolerance, they may be able to be re calibrated and re trimmed back into tolerance so a second validation can then take place.
  • The meters are broken. If the meters on your machine are broken a replacement meter will need to be fitted. This can either be a direct manufacturers replacement or an aftermarket digital meter kit. Once the meter has been fitted and calibrated into tolerance a second validation can then take place.
  • Faulty wiring, CAN-BUS data or ribbon cables, PCB’s or shunt sensors. If any of these components are faulty they could effect your machines meter readings by sending them incorrect or corrupt data. Further investigation of these components will have to take place and they will need to be repaired or replaced as required before a second validation can take place.
  • Burned out welding terminals & cables. Burned out welding terminals and cables such as din plugs & panel sockets will also effect your machines meter readings due to the degradation of the conductor creating high resistance values within those weak points. Any burned terminals or cables will have to be replaced before a second validation can be undertaken.

What does Validation involve?

Once we have agreed pricing and received your official order, an engineer will arrange a suitable time to test the machine. The test process takes about 20 to 30 minutes and involves a brief inspection of the equipment. If the equipment is deemed safe and in good operational condition validation of the equipment will commence. 

We will begin by connecting our sophisticated validation equipment and validation software via a laptop to your machine. 
A series of tests are then performed & subsequent readings are taken and inputted into the validation software. If all readings taken are within allowable tolerances, the software will pass the validation process and a validation report of the readings are automatically generated through the software. This report can then be downloaded and instantly sent to the customer via email before our engineer even leaves your premises. A ‘Validation’ label is also fixed to the machine with all relevant information visible such as the next validation date. 

General notes

If you are thinking of validation, we strongly advise that you talk to our service department. We have been successfully carrying out this type of work for many years and are happy to arrange a site visit to assess your equipment, advise on what is required and provide quotations for carrying out any remedial work needed. Once we have completed the validation process on your equipment, validation certificates will be issued and your details entered onto our data base. Our system will then remind you in good time, when your next validations are due.