The students in Paul Hogan’s welding class at C.M. Russell High School are giving the bike racks in Great Falls, Montana a major upgrade:
“Soon, the once dull, basic-looking U-shaped bike racks that were placed in front of businesses in downtown Great Falls will be back on the streets, but this time with artistic designs welded to the racks by students.
Hogan said he was contacted by Business Improvement District director Joan Redeen to add new designs to approximately 10 different racks, which worked well for his welding II class, which is mostly project-based.”
Source: Great
Falls Tribune
Each student picked out a bike-related design and went to work on their individual welding projects. And the bike racks in Great Falls aren’t the only things getting an upgrade this week. There’s plenty of news about the latest welding programs, projects, and career opportunities:
Welding Industry
New U.K. Welding Centre Supports Subsea Welding: “The Global Pipeline Welding Development Centre in Clydebank is the culmination of a £10 million investment from offshore energy contractor Subsea 7.
Supported by an £800,000 grant from Scottish Enterprise, the centre has created 30 new skilled jobs with opportunities being created for graduate engineers from Dundee, Stirling and other universities.”
New Bedford, MA Plants to Become Wind Industry Hub: “City officials and business leaders of New Bedford came to the perfect place for inspiration last month, just before they broke ground on America’s first port terminal dedicated to the offshore wind industry. For all the lament in New Bedford about the city’s high unemployment rate, Bremerhaven, Germany, had it worse. Locals once said this was a city of no hope.”
P&A Welding Uses Friction Welding on Titanium: “Researchers and engineers at P&A International have been experimenting with friction stir welding titanium plates as part of its research. ‘We believe this development could have major implications in the industry. It’s an idea that was once considered unlikely because of the physical properties of the ultra-light material. However our results show that it is possible, and this is very exciting for metal fabrication,’ said the P&A International spokesperson.”
Laser Welding for Microfluidic Devices Takes Center Stage: “At the K show (International Tradefair for Plastics and Rubbers) in Düsseldorf, Germany in October, LPKF will be presenting the new PrecisionWeld laser system designed especially for microfluidic applications. This system can create laser-welded seams with a thickness of 100 microns and has positioning repeatability of 10 microns, a high level of precision that is accomplished by separating the housing from the processing compartment.”
Hobart Releases Metal-Core Precision Welding Wire: “Specifically designed for welding on galvanized or thin-gauge steels, FabCOR® F6 operates with 75–95% argon/CO2 balanced shielding gas, resulting in welds with 76,000–76,500 psi tensile strength.”
Special Welding News
Oregon City Sculptor Welds Scrap Metal Sculptures: “A metallic, shining hippocampus -- half horse, half fish -- rides blue-checkered waves on the Oregon City Public Library lawn. The colorful new addition will be on display through July as part of the library's 100th birthday. The 13-foot-tall sculpture is Oregon City artist Ben Dye's most recent contribution to the Clackamas County art landscape. He also has work in West Linn, Estacada, Wilsonville and Oregon City.”
Welding Jobs
Houston Community College Students Get Career Advice: “Employees with Jacobs Field Services spoke to Alvin Community College Welding students on May 8 about what they can expect once they begin searching for a job. The average age of a construction welder is 55 and once they begin to retire companies are going to have to fill the gap, said John Costlow, Jacobs quality control manager.”
Welding Skills Gap Continues with Jobs Open: “A new survey reports the skills gap in the United States is bigger than we thought. A survey from Manpower Inc. reports 39% of U.S. employers have open positions they can't fill because they can't find qualified workers. ”
Welding Education
Iowa Invests $34 Million in Job Training: “Community colleges will be the place to go for Iowans who need to get their GED, learn basic skills, and earn industry-recognized certificates in welding, health care, technology and other areas.”
Grant Makes Welding Classroom a Reality in Southern Virginia: “Construction is set to begin in June on a new welding classroom at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, making it the only one of its kind in Halifax County. Workforce training in welding here got the green light Thursday when the Virginia Tobacco Commission approved the higher education center’s $154,114 grant request during a meeting in South Hill.”
Welding Events
AWS Pipelines Conference: June 4-5, 2013 in Houston, TX.
"Some of the key subjects that will be covered include the intense interest in the welding of the high strength X80 pipe steels, the many orbital processes that are seeing the light of day in pipeline spreads and from offshore barges throughout the world."
AWS Codes and Standards Conference: July 16-17, 2013 in Orlando, FL.
"Technical standards are among the most valuable documents available to manufacturers and fabricators of welded products. This AWS conference will take a deep dive into AWS D1 structural codes, the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, API pipeline codes, and military and ISO standards. Designers, inspectors, and QC specialists will gain new insights and career-enhancing knowledge."
Welding Promotions and Supplies
Get the latest welding supply deals at Baker’s Gas and Welding.

