Quantity analysis for welding performance in manufacturing processes

Welded bond quality is a very important working aspect for the manufacturing and construction industries. A product is affected by quality of welding. A set of evaluation methods for welding operators is proposed in this paper, based on a theoretical analysis, to assure the quality of product. A new index using a categorical quantity expression to evaluate the welding performance is proposed. The mathematical relationship of welding performance, number of bad welds and the maximum tolerable number of bad welds are derived. Then, the best estimators and the deviations of this index are statistically inferred. Finally, a procedure and criteria are proposed to evaluate the performance of a welding operator. This evaluation method can be used in decision-making for the selection of a welding operator. Besides, it can also be used as an analytical tool to evaluate and improve the welding ability of a welding technician and the welding performance of a welding operator.