Welding: Where Steel Becomes Structure
Welding is the heart of heavy fabrication. Every other capability — cutting, forming, machining — is in service of producing joints that will hold under the most extreme loading conditions on earth. FMP’s welding department operates at the intersection of volume capability and technical certification, holding the AWS D1.1 welding codes.
Combined with robotic welding for production consistency, specialty manganese and hard-facing capability for extreme-wear applications, and a complete sub-assembly department that delivers components ready to bolt into the customer’s final product.
Certifications
AWS D1.1 — Structural Steel Welding Code: The foundation of heavy fabrication welding. Every fillet and groove weld is performed according to qualified procedures by qualified welders with documented PQRs (Procedure Qualification Records), WPSs (Welding Procedure Specification), and continuity logs for qualified welders.
Processes
Manual MIG (GMAW), FCAW, and TIG (GTAW) Welding: These processes cover all requirements for welding of our customers’ products, from heavy plate to sheet metal for carbon steels, and stainless steel.
Robotic and Automated Welding: For production volumes where consistency matters more than flexibility. Robotic welding ensures that part #500 is identical to part #1 — the same bead profile, the same penetration, the same heat input.
Robotic welding is not a replacement for skilled manual welders. It’s a complement. FMP deploys robotics where volume justifies the programming investment and where repeatability is critical. Complex, one-off, or positional work goes to the manual welders who have the AWS certifications and the experience to handle it.
Specialty Welding: Manganese and Hard-Facing
- Manganese steel welding: Notoriously difficult. Manganese work-hardens rapidly; excessive heat destroys its properties. “Warm welding” techniques keep interpass temperatures below critical thresholds. Special electrodes (high-manganese or stainless-based) prevent weld cracking. FMP has the procedures and the certified welders to handle it reliably.
- Hard-facing: Applying wear-resistant overlay to surfaces that see extreme abrasion. Mining bucket lips, crusher wear plates, and conveyor components all benefit from hard-facing that extends service life by 3× to 5×.
MIG & TIG Welding
Robotic & Automated Welding
Hardface, Manganese, and Warm Welding
The Caterpillar Standard
“Maintaining Caterpillar’s highest-level supplier certification (SQEP) is the ultimate proof of FMP’s welding and quality capability. The Caterpillar audit examines:
- Weld quality — Parts Per Million (PPM) defect rates approaching zero
- Delivery performance — Strict Just-in-Time windows
- Process control — Documented, repeatable, auditable procedures
- Workforce qualification — Certified welders with current qualifications
When FMP delivers welding certified to Caterpillar’s standard, every other OEM — John Deere, Komatsu, CNH, Terex, Liebherr, and your company — can be confident they’re getting the same level of quality.