Marking and traceability in welding technology according to ISO 3834

Today, traceability is an essential component in the quality assurance of production processes. In particular in welding technology and in the provision of welded constructions, as defined in the case of DIN EN ISO 3834, traceability plays a decisive role. It enables the complete traceability of production processes and thus leads to an optimization and improvement of the quality of welded joints. The traceability requirements within EN ISO 3834 are defined at different levels.

• In the levels EN ISO 3834-2 (comprehensive requirements) and EN ISO 3834-3 (standard quality requirements), traceability is a central element. In this respect, “may be required” requirements are set to ensure that difficult welded joints and safety-relevant products and designs can be monitored and traced accordingly. The most important requirements relate to quality assurance measures in the welding store and to the documentation of the manufacturing processes.
• In the EN ISO 3834-4 level, there are no special requirements for traceability. In this level, it is assumed that the required quality can be achieved by complying with basic quality requirements. Accordingly, the applications of this level are generally not relevant to safety and thus do not require comprehensive traceability of the welded joints.

Annex A of EN ISO 3834 contains a table in which, in particular, lines No. 20 and 21 are of great importance. Here, the requirements for traceability are further specified in the respective stages. Traceability within EN ISO 3834 thus represents an important aspect of quality assurance of welding processes in any case and should be taken into account accordingly when implementing the respective stages.