STI/SPFA Weld of the Year Awards were presented for the first time at the 2024 STI/SPFA Fall Meeting during the closing dinner on September 18th. The awards recognize exemplary work of the talented craftspeople throughout the steel fabrication industry.
Entries were submitted by member companies and awarded in four different categories:
- Field Welding
- Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding
- Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)
- Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding
Submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges. Winners were selected based on the following criteria:
- Weld Quality
- Weld Difficulty
- Overall Fabrication
| Weld of the Year Winners 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Field Welding | ||
| Welder: | Pat Giddons |  |
| Company: | Kennedy Tank & Manufacturing Co., Inc. | |
| Project Name: | Rolls Royce DA Storage Tank | |
| Material Type: | SA516-70 Carbon Steel | |
| Materials Thickness: | .500" | |
| Size of Weld: | Full Penetration | |
| Weld Position: | All, horizontal tank in position | |
| MIG Welding | ||
| Welder: | Carlos Diaz |  |
| Company: | Kennedy Tank & Manufacturing Co., Inc. | |
| Project Name: | 516-70 Pressure Vessel | |
| Material Type: | 516-70 | |
| Material Thickness: | 1-3/4" | |
| Size of Weld: | 5/8" | |
| Weld Position: | Flat circle welder | |
| Submerged Arc Welding | ||
| Welder: | Armando Arranda |  |
| Company: | Boardman LLC | |
| Project Name: | 75340 | |
| Material Type: | SA 516-70N | |
| Material Thickness: | 2.250" | |
| Size of Weld: | Full Penetration | |
| Weld Position: | 1 G R | |
| TIG Welding | ||
| Welder: | Trey Carmack |  |
| Company: | Kennedy Tank & Manufacturing Co., Inc. | |
| Project Name: | U-Tube Heat Exchanger Bundle | |
| Material Type: | 304 Stainless | |
| Material Thickness: | Tube to Tube Sheet Weld | |
| Size of Weld: | 1/8" | |
| Weld Position: | Horizontal | |
Congratulations to all of the winners! Prizes for each winner were supplied by Beeline and Lincoln Electric. For more information, please visit https://stispfa.org/about/awards/weld-of-the-year/.
