TO EXCEL IN WELDING

One of the goals established by Douglas Klett of Alsip, Illinois is to excel in all facets of welding.   He is well on his way to reaching that goal.  Beginning with welding at Moraine Valley Community College, Doug completed a one-year program there and used every opportunity to improve his skills by assisting other students and completing fabrication projects for the instructors.  He went on to continue his education at the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology in Troy, Ohio where he completed the nine-month program in Combination Structural and Pipe Welding Program.  He earned his AWS-QC7 certification in March 2000.

The strong welding background that Doug gained at Hobart and Moraine Valley enabled him to obtain a position with the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in LaGrange, Illinois, where he currently holds the position ‘W51 crankcase and repair welder’ (one of the highest welder positions at EMD) and was recently awarded the ‘People Recognition Award’ for outstanding effort.  Doug works in the fabrication areas where the prime mover of the end product is produced.  He applies the welds needed to fabricate the crankcase using established welding procedures, processes, and the skills he obtained from his educational background.  All his work goes through many steps of nondestructive examination, including magnetic particle, ultrasonic, x-ray, and liquid penetrant inspection.

“While the primary end products we make are diesel-electric locomotives, we also provide an assortment of electric generator sets and main propulsion units for the military and marine industries.  Our products are used all around the world,” Doug reports.  “Our main product has 16 cylinders, and with 710 cubic inches per cylinder, it is capable of developing over 4000 hp.  It can efficiently move thousands of tons of product such as corn syrup, oil, steel, lumber, fully loaded trailers, car parts, and also people for merely pennies per ton across the country’s railroads.”

The 4000 hp 710-16 engine is only one of the many models on which Doug works; some engines can have as many as 20 cylinders and make 6000 hp.  As a member of the United Automobile Workers Union Local 719, Doug gets great wages and discounts on all GM cars, trucks, and parts.  Doug smiles with pride when he sees an EMD locomotive moving fast down the rails, knowing that he probably performed some of the welding operations on the engine.

Doug uses various welding processes including gas metal arc welding (1/16” Hobart Fabcor 86R wire and .052” wire) and shielded metal arc welding (6011, 6012, 6027, 7018, 8018) with some exposure to gas tungsten arc welding.  Doug also must know how to run many different submerged arc welding fixtures and proper setup.  Computer controlled torch-burning machines similar to plasma arc cutting machines are also on Doug’s long list of can-do jobs as well as other new operations and procedures that he is currently being trained to perform.  It takes about three weeks to a month to finish one fully welded crankcase. 

In his free time, he is continually active.  “I enjoy fishing and boating,” Doug says.  “I am also restoring a 1968 Ford Mustang fastback and I frequently help my brother with his 1968 Chevy Camaro convertible.  Having this outstanding career has only reinforced my belief that continuing education beyond high school is not only a necessity, but also it is very rewarding and worthwhile.  I owe all of my success to the Hobart Institute and my family who encouraged me to ‘Excel in Welding’”.