Courtesy: Welding railway vehicles EN 15085-2 Certification services
Design, production/manufacturing, testing, and conformity assessment of welded railway vehicles, components, and assemblies are part of the EN 15085 standard series. Minimum requirements of the qualification of expert personnel are addressed in EN 15085 and concurrent with ISO 14731.
Therewith, it provides input to design processes and sets requirements for the quality system, welding process approvals, welder performance and welding operator qualifications, inspection and approval processes, as well as personnel qualification.
EN 15085 Certification is a recommended practice for any railway equipment manufacturer that supplies to companies located in any of the European Member States. Other countries, i.e. China recognizes EN 15085 as a performance and quality mandate.
The EN 15085 standard series outlines manufacturer assessment and approval requirements, as related to products, services, and the scope of the manufacturer’s portfolio of welded products. Without this approval, welded products may not be accepted for operation. EN 15085 can be viewed as a manufacturers’ and fabrication compliance standard and statement, which often is an integral part of the final product compliance collective of rail equipment.
While the EN standards for qualifications of welders are slightly more restrictive than those prescribed by AWS or ASME standards and require additional training of employees, EN 15085 offers these benefits:
- EN 15085 certification demonstrates to existing and potential customers an organization’s commitment to quality.
- EN 15085 certification provides access to an enormous market that is heavily invested in and committed to rail transportation.
- EN 15085 is an approval standard for companies whose operational goal is to provide welded structures, assemblies and components to the railway industry while meeting personnel qualification, quality system compliance and operations performance requirements.
- The intent of the standard is far-reaching.
- While the standard provides a baseline of design principles, manufacturing and performance excellence, as well as for the operation of rail stock and related equipment, it too outlines defined performance and quality threshold. EN 15085 intentionally sets communication and approval requirements among business partners and approval authorities, facilitating open discussion regarding project management and potential challenges.
- EN 15085 refers to the ISO 3834 standard, which focuses on quality management compliance for fusion welding of ferrous and non-ferrous materials. Weld Performance Classes (CP) and Inspection Classes (CT) are assigned according to the outcome of engineering assessments and field experience of a given product. Such will be matched with the quality system and personnel qualification requirements of that manufacturer.
- Complying with these principal baseline requirements requires that many objectives concerning the quality and reliability of a finished product be considered. While these standards do not claim that all options and opportunities are addressed for all design and manufacturing conditions, the underlying principles allow for ample consideration of due diligence in attaining a product with the required quality.