Lincoln Electric recently hosted some of the most prominent metal fabricators in the racing industry during the annual Advanced Motorsports Welding Seminar at its Cleveland world headquarters. During the conference held on Dec. 1-2, welding experts shared the latest advancements in materials and welding procedures in motorsports.
Representatives from NASCAR, IndyCar, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), off-road racing, aviation and other related industries gathered for lectures, demonstrations and hands-on training.
Through the company’s long and notable association with the motorsports industry, Lincoln Electric engineers and designers have found that the most common fabricating challenges are related to welding titanium, chrome-moly, Inconel alloys and aluminum. The company’s understanding of these and other specialty metals benefits the industry by providing racing teams, manufacturers and industry associations with the welding expertise to make cars that are not only more competitive but also safer to drive. The Advanced Motorsports Welding Seminar allows Lincoln Electric to share this expertise with industry-leading fabricators.
Speakers at the 2015 Advanced Motorsports Welding Seminar included:
Karl Hoes
Hoes, a welding instructor at Lincoln Electric since 2003, has taught nearly every course available at the company’s welding school in Cleveland, including basic and advanced motorsports. He has trained welders and instructors at multiple welding schools and union training programs across the country including the IBEW, Boilermakers, NEIEP, United Association and Ironworkers National Training Program. Hoes also is an AWS Certified Welding Inspector/Educator.
Wyatt Swaim
Swaim is known throughout the world as one of the leading experts in the TIG welding industry. He founded Hi-Tech Welding Services Inc. in 1986, developing a complete production facility geared toward providing the highest level of welding, R&D, welding engineering and metallurgy to high-technology industries. Swaim consults for Lincoln Electric and conducts advanced training seminars for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and professional motorsports teams.
Dennis Klingman
Klingman retired as director of technical training at Lincoln Electric in 2009. A Life Member of the American Welding Society (AWS), he received the Plummer Memorial Educational Lecture Award in 2001. Klingman is a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and Certified Welding Educator (CWE). He has developed curriculum for the Lincoln Electric Basic and Advanced Motorsports courses and also has led motorsports welding seminars to thousands of students across the United States, Canada and Europe.
Dr. Scott Helzer
Helzer has more than two decades of diversified welding experience and has been an AWS member for 24 years. He received the Plummer Award for outstanding contributions to welding and welding education, and an Outstanding Certificate of Achievement as a major contributing author for the rewrite of the week-long CWI preparatory course materials. Helzer has taught TIG welding to EAA members and consulted professional motorsports teams in proper welding procedures and inspection.