The team at AWS has a long history of providing welding engineering, training & quality assurance on Australian Defence Projects.

Owner of AWS Neville Cornish began his career in defence at SA Manufacturing giant of yesteryear Perry Engineering in the ’80’s and 90’s. Neville was responsible for (all welding, all welding procedures, all equipment, training all welding personnel, client liaison, jigs and fixtures for welding, welding methodology, storage and handling of all filler metals, QC, NATA lab macros) the following projects:

• We constructed The Collins Class Submarines hull for the 300 and 600 sections of the Submarines. Many sections and sub assemblies for the hull, including Bis812EMA hull steels, HY80 forging, Monel and Nickel weld over lays, extensive Inconel 625 weld overlays, 90/10 and 70/30 CuNi pipe systems, 254SMO piping, stainless Steel fresh water and potable water tanks, NiAl bronze fittings.
• We constructed many of the internal platforms for the Collins Class Submarines.
• We built the Emergency Propulsion Units (EPU) (6 off) for the Collins Class Submarines under license to MacTaggot out of the UK.
• We built to hydrostatic test pressure vessel for testing the EPU.
• We built the fabricated and welded thrust bearing housings for the Collins Class Submarines under license to Mitchell Bearings UK.
• Air craft tugs for Air Force
• Tacklop Multi drive wheeled flat top freight vehicle that could be loaded and unloaded into Air Force freight aircraft
• The ANZAC Frigates steering and stabilising systems, including the stabilisation fins.
• We built the prototype Bushmaster vehicle. In Steel we built the completed vehicle for road trials. Welding including development of welding for armour plating.

Neville also set up a training centre at Perry Engineering, where they secured Government funding and engaged TAFE to facilitate Welder training. He developed an extensive Welder evaluation process, running hundreds of welders through evaluation trials, followed by training programs at TAFE, and then two-week qualification and workplace training on site in our workshop training centre. From there welders would move into production. They would return for further training and qualification as they gained experience on the job. On average 1:20 applicants made it past the TAFE based evaluation. It took up to 12-18 months to get a competent industry Welder from evaluation up to speed in production on Collins Class hull Steel welding.

Following this experience Neville wrote a paper on the welding of Q&T steels, which included welding of defence projects.
Neville was able to bring this experience and knowledge of the Defence industry and technology when establishing AWS. Since establishment in 2006 we have been involved with projects that include:

• Consultation on welding of brake support and turret in the refurbishment of AsLav vehicle.
  Weld procedures for a confidential project with ASC.
  Development of the first 50 welding procedures for the ASC AWD Ships.
• Evaluating commercially available filler metals for operations and mechanical test performance. Recommending filler metals for the AWD project.
• Evaluating commercially available welding machines and simple mechanisation equipment for the AWD project- delivering a report with weighting factors to arrive at the most suitable welding equipment for the construction of AWD.
• Designing and running evaluation of Welder applicants for the AWD project.
• Up-skilling and training of welders and tack welders for AWD project.

This prodigious experience was recognised by IMarEST in 2016 with an award for AWS and a commendation for Neville Cornish ‘in recognition of outstanding service to the Institute’.