How Can You Use the AIAG CQI-15 Welding System Assessment to Improve Weld Quality?

If your plant performs welding as a special process, you know that final inspection alone cannot guarantee a sound weld. The AIAG CQI-15 Welding System Assessment (WSA) is the automotive industry's standardized tool for auditing and continuously improving your entire welding management system. This article explains what CQI-15 is, how to run the assessment, and how to avoid common mistakes.

What It Is

The AIAG CQI-15 Welding System Assessment is a structured audit checklist published by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). It is part of the CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) special-process series, which also covers heat treat (CQI-9), plating (CQI-11), and coating (CQI-12). CQI-15 focuses exclusively on welding processes, including resistance welding, arc welding, and brazing.

The WSA is not a product inspection sheet. It evaluates the complete "system" around welding: personnel qualification, equipment maintenance, tooling, process control, material handling, and record keeping. Its goal is to identify gaps that could lead to weld defects, such as porosity, lack of fusion, or burn-through, before they occur.

How It Works: The Assessment Process

The CQI-15 assessment is divided into three main sections:

1. Section A – General Requirements: Applies to all welding operations. It covers management responsibility, quality planning, document control, calibration, and nonconforming material control.
2. Section B – Welding-Specific Requirements: Covers process-specific controls, such as weld schedules, parameter monitoring, electrode dressing (for resistance welding), shielding gas verification, and filler metal storage.
3. Section C – Equipment and Tooling: Reviews the condition and preventive maintenance of welding machines, fixtures, and grounding systems.

Steps to perform the assessment:

• Step 1: Gather evidence. Review work instructions, weld schedules, training records, and maintenance logs.
• Step 2: Walk the floor. Observe operators performing actual welds. Verify that settings match the approved weld schedule.
• Step 3: Interview personnel. Ask operators how they handle a parameter deviation or a defective part.
• Step 4: Score each question. Use the standard scoring system:

- Fully Satisfactory (FS): Meets all requirements with objective evidence.
- Partially Satisfactory (PS): Meets some requirements but has minor gaps.
- Unsatisfactory (US): Does not meet the requirement.
- Not Applicable (N/A): The requirement does not apply to this process.

• Step 5: Calculate the overall score. The CQI-15 manual provides a scoring sheet. A typical plant target is an overall score of 85% or higher, with zero "US" items in safety-critical categories. (Note: The exact target is set by your customer or internal policy; the manual itself does not mandate a pass/fail number.)
• Step 6: Create a corrective action plan. For every "PS" or "US" item, document the root cause and a containment action with a responsible owner and due date.

A Worked Illustrative Example

Example data (illustrative only): A Tier-2 supplier performs MIG welding on a bracket assembly. During a CQI-15 audit, Section A has 20 questions, Section B has 15, and Section C has 10.

• Results: Section A: 18 FS, 2 PS. Section B: 10 FS, 4 PS, 1 US. Section C: 8 FS, 2 PS.

Scoring method (illustrative): Assume each FS = 3 points, PS = 1 point, US = 0 points.

• Section A score: (18×3 + 2×1) / (20×3) = 56/60 = 93.3%
• Section B score: (10×3 + 4×1 + 1×0) / (15×3) = 34/45 = 75.6%
• Section C score: (8×3 + 2×1) / (10×3) = 26/30 = 86.7%
• Overall score: (56+34+26) / (60+45+30) = 116/135 = 85.9%

Interpretation: The overall score is acceptable, but the single "US" in Section B (e.g., missing shielding gas flow verification) is a critical gap. The plant must issue a corrective action immediately, quarantine affected production lots, and re-verify the gas flow procedure before resuming normal output.

Common Pitfalls

• Treating it as a one-time audit. CQI-15 is meant to be re-assessed at least annually, or whenever a major process change occurs.
• Scoring from memory. Always use the current edition of the AIAG CQI-15 manual. Older checklists may miss new requirements.
• Ignoring "PS" items. A "PS" is not a pass. It indicates a latent risk that can become a "US" under production stress.
• No evidence for training. Operators may be skilled, but if you cannot show a signed training record or a weld qualification test, the auditor must score it "US".
• Focusing only on the weld cell. Section A covers the whole quality management system interface, including purchasing and supplier controls for filler materials.

Closing

The AIAG CQI-15 Welding System Assessment is your best defense against weld failures that are invisible until they cause a field failure. Run it honestly, fix every gap with a dated action plan, and you will turn your weld shop from a "black art" into a controlled, predictable process.

To start building your own CQI-15 audit checklist and scoring sheet, use the free interactive tool at: https://www.6sq.com/tools/cqi15/