PalmSHIELD Becomes CWI Certified!

Here at PalmSHIELD, we go the distance in providing the technology and expertise necessary to revolutionize architectural screening. Our fabrication team consists of G6-certified professionals, who use everything from welding torches to plasma tables to multi-axis laser tube cutters in applying their craft. This, combined with the knowledge of our research-and-development team, has allowed us to redefine architectural screening via our signature PalmSHIELD Elite system, which does away with internal bolts in favor of compression joints. And recently, the team at PalmSHIELD stuck another feather in its proverbial cap when a member of our team scored his CWI certification.

The CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) is one of the most noteworthy credentials offered by the American Welding Society, as it demonstrates a proven and exceptional knowledge of industry standards and codes. Through it, one can attain significant career advancements and boosts in salary. (Not to mention broadening their employers’ clientele!) But according to our CWI, who has 11 years’ experience in the welding industry, few achieve—or even pursue—the CWI. In no small part due to the intense three-part testing required. “Not every weld shop is going to have a CWI. It is a difficult test to take, and it has about a 25-30% success rate for first-time testers. Not everyone wants to do it.”

In prepping, our CWI underwent three months of training with an instructor. Then came the arduous process of taking the three tests. “Part A is about fundamentals—just knowing basic information about the welding world, inspections, and all that. Part B is about practicals, and that part of the test, which I went to Denver to take, was the most difficult for me.” PalmSHIELD’s CWI describes receiving a piece of material and a fake codebook, for which “you basically have to forget what you’ve learned. You get documentation: WPSs (Welding Procedure Specifications), performance qualifications, PQRs (Procedure Qualification Records), and WPQRs (Welding Procedure Qualification Records). You have to determine if it is up to code, and you have to determine what they’re asking in each question in the test. Part C was an open book for actual code.”

The hard work paid off, as our CWI achieved his certification in March 2026.

So what does this mean for PalmSHIELD? As our CWI explains, “With this credential, I am allowed to review any code that’s produced by AWS and interpret it. I can work with clients such as DOTs in trying to figure out certain procedures they need ahead of time. Clients like this will place greater in trust PalmSHIELD on our procedures if there’s a CWI on hand. They know that things are being looked at a little more closely, and that their order is being built to the correct specifications and design.”