Lincoln Electric® hosted its annual Advanced Motorsports Welding Seminar at the company’s world headquarters in Cleveland in November 2018.

For the first time, the two-day seminar was held in Lincoln Electric’s new Welding Technology & Training Center. Opened in early 2018, the WTTC is a 130,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art training facility located on the company’s corporate campus in Cleveland, Ohio.

During the seminar, Lincoln Electric experts offered educational sessions on proper techniques using the GTAW process to weld lightweight materials – such as stainless, Inconel, aluminum, chrome-moly and titanium – used in motorsports fabrication.

The company’s comprehensive understanding of these and other specialty metals, as well as welding and cutting techniques, 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.

Some of the top racing teams in attendance at the seminar were Penske Racing, Andretti Autosport, Schumacher Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing and John Force Racing

Speakers at the 2018 Advanced Motorsports Welding Seminar included:

Dan Klingman

Dan Klingman is a senior customer training instructor at Lincoln Electric, who began his career with the company in 1994. Since then, he has worked as a production welder, robotic operator, application engineering technician and robotic applications technologist. Since 2004, he has been working in the technical training department focusing on the skilled trades. In addition, he continues to train on advanced technology and advanced motorsports training programs. Klingman is also an active member of the National Skills USA welding committee and has been a trackside welder at the Indianapolis 500 since 2006. He earned his Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and Certified Welding Educator (CWE) designations form the American Welding Society (AWS) in 2012.

Wyatt Swaim

Wyatt 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-tech industries. Swaim consults for Lincoln Electric and conducts advanced training seminars for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and professional motorsports teams.

Dennis Klingman

Dennis 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 curricula for Lincoln Electric’s Basic and Advanced Motorsports courses and also has led motorsports welding seminars for thousands of students across the United States, Canada and Europe.

Dr. Scott Helzer

Dr. Scott Helzer has more than two decades of diversified welding experience and has been an AWS member for 26 years. He received his doctorate degree in the welding sciences from Texas A&M University. 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.

For more information, visit www.lincolnelectric.com.

Lincoln Electric is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln Electric has 63 manufacturing locations, including operations and joint ventures in 23 countries and a worldwide network of distributors and sales offices covering more than 160 countries. For more information about Lincoln Electric and its products and services, visit the company’s website at www.lincolnelectric.com.