Scope@ Purpose@ and Range of Application These guidelines list and describe defects and flaws in welded joints in thermoplastic materials. The objective is to make possible a generally valid evaluation giving consideration to graded quality requirements. This guide is meant to aid those responsible for the evaluation of thermoplastic welds. The final determination of what is an acceptable weld should be the responsibility of the engineer@ owner or user. By classification into one of the evaluation groups in 4.1@ specific flaws may be excluded or kept within limits when welded joints are produced. The application of these guidelines and the measures through which they can be met should be included in contractual specification or form part of the generally recognized specifications. Welding Processes. Defects and flaws produced by the following welding processes are addressed. The use of these guidelines for welding other thermoplastic materials should be agreed upon between the customer and the fabricator. This standard makes use of the International System of Units (SI). Safety and health issues and concerns are beyond the scope of this standard and therefore are not addressed herein. Safety and health information is available from the following sources: American Welding Society: (1) ANSI Z49.1@ Safety in Welding@ Cutting@ and Allied Processes (2) AWS Safety and Health Fact Sheets (3) Other safety and health information on the AWS website Material or Equipment Manufacturers: (1) Safety Data Sheets supplied by materials manufacturers (2) Operating Manuals supplied by equipment manufacturers Applicable Regulatory Agencies Work performed in accordance with this standard may involve the use of materials that have been deemed hazardous@ and may involve operations or equipment that may cause injury or death. This standard does not purport to address all safety and health risks that may be encountered. The user of this standard should establish an appropriate safety program to address such risks as well as to meet applicable regulatory requirements. ANSI Z49.1 should be considered when developing the safety program.