The Weld Lab at the Jefferson County campus of Eastern Gateway Community College has been refurbished this year, with more renovations to come in the near future. 

STEUBENVILLE, OHIO — The Weld Lab at the Jefferson County campus of Eastern Gateway Community College has been refurbished this year, with more renovations to come in the near future.

What We Have

After the original weld lab was completely gutted, cleaned out, and repainted, 28 new “Clean Air America” weld booths were installed. Each pair of booths has its own LED lighting and filtered fume and smoke exhaust. Each booth has extended walls, a ceiling, and draw curtains to contain sparks or grindings, as well as its own fixtures to hold plate or pipe that the student is welding.

A gas manifold runs into each booth, supplying different welding gas for MIG, Flux Core, or TIG welding. Every booth has compressed air connections as well as electrical outlets for operating air and power tools. The new lab also features its own controls for heating and air conditioning to maintain student comfort.

Additionally, the lab has a separate room for metal prep, which includes saw cutting, manual and semi-automatic oxy/acetylene, and plasma burning, to prepare steel for the welders. The lab also features a soundproof room with exhaust exclusively for grinding and further metal preparation.

The lab has stainless steel, filtered, chilled water fountains in the lab as well as a stainless steel sink with an automatic soap dispenser, as well as a kitchenette with a refrigerator, a microwave, a toaster and a coffeemaker.

What’s To Come

The campus is currently in the process of receiving approximately $100,000 worth of new equipment, including six new multi-process welding machines, three new downdraft grinding tables, a pipe cutting and beveling machine, pipe rotation equipment, and a CNC automatic Plasma cutting table.

This renovation project cost approximately $500,000, increasing the value of both the Weld Lab itself and of campus as a whole. Pictures of the project are available upon request.

For more information about the Weld Lab renovation, contact Gary R. Coulter, EGCC Welding Program Director, at 740-266-9703 or gcoulter@egcc.edu.