
About Rapid
More about us, our people and how we support our customers every day

Our Suppliers
Everything you need to know about the brands we work with and their stories

Educational
Expert tips, case studies and advice to answer all your welding questions

Product Focused
Helping you find the best products and how to get the most from them
Latest news, expert tips and top products
A Spot of Shameless Back Patting
We’ve been getting some super feedback from customers through our surveys, and we always enjoy reading the comments and suggestions which might help us improve our service. It’s also nice to know when we’ve got it right too! For those of you who use the website, you’ll have noticed the regularly updated…
Working Holiday Snapshots from the Rapid Family Album
As they say in the movies, ‘That’s a Wrap!’ The Fabtech Expo event has finished, and our weary yet highly delighted travelers have returned home with stories to tell (some of which can’t be shared!) and some fabulous new leads to explore. The trip didn’t go quite to plan from the outset, with…
NEW PRODUCT ALERT! – THE EXTREME FACE PROTECTOR (EFP) BY SAVE PHACE
Rapid is always striving to move with the times and stay ahead of the game, and we love nothing more than finding exciting new products tantalising the market in the UK and abroad and making them available to our customers. For those of you unaware – and there can’t be many of you by now –…
Welding – The Next Generation
“I believe the real Olympic legacy is recognising the importance of skills, training, and the desire to work hard and achieve”, Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage & Advisor to the AWD board. A lot has been made of the so-called “Olympic Legacy”, and as well as encompassing the purpose-built landmarks of the…
Kemppi Arc System 2.0 ArcQuality – Welding Quality Management
Any welder worth their pinch of salt will ensure each job is carried out to the best of their ability and conforms to strict control measures and approved welding procedures. But is there any proof of this once the job is complete, and what formal documentation or qualitative evidence is…
Rapid Takes Vegas!
The show is called FABTECH, North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event. The venue is the Las Vegas Convention Centre….and Rapid is dropping in to say hello! The event is a convenient ‘one-stop shop’ venue where you can meet with world-class suppliers, see the latest industry products, and…
Deciphering Welding Symbols & Abbreviations
The use of symbols on engineering drawings helps to communicate design specifics of a project to the welder and all involved. For this reason, it is important that everyone knows and understands the weld symbols in order to achieve the correct end result. To help with uniformity, there are a number of standards relating to weld…
Kemppi SuperSnake Protection Frame Now Available From Rapid
Now available for the SuperSnake subfeeder, the new protection frame safeguards the feeder’s wire feed casing in heavy environments and prevents any damage when the device is pulled along the floor. The protective frame is made of hot galvanised steel. It can be used with all GT02S/6153XXX and GT02SW/6154XXX models (the…
Meet Andy – Rapid’s Online Specialist!
‘Our’ Andy is on the front line when it comes to advising customers, answering queries, and going through product choices over the telephone. His cute dimples and charismatic smile beams from the top of the homepage every time you access the website, and with glowing customer reports as to the…
Low-hy Rods – Baked Not Fried!
When a welding electrode is removed from its factory container, the coating is vulnerable to absorbing moisture from the air. Moisture contamination in an electrode releases hydrogen into the metal during the welding process, which can cause the weld to crack and become brittle. Low Hydrogen, or low-hy rods, are…
On Your Arcs …Get Set …Weld!
Still Suffering from those Pesky Post-Olympic Blues? Have no fear. The Games are far from over, even for Welders!All hail the fabulous sport of Wheelchair Rugby. Did you know Wheelchair Rugby was invented in 1977 – which apparently makes it quite young in terms of sporting activities – and premiered at the…
Flashback Arrestors for Welding and Cutting Applications
Did you know that approximately 80% of all incidents are related to human error? With statistics like this, there’s no question that processes within the welding and cutting industry should be carried out by fully trained personnel. Working with Acetylene, Propane or Hydrogen is a relatively safe process if handled correctly, but it…
The Importance of Dry Air when Plasma Cutting
When operating a Plasma Cutter you need to have dry air. Dry air is important because if moisture is present in the line it will travel with the air and exit the end of the torch. Although not necessarily dangerous, water will change the gas mixture inside the torch and…
A new Era in Welding Training – Launch of the Welding & Fabrication eLearning DVD
Within hours of launching the Welding & Fabrication E-Learning DVD Package, Rapid took its first order! Rapid Welding is proud to announce the launch of an innovative and modern instruction package from Weldability Sif, consisting of a Welding and Fabrication eLearning DVD which gives learners the opportunity to develop a…
Three Good Reasons To Have Your Gas Equipment Safety Checked
Three Good Reasons To Call Rapid About Your Gas Equipment Statutory Instrument 2000 No. 128: The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 requires equipment to be examined regularly. If not properly maintained, Gas equipment can be a hazard and using unsafe or unchecked equipment could result in serious injuries in the…
Tips On Staying Cool At Work
So it’s hot, finally, and despite our grumblings that the Great British summer was never going to arrive, I’m sure there are a few of us – namely those operating heated welding tools under the blue, cloudless sky whilst shrouded in PPE – who wish it would cool down just a tad. Heat exhaustion…
“We welders have our own distinctive bond, as strong as the metals we join.”
Charles “Charlie” Coffin
















