About This Career

Sets up, operates, or tends welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies. Includes workers who operate laser cutters or laser-beam machines.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Production pathway.

A person in this career:

• Reads blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications.
• Inspects, measures, or tests completed metal workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using measuring and testing devices.
• Records operational information on specified production reports.
• Sets up, operates, or tends welding machines that join or bond components to fabricate metal products or assemblies.
• Corrects problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices.
• Selects torch tips, alloys, flux, coil, tubing, or wire, according to metal types or thicknesses, data charts, or records.
• Lays out, fits, or connects parts to be bonded, calculating production measurements, as necessary.
• Marks weld points and positions of components on workpieces, using rules, squares, templates, or scribes.
• Prepares metal surfaces or workpieces, using hand-operated equipment, such as grinders, cutters, or drills.
• Sets dials and timing controls to regulate electrical current, gas flow pressure, heating or cooling cycles, or shut-off.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work