Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Career Description: Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

Industry: Production

Other Job Titles for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
• Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
• Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
• Clamp, hold, tack-weld, heat-bend, grind or bolt component parts to obtain required configurations and positions for welding.
• Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
• Operate manual or semi-automatic welding equipment to fuse metal segments, using processes such as gas tungsten arc, gas metal arc, flux-cored arc, plasma arc, shielded metal arc, resistance welding, and submerged arc welding.
• Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.
• Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
• Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
• Lay out, position, align, and secure parts and assemblies prior to assembly, using straightedges, combination squares, calipers, and rulers.
• Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
• Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and welding operations.
• Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
• Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.
• Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
• Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
• Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
• Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
• Remove rough spots from workpieces, using portable grinders, hand files, or scrapers.
• Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
• Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.
• Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
• Fill holes, and increase the size of metal parts.
• Dismantle metal assemblies or cut scrap metal, using thermal-cutting equipment such as flame-cutting torches or plasma-arc equipment.
• Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
• Signal crane operators to move large workpieces.
• Gouge metals, using the air-arc gouging process.
• Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
• Estimate materials needed for production and manufacturing and maintain required stocks of materials.
• Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
• Cut, contour, and bevel metal plates and structural shapes to dimensions as specified by blueprints, layouts, work orders, and templates, using powered saws, hand shears, or chipping knives.
• Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.
• Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
• Melt lead bars, wire, or scrap to add lead to joints or to extrude melted scrap into reusable form.
• Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.
• Join parts such as beams and steel reinforcing rods in buildings, bridges, and highways, bolting and riveting as necessary.
• Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.
• Mix and apply protective coatings to products.
• Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.
• Operate brazing and soldering equipment.

Emerging Tasks

• Clean and maintain tanks, filter beds, and other work areas using hand tools and power tools.
• Maintain production equipment and machinery.
• Operate machinery and heavy equipment such as forklifts.
• Package finished products and prepare them for shipment.
• Perform quality checks on products and parts.
• Review work orders and blueprints to ensure work is performed according to specifications.
• Shovel, sweep, or otherwise clean work areas.
• Supervise assemblers and train employees on job procedures.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• adjust welding equipment
• analyze technical data, designs, or preliminary specifications
• analyze test data
• apply cleaning solvents
• apply protective coating to products
• attach or mark identification onto products or containers
• braze metal parts or components together
• burn (cut), trim, or scarf metal objects
• clean or degrease weld, or parts to be welded or soldered
• climb ladders, scaffolding, or utility or telephone poles
• compute production, construction, or installation specifications
• construct patterns or templates for welding projects
• determine equipment requirements
• erect scaffold
• estimate materials or labor requirements
• examine products or work to verify conformance to specifications
• explain work orders, specifications, or work techniques to workers
• fabricate beams
• fabricate, assemble, or disassemble manufactured products by hand
• file, sand, grind, or polish metal or plastic objects
• identify base metals for welding
• identify properties of metals for repair or fabrication activities
• lay out machining, welding or precision assembly projects
• maintain records, reports, or files
• maintain safe work environment
• maintain welding machines or equipment
• measure, weigh, or count products or materials
• mix paint, ingredients, or chemicals, according to specifications
• monitor production machinery/equipment operation to detect problems
• monitor the quantity of assembly output
• monitor worker performance
• move or fit heavy objects
• operate hoist, winch, or hydraulic boom
• operate metal or plastic fabricating equipment/machinery
• perform detailed welding techniques
• perform safety inspections in industrial, manufacturing or repair setting
• perform welding techniques over lengthy time span
• plan or organize work
• position, clamp or assemble workpiece prior to welding
• preheat metal before welding, brazing, or soldering
• read blueprints
• read production layouts
• read specifications
• read technical drawings
• read work order, instructions, formulas, or processing charts
• recognize characteristics of alloys
• recognize characteristics of metals
• recognize welding symbols
• requisition stock, materials, supplies or equipment
• setup welding equipment
• sharpen metal objects
• signal directions or warnings to coworkers
• solder metal parts or components together
• understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
• use acetylene welding/cutting torch
• use arc welding equipment
• use braze-welding equipment
• use combination welding procedures
• use fire suppression equipment
• use gas welding equipment
• use hand or power tools
• use knowledge of welding filler rod types
• use non-destructive test equipment
• use precision measuring tools or equipment
• use soldering equipment
• use spot or tack welding techniques
• use thermal-cutting equipment
• weld in flat, horizontal, vertical, or overhead position
• weld together metal parts, components, or structures
• use x-ray or magnetic inspection techniques

• n/a

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$15.51
• Average annual wage (2007) - $32,270.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 5.06%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 20,708
• Employment (2006): 409,024

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