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Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Occupation Detailed Description

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

The main tasks and work activities of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers are to operate welding equipment, ignite fuel to activate heating equipment, assemble metal or plastic parts or products, notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs. In general, for the Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, operation and Control, critical Thinking, monitoring, reading Comprehension and other 2 skills are required.
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers jobs. 45.13% of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 10.82% of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
37.96%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
45.13%
Post-Secondary Certificate
10.82%
Some College Courses
0.00%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
5.45%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
0.64%

Tasks and Work Activities of Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

  • 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.
  • Controlling Machines and ProcessesUsing either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Handling and Moving ObjectsUsing hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentRunning, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
  • Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming 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.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialInspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Thinking CreativelyDeveloping, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Training and Teaching OthersIdentifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
  • Operate welding equipment.
  • Ignite fuel to activate heating equipment.
  • Assemble metal or plastic parts or products.
  • Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
  • Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
  • Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
  • Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
  • Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
  • Lay out parts to prepare for assembly.
  • Operate grinding equipment.
  • Trim excess material from workpieces.
  • Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
  • Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow.
  • Select production equipment according to product specifications.
  • Determine metal or plastic production methods.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
  • Clean workpieces or finished products.
  • Smooth metal surfaces or edges.
  • Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
  • Clean production equipment.

Skills and Abilities for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

  • Operation and ControlControlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Quality Control AnalysisConducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Static StrengthThe ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Depth PerceptionThe ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Trunk StrengthThe ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Adjustable wrenchese.g. Adjustable wrenches
  • Pneumatic hammere.g. Air chisels
  • Pneumatic drille.g. Air drills
  • Pneumatic sanding machinese.g. Air scalers
  • Protractorse.g. Angle finders
  • Anvilse.g. Anvils
  • Voltage or current meterse.g. Arc voltage measurement instruments
  • Metal band sawing machinee.g. Bandsaws
  • Manual press brakee.g. Brakes
  • Welder torche.g. Brazing equipment
  • Power bufferse.g. Buffers
  • Caliperse.g. Calipers
  • Pullerse.g. Comealongs
  • Microcontrollerse.g. Computerized numerical control CNC programmable welding robot controllers
  • Frequency converterse.g. Current converters
  • Power sawse.g. Cutoff saws
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Welding generatore.g. Direct current DC sources
  • Wetsuitse.g. Dive suits
  • Drill press or radial drille.g. Drill presses
  • Production and ProcessingKnowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • DesignKnowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • MechanicalKnowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.