What do they do?

Set up, operate, or tend 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.

Also known as:

Arc and Gas Welder, Braze Operator, Certified Welder, Finishing Technician, Machine Operator, Mig Welder, Reserve Tube Welder, Robot Operator, Rod Welder, Spot Welder, Weld Technician, Welding Operator

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is projected to Decline 8 percent from 2022 to 2032

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
  • -8.5%

    Change

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    2,800

    Job Openings

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Best colleges for Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • High school diploma equivalent  (47%)
  • Some college, no degree  (22%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (19%)
  • Associate's degree  (9%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (2%)
  • Master's degree  (<1%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

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★ There are no majors that have graduates with this degree type

People in this career often have these skills:

  • Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
  • Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
  • Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
  • Load materials into production equipment.
  • Feed materials or products into or through equipment.
  • Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
  • Assemble metal or plastic parts or products.
  • Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
  • Operate welding equipment.
  • Lay out parts to prepare for assembly.
  • Enter commands, instructions, or specifications into equipment.
  • Calculate specific material, equipment, or labor requirements for production.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow.
  • Adjust flow of electricity to tools or production equipment.
  • Direct operational or production activities.
  • Select production equipment according to product specifications.
  • Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
  • Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
  • Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas.
  • Clean production equipment.
  • Maintain production or processing equipment.
  • Lubricate production equipment.
  • Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications.
  • Operate grinding equipment.
  • Operate cutting equipment.
  • Conduct test runs of production equipment.
  • Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.
  • Solder parts or workpieces.
  • Design tools, fixtures, or other devices for production equipment.
  • Assemble machine tools, parts, or fixtures.
  • Apply solutions to production equipment.
  • Apply lubricants or coolants to workpieces.
  • Immerse objects or workpieces in cleaning or coating solutions.
  • Heat material or workpieces to prepare for or complete production.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

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