Welders, Cutters, Solderers, & Brazers
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.
Key Tasks
- Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
- Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
- Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
- Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
- Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
- Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
- Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
- 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.
- Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
- Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
- Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
- Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
- Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
- Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
- Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
- Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.
- Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
- Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
- Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.
- Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
- Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
- Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
- Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
- Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
- Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.
- Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.
- Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.
- Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.
- Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.
- Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and operations.
Skills
Knowledge
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Abilities
Work Activities
Work Context
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?
91%
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
88%
Time Pressure
How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
88%
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
84%
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
84%
Exposed to Contaminants
How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?
76%
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable
How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
74%
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?
71%
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
70%
Duration of Typical Work Week
Number of hours typically worked in one week.
68%
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working in an environment that is not environmentally controlled (like a warehouse without air conditioning)?
63%
Spend Time Standing
How much does this job require standing?
63%
Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings
How often does this job require exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings?
62%
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
62%
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
61%
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?
60%
Frequency of Decision Making
How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
59%
Health and Safety of Other Workers
How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
59%
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
58%
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?
58%
Consequence of Error
How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not easily correctable?
56%
Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
How often does this job require working in very hot (above 90 F degrees) or very cold (below 32 F degrees) temperatures?
55%
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment?
54%
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
How important are continuous, repetitive, physical activities (like key entry) or mental activities (like checking entries in a ledger) to performing this job?
54%
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions
How often does this job require working in extremely bright or inadequate lighting conditions?
52%
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers
How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
52%
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body
How much does this job require bending or twisting your body?
51%
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities
How important is it to coordinate or lead others (not as a supervisor or team leader) in accomplishing work activities in this job?
50%
Exposed to Hazardous Conditions
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous conditions?
46%
Level of Competition
To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
45%
Spend Time Walking or Running
How much does this job require walking or running?
45%
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?
42%
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions
How often does this job require working in cramped work spaces that requires getting into awkward positions?
41%
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)
41%
Spend Time Sitting
How much does this job require sitting?
38%
Conflict Situations
How frequently are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
35%
Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection
How often does this job require wearing specialized protective or safety equipment such as breathing apparatus, safety harness, full protection suits, or radiation protection?
33%
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People
How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
31%
Written Letters and Memos
How frequently does your job require written letters and memos?
31%
Telephone Conversations
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
29%
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling
How much does this job require kneeling, crouching, stooping or crawling?
27%
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?
25%
How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?
22%
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance
How much does this job require keeping or regaining your balance?
21%
Exposed to High Places
How often does this job require exposure to high places?
20%
In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment
How often does this job require working in an open vehicle or operating equipment (like a tractor)?
20%
Degree of Automation
How automated is the job?
19%
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions?
13%
Exposed to Radiation
How often does this job require exposure to radiation?
12%
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or operate enclosed equipment (like a car)?
12%
Public Speaking
How frequently does your job require public speaking (one speaker with an audience)?
12%
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles
How much does this job require climbing ladders, scaffolds, poles, etc.?
12%
Outdoors, Under Cover
How often does this job require working outdoors, under cover (like in an open shed)?
10%
Work Schedules
How regular are the work schedules for this job?
9%
Exposed to Whole Body Vibration
How often does this job require exposure to whole body vibration (like operating a jackhammer or earth moving equipment)?
6%
Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People
How frequently does this job require the worker to deal with physical aggression of violent individuals?
5%
Exposed to Disease or Infections
How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
2%
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Less than high school diploma
Post-secondary certificate
Interests
Realistic
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, t
Conventional
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or hum
Investigative
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the f
Enterprising
Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertis
Artistic
Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts,
Social
Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
Work Styles
Work Values
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