Being A Welder and Fabricator: What You Really Do

In this job description guide, you will find out what do Welders, Cutters and Welder Fitters do and what is their typical work day like.

After reading this, you will have a much better idea on whether you will like working as a Welder, Cutter and Welder Fitter or not.

Welders and Fabricators use hand-welding or flame-cutting equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

We asked Welders and Fabricators how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

57% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 43% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

On a daily basis, Welders and Fabricators Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits. They Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.

1 of the main responsibilities as A Welder and Fabricator is to Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.

Some may also Clamp, hold, tack-weld, heat-bend, grind or bolt component parts to obtain required configurations and positions for welding.

In a normal work day, another thing that Welders and Fabricators do is they Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.

In addition to that, they 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..

We asked some Welders and Fabricators a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Besides the “typical day” things that Welders and Fabricators do, they Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools. They might also Fill holes, and increase the size of metal parts.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Welders and Fabricators Dismantle metal assemblies or cut scrap metal, using thermal-cutting equipment such as flame-cutting torches or plasma-arc equipment. and Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.

In addition, they Gouge metals, using the air-arc gouging process.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.

To some Welders and Fabricators, it is also their responsibility to Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.

A typical week or month for them might include:

In a typical work week as A Welder and Fabricator, you can expect to work 40 hours per week.

Do Welders and Fabricators work in an office-style work environment?

Do Welders and Fabricators work in a warehouse-style work environment?

Do Welders and Fabricators work outdoors?

You can read more about these career personality types here.

You will like this career if you are someone who likes work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the careers require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

You also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.