Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life
Sheet Metal Workers
Sheet Metal Workers fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.
Table of Contents
Job Description
Sheet Metal Workers fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes. They also convert blueprints into shop drawings to be followed in the construction or assembly of sheet metal products.
Other tasks include:
- Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions.
- Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
- Fasten seams or joints together with welds, bolts, cement, rivets, solder, caulks, metal drive clips, or bonds to assemble components into products or to repair sheet metal items.
- Develop or lay out patterns, using computerized metalworking equipment.
- Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.
- Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
We asked Sheet Metal Workers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.
65%
52%
65% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 52% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.
Typical Day At Work
On a daily basis, Sheet Metal Workers fasten seams or joints together with welds, bolts, cement, rivets, solder, caulks, metal drive clips, or bonds to assemble components into products or to repair sheet metal items. They fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
A typical day for a Sheet Metal Worker will also include:
- Verify that heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are designed, installed, and calibrated in accordance with green certification standards, such as those of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
- Perform sheet metal work necessary for solar panel installations.
- Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
- Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions.
- Select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications.
We asked some Sheet Metal Workers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.
Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? | 40% said yes | |
How important is it to work in a team in this job? | 64% said very important | |
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? | 84% said yes | |
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? | 41% said yes | |
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? | 5% said yes | |
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? | 58% said yes |
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Sheet Metal Workers also construct components for high-performance wind turbine systems. They may also maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Sheet Metal Workers Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills. They might also Transport prefabricated parts to construction sites for assembly and installation.
In addition, they Install assemblies, such as flashing, pipes, tubes, heating and air conditioning ducts, furnace casings, rain gutters, or downspouts in supportive frameworks.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them Maneuver completed roofing units into position for installation.
To some Sheet Metal Workers, it is also their responsibility to Perform building commissioning activities by completing mechanical inspections of a building’s water, lighting, or heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Working life
Standard 40 hour work week
Regular schedule like a 9 to 5
In a typical work week as a Sheet Metal Worker, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.
Is this right for me
The Builders and The Organizers
People who are suitable for this job tends to like 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..
They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
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