Unit Group
7237 Welders and related machine operators
Welders operate welding equipment to weld ferrous and non-ferrous metals. This unit group also includes machine operators who operate previously set up production welding, brazing and soldering equipment. They are employed by companies that manufacture structural steel and platework, boilers, heavy machinery, aircraft and ships and other metal products, and by welding contractors and welding shops, or they may be self-employed.
Example Titles
aviation welding technician
brazing machine operator
brazing machine setter
electric arc welder
journeyman/woman welder
laser welding operator
pressure vessel welder
production welder
soldering machine operator
spot welder
submerged arc welder
welder
welder apprentice
welder-fitter
View all titles
Main duties
Welders perform some or all of the following duties:
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Read and interpret blueprints or welding process specifications
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Operate manual or semi-automatic welding equipment to fuse metal segments using processes such as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), plasma arc welding (PAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), oxy-acetylene welding (OAW), resistance welding and submerged arc welding (SAW)
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Operate manual or semi-automatic flame-cutting equipment
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Operate brazing and soldering equipment
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Operate metal shaping machines such as brakes, shears and other metal straightening and bending machines
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Repair worn parts of metal products by welding on extra layers.
Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators perform some or all of the following duties:
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Operate previously set up welding machines such as spot, butt and seam resistance or gas and arc welding machines to fabricate or repair metal parts
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Operate previously set up brazing or soldering machines to bond metal parts or to fill holes, indentations and seams of metal articles with solder
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Start up, shut down, adjust and monitor robotic welding production line
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Assist with the maintenance and repair of welding, brazing and soldering equipment
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May adjust welding heads and tooling according to work specifications.
Welders may specialize in certain types of welding such as custom fabrication, ship building and repair, aerospace precision welding, pressure vessel welding, pipeline construction welding, structural construction welding, or machinery and equipment repair welding.
Employment requirements
Welders
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Completion of secondary school is usually required.
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Completion of a three-year apprenticeship program
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or
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A combination of over three years of work experience in the trade and some college or industry courses in welding is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
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Trade certification is compulsory in Alberta and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the territories.
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Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified welders upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.
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Welding, brazing and soldering machine operators
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Some secondary school education is required.
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Several months of on-the-job training are usually provided.
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Experience as a machine operator helper may be required.
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Experience with robotics may be required.
Additional information
Classified elsewhere
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Supervisors of welders in this unit group (in 7201 Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations )
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Wave soldering machine operators (in 9523 Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers )
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Welding inspectors (in 2261 Non-destructive testers and inspection technicians )
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Welding technologists (in 2212 Geological and mineral technologists and technicians )
