How To Become A Welder

What Do Welders Do?

To understand what a welder does, it helps to define what we mean by “welder.” Technically, anyone who utilizes welding equipment to fabricate or join components is a welder, particularly when consistently practicing welding processes.

However, in this guide to becoming a welder, we’ll be talking about professional welders—skilled tradesmen who are professionally certified. 

These tradespeople practice the art of fusing materials together through a variety of techniques and practices. A welder uses high-heat tools to join two compatible materials, but their duties can also include brazing, soldering, or cutting. 

Coincidentally, those last three tasks actually fall into different professions—brazers, solderers, and cutters–but they are often lumped in with ‘welders’ which has become a catch-all term. Although there are similarities, it’s essential to see the difference between these tasks. While cutting is fairly self-explanatory, welding, brazing, and soldering can be a bit more confusing.

In welding, high heat is used to melt the material’s surface and join it to a compatible material. To braze, a filler alloy is heated to bond materials together, allowing dissimilar materials to be joined. Soldering is similar to brazing, but filler materials that melt at lower temperatures are used, often silver, gold, copper, or iron. 

Most people associate all these tasks with metal, but welding can just as easily involve fusing non-metallic materials such as plastic and polymer. Depending on the welding profession you choose, the required welding materials and equipment will vary. However, certain basic materials are usually necessary. 

Types of Welding

The welding profession includes many diversified types of welding that combine materials in different ways. Here’s a quick overview of the three most commonly utilized welding techniques: 

• Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), sometimes called stick welding, utilizes electrode “sticks” or rods fed through a welding gun. Electricity is used to create an arc between the electrode and the metal surface to bond them together using the melted electrode as a filler. An inert gas is used to shield the weld pool from contaminants.
  It is an affordable and strong option common in construction fields, where welds aren’t visible (stick welds are often considered “ugly”).
  
• Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW),sometimes called MIG (metal inert gas) welding, works in the same manner as stick welding, but the sticks are replaced with a continuous electrode wire. MIG welding is neater than stick welding and common in the automotive and manufacturing industries.
  
• Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW),or TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding, replaces the consumable electrode wire or rod used in stick or MIG welding with non-consumable tungsten, meaning there is no filler material. The heat from the arc melts the metal surface itself, producing a weld puddle.
  
  TIG welding is the slowest option, but also the most attractive. It is usually seen in applications involving thin, delicate metal where appearances matter.

Welder Industries & Duties

Aspiring welders can look forward to a wealth of opportunities and steady career growth. The US Department of Labor estimates that job opportunities in the field will grow 3% over the next ten years, similar to the growth rate in past decades.

Few industries can survive without the welding process. The number of modern structures and equipment created and maintained in these industries ensures there won’t be a shortage of welding jobs anytime soon.

What are these industries and the job types that come with them? Let’s take a look at a few examples: 

• Sheet Metal Welder: Sheet metal workers craft, install, and repair sheet metal products. They are commonly found working in the HVAC or roofing industry, fabricating or installing things like air ducts.
  
• Underwater Welder: One of the profession’s most dangerous—and highest-paid—subsets, underwater welders repair structures underwater, such as oil platform support beams or pipes. Deep-sea diving skills are very much a necessity here.
  
• Industrial Maintenance: This class oversees industrial machinery and equipment. One of their primary duties is performing timely equipment repair.
  
• Shutdown Welder: There are instances when hazardous equipment has to be shut down before maintenance can occur. That’s what shutdown maintenance is for. While the hazardous equipment is shut off, welders inspect the equipment and perform any necessary repairs.
  
• Pipefitter: Often confused with plumbers, pipefitters focus on welding and shaping pipes and fittings, frequently for custom applications.
  
• Wholesale Trade: This is perhaps the only non-welding job that nonetheless requires a welder. Using the expertise of these professionals, companies market products to clients who are in the welding business. Wholesale trade welders are often experienced and may even be approaching retirement.