U.S. Department of Labor Overview of Welding
General description of welding processes, equipment and production. Go

Welders, Cutters and Welding Machine Operators
The nature of welding and it's conditions, employment, and outlook as reported in the U.S. Department of Labor Report. Go

Welding Forges into the Future
Answers from a survey of industry leaders give valuable feedback on the state of welding for the year 2000 and beyond. Go

The Job Outlook for Welders
Reprinted from the Welding Journal, June 1999. Go

More About AWS
The past, present and future of the society is tied to the history of welding. Go

AWS JobFIND
Post your resume and browse the job listings at no charge.Go

U.S. Department of Labor Overview
Welding is the most common way of permanently joining metal parts. Heat is applied to the pieces to be joined, melting and fusing them to form a permanent bond. Because of its strength, welding is used to construct and repair parts of ships, automobiles, spacecraft, and thousands of other manufactured products. Welding is used to join beams when constructing buildings, bridges, and other structures, and pipes in nuclear power plants and refineries.

Welders use all types of welding equipment in a variety of positions, such as flat, vertical, horizontal, and overhead. They may perform manual welding, in which the work is entirely controlled by the welder, or semi-automatic welding, in which the welder uses machinery, such as a wire feeder, to perform welding tasks. They generally plan work from drawings or specifications or by analyzing damaged metal, using their knowledge of welding and metals. They select and set up welding equipment and may also examine welds to insure they meet standards or specifications. Some welders have more limited duties. They perform routine production work that has already been planned and laid out. These jobs do not require knowledge of all welding techniques.

In many production processes where the work is repetitive and the items to be welded are relatively uniform automated welding is used. In this process, a machine performs the welding tasks while monitored by a welding machine operator. Welding machine operators set up and operate welding machines as specified by layouts, work orders, or blueprints. Operators must constantly monitor the machine to ensure that it produces the desired weld.

The work of arc, plasma, and flame cutters is closely related to that of welders. However, instead of joining metals, cutters use the heat from burning gases or an electric arc to cut and trim metal objects to specific dimensions. Cutters also dismantle large objects, such as ships, railroad cars, automobiles or aircraft. Some operate and monitor cutting machines similar to those used by welding machine operators.

More information from the U.S. Dept. of Labor Information