Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies. Includes workers who operate laser cutters or laser-beam machines.
What it pays
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders earn a median of $23.04/hr — about $48,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.72/hr; the top 10% earn $31.99/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders earn a median of $23.04/hr — about $48,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.72/hr; the top 10% earn $31.99/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Read blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications.
- Inspect, measure, or test completed metal workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using measuring and testing devices.
- Record operational information on specified production reports.
- Correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices.
- Set up, operate, or tend welding machines that join or bond components to fabricate metal products or assemblies.
- Select torch tips, alloys, flux, coil, tubing, or wire, according to metal types or thicknesses, data charts, or records.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the day is spent working solo; time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 6.4% of welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tender make?
- The median pay is $23.04 per hour — roughly $48,000 a year, with the real range running from about $17.72/hr (10th percentile) to $31.99/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tender?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tender actually do all day?
- Read blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications. Inspect, measure, or test completed metal workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using measuring and testing devices. Record operational information on specified production reports.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.