Will AI replace Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?
Estimated risk score: 17 out of 100
Very low replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (0 to 36).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 29 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 51-4122.00 · Production
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 4 of its 29 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Record operational information on specified production reports.
- Read blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications.
- Start, monitor, and adjust robotic welding production lines.
- Compute and record settings for new work, applying knowledge of metal properties, principles of welding, and shop mathematics.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 25 of its 29 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Assemble, align, and clamp workpieces into holding fixtures to bond, heat-treat, or solder fabricated metal components.
- Clean, lubricate, maintain, and adjust equipment to maintain efficient operation, using air hoses, cleaning fluids, and hand tools.
- Conduct trial runs before welding, soldering, or brazing, and make necessary adjustments to equipment.
- Correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices.
- Lay out, fit, or connect parts to be bonded, calculating production measurements, as necessary.
- Mark weld points and positions of components on workpieces, using rules, squares, templates, or scribes.
What the job is
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.
Also called: Mig Welder, Weld Tech, Rod Welder, Racking Tech, Welding Tech, Weld Operator, Braze Operator, Finishing Tech.
Related jobs, estimated
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate