Body welder vs welder-machine operator

The differences between body welders and welder-machine operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a body welder, becoming a welder-machine operator takes usually requires 3-6 months. Additionally, a welder-machine operator has an average salary of $37,171, which is higher than the $32,146 average annual salary of a body welder.

The top three skills for a body welder include assembly line, toyota and quality inspection. The most important skills for a welder-machine operator are arc welding, safety equipment, and stainless steel.

Body welder vs welder-machine operator overview

	Body Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$32,146	$37,171
Hourly rate	$15.45	$17.87
Growth rate	2%	-5%
Number of jobs	11,289	68,316
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	6

Body welder vs welder-machine operator salary

Body welders and welder-machine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Body Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Average salary	$32,146	$37,171
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Fontana, CA
Highest paying state	-	Nevada
Best paying company	-	BWX Technologies
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between body welder and welder-machine operator education

There are a few differences between a body welder and a welder-machine operator in terms of educational background:

	Body Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	Dunwoody College of Technology

Body welder vs welder-machine operator demographics

Here are the differences between body welders' and welder-machine operators' demographics:

	Body Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between body welder and welder-machine operator duties and responsibilities

Body welder example responsibilities.

Perform preventive maintenance, electronic robotic operation, pneumatic system operation, and initial quality control.
Recommend and implement cost reductive measures on the Tacoma front door and hood shell-body weld jig designs.
Use a power tugger to move parts to other departments.
Perform preventive maintenance, electronic robotic operation, pneumatic system operation, and initial quality control.

Welder-machine operator example responsibilities.

Weld required parts using GMAW, GTAW, and SMAW.
Require to weld a wide veriety of assemblies, fabricate parts and maintain equipment and fixtures employing GMAW and GTAW techniques.
Operate the welding robots and do rework with the MIG welder.
Weld both steel and aluminum pressure tanks for both train and truck air brake systems.
Dismantle metal assemblies and cut scrap metal, using thermal-cutting equipment such as flame-cutting torches or plasma-arc equipment.
Position, align, fit, and weld together parts, using jigs, welding torch, and hand tools.

Body welder vs welder-machine operator skills

Common body welder skills

Assembly Line, 29%
Toyota, 20%
Quality Inspection, 17%
Quality Checks, 16%
Hand Tools, 10%
Jigs, 7%

Common welder-machine operator skills

Arc Welding, 7%
Safety Equipment, 7%
Stainless Steel, 6%
CNC, 6%
Tig Welding, 5%
Tape Measure, 5%