Robotic welder vs welder-machine operator

The differences between robotic 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 robotic 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 $33,303 average annual salary of a robotic welder.

The top three skills for a robotic welder include MIG, GMAW and calipers. The most important skills for a welder-machine operator are arc welding, safety equipment, and stainless steel.

Robotic welder vs welder-machine operator overview

	Robotic Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$33,303	$37,171
Hourly rate	$16.01	$17.87
Growth rate	2%	-5%
Number of jobs	7,380	68,316
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	6

Robotic welder vs welder-machine operator salary

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

	Robotic Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Average salary	$33,303	$37,171
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Fontana, CA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Nevada
Best paying company	Sanmina	BWX Technologies
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Technology

Differences between robotic welder and welder-machine operator education

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

	Robotic Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	Dunwoody College of Technology

Robotic welder vs welder-machine operator demographics

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

	Robotic Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 2.6% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	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 robotic welder and welder-machine operator duties and responsibilities

Robotic welder example responsibilities.

Weld aluminum, stainless steel and regular steel.
Assist in the integration, start-up and debug of plant floor welding equipment, including weld controls, MIG welding robots.
Hand-Weld MIG/ TIG as needed.
Set up fixturing to weld aluminum concrete forms to print.
Bolt, clamp and tack weld parts to secure position for welding.
Programme Motoman (robot) to TIG the flanges on exhaust headers.

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.

Robotic welder vs welder-machine operator skills

Common robotic welder skills

MIG, 11%
GMAW, 7%
Calipers, 7%
Tig Welding, 7%
Tack, 6%
Clamp, 5%

Common welder-machine operator skills

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

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Robotic Welder vs Welder-Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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