Tig welder vs welder-machine operator

The differences between tig 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 tig welder, becoming a welder-machine operator takes usually requires 3-6 months. Additionally, a tig welder has an average salary of $38,192, which is higher than the $37,171 average annual salary of a welder-machine operator.

The top three skills for a tig welder include tig welding, carbon steel and GTAW. The most important skills for a welder-machine operator are arc welding, safety equipment, and stainless steel.

Tig welder vs welder-machine operator overview

	TIG Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$38,192	$37,171
Hourly rate	$18.36	$17.87
Growth rate	2%	-5%
Number of jobs	7,053	68,316
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	6

Tig welder vs welder-machine operator salary

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

	TIG Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Average salary	$38,192	$37,171
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $49,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Tualatin, OR	Fontana, CA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Nevada
Best paying company	Alfa Laval	BWX Technologies
Best paying industry	Retail	Technology

Differences between tig welder and welder-machine operator education

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

	TIG Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	Dunwoody College of Technology

Tig welder vs welder-machine operator demographics

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

	TIG Welder	Welder-Machine Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	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 tig welder and welder-machine operator duties and responsibilities

Tig welder example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Weld 7ga-22ga together through GMAW (TIG) and (MIG) process.
Assist with minor repairs on steel and carbon steel with proper tig and flux core operation.
Work as TIG and MIG welder on carbon/stainless steel, arc-welder for product repair, and plasma cutter.
Weld items using TIG and MIG equipment and tools, bend cut and hammer pieces to fit the correct production piece.
Fit and make xray welds on sch.

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.

Tig welder vs welder-machine operator skills

Common tig welder skills

Tig Welding, 35%
Carbon Steel, 8%
GTAW, 5%
Arc Welding, 4%
Hand Tools, 4%
Calipers, 3%

Common welder-machine operator skills

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