What does a tig welder do?
A tungsten inert gas (TIG) welder is someone who assembles and welds metal parts for use in manufacturing or construction projects. The duties and responsibilities of a TIG welder include ensuring the quality of metal parts before assembling them, reading and interpreting blueprints, and observing safety procedures. The requirements to qualify for the position include knowledge of metallurgy, good hand-eye coordination, and good mathematical skills. A high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) certification is the minimum education requirement for the job.
Tig welder responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real tig welder resumes:
- 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.
- See, plasma, torch cutting and coping, lay-out, tack & fit
- Debur and separate parts manufacture from CNC laser.
- Maintain and provide upgrades on a large transfer line utilizing CNC controls.
- Train to test weld parts for leaks, MIG weld, fabrication dept.
- Use GTAW weld to root pass-after that weld by SMAW to filling and cupping.
- Perform all kinds of welding, brazing, and cutting using gas and electric welding equipment.
- Train in using various hand and electric tools such as arch welder, grinders, buffing machines.
- Pass OIMO WPS performance testing for GTAW and SMAW weld test procedures on carbon and stainless steel piping materials.
- Aid in positioning parts in jigs and fixtures on bench and floor, and clamping parts together along layout marks.
Tig welder skills and personality traits
We calculated that 35% of TIG Welders are proficient in Tig Welding, Carbon Steel, and GTAW. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Manual dexterity, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of TIG Welders that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Tig Welding, 35%
Performed copper/stainless TIG welding of cathode plates and refurbished cathodes
- Carbon Steel, 8%
Welded various metals included brass, titanium, aluminum, stainless and carbon steel at varying thicknesses down to .03125.
- GTAW, 5%
Performed GTAW welds on Aluminum fabrications for Navy LCAC (Hover crafts).
- Arc Welding, 4%
Certified in titanium using the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding process for repairing blades used in jet propulsion.
- Hand Tools, 4%
Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses and hand tools.
- Calipers, 3%
Examined completed work for defects, and measured pieces with straightedges, templates and calipers to ensure conformance with specifications.
"tig welding," "carbon steel," and "gtaw" are among the most common skills that tig welders use at work. You can find even more tig welder responsibilities below, including:
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a tig welder to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers perform precision work, often with straight edges." Additionally, a tig welder resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "operate large forklifts, overhead crane and detailed blueprint reading. "
Manual dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling tig welder duties is manual dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must have a steady hand to hold a torch in place." According to a tig welder resume, here's how tig welders can utilize manual dexterity in their job responsibilities: "worked in tooling dept as manual mill and lathe operator/tig welder creating weldment fixtures for production for 30 mig welders"
Physical strength. tig welders are also known for physical strength, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to tig welder responsibilities, because "welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers must be able to lift heavy pieces of metal and move welding or cutting equipment." A tig welder resume example shows how physical strength is used in the workplace: "hardfaced, sub arc welding, fluxcore welding shoes to develop high strength for winter plow trucks. "
The three companies that hire the most tig welders are:
- Aerotek44 tig welders jobs
- Express Employment Indy South13 tig welders jobs
- SpaceX7 tig welders jobs
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Compare different tig welders
Tig welder vs. Ship fitter
Ship fitters are civilian or enlisted people who work on materials like high yield strength steel and high-tensile steel. These people fabricate, assemble, and build structural parts of ships. They are the ones who coordinate a fixed tank working on ships and submarines, as well as the sonar dome work. They serve as part of a team composing shipbuilders. It is their duty to lead and assist in welding copper, PVC, flange piping, and steel. They should also refurbish the older rigs with advanced technologies.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a tig welder are more likely to require skills like "gtaw," "calipers," "grinders," and "aerospace." On the other hand, a job as a ship fitter requires skills like "tack-weld," "basic math," "safety rules," and "shop machinery." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Ship fitters really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $54,661. Comparatively, tig welders tend to make the most money in the retail industry with an average salary of $43,370.On average, ship fitters reach similar levels of education than tig welders. Ship fitters are 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Tig welder vs. Welder-machine operator
A Millwright/Welder installs, dismantles, repairs, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. They cut and join metals and other materials.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real tig welder resumes. While tig welder responsibilities can utilize skills like "hand tools," "calipers," "grinders," and "cranes," welder-machine operators use skills like "stainless steel," "tack," "overhead cranes," and "machine operation."
Welder-machine operators earn a lower average salary than tig welders. But welder-machine operators earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $54,740. Additionally, tig welders earn the highest salaries in the retail with average pay of $43,370 annually.In general, welder-machine operators achieve similar levels of education than tig welders. They're 0.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Tig welder vs. Welder first class
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, tig welders are more likely to have skills like "hand tools," "calipers," "grinders," and "cranes." But a welder first class is more likely to have skills like "stainless steel," "air arc," "tig," and "safety guidelines."
Most welders first class achieve a similar degree level compared to tig welders. For example, they're 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Tig welder vs. Millwright/welder
Types of tig welder
Updated January 8, 2025
