Welder-manufacture vs welder-machine operator

The differences between welder-manufactures 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 welder-manufacture, becoming a welder-machine operator takes usually requires 3-6 months. Additionally, a welder-manufacture has an average salary of $43,652, which is higher than the $37,171 average annual salary of a welder-machine operator.

The top three skills for a welder-manufacture include hand tools, arc welding and cranes. The most important skills for a welder-machine operator are arc welding, safety equipment, and stainless steel.

Welder-manufacture vs welder-machine operator overview

	Welder-Manufacture	Welder-Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$43,652	$37,171
Hourly rate	$20.99	$17.87
Growth rate	2%	-5%
Number of jobs	7,091	68,316
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	6

Welder-manufacture vs welder-machine operator salary

Welder-manufactures and welder-machine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Welder-Manufacture	Welder-Machine Operator
Average salary	$43,652	$37,171
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $60,000	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 welder-manufacture and welder-machine operator education

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

	Welder-Manufacture	Welder-Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	Dunwoody College of Technology

Welder-manufacture vs welder-machine operator demographics

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

	Welder-Manufacture	Welder-Machine Operator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 3.2% White, 61.3% 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 welder-manufacture and welder-machine operator duties and responsibilities

Welder-manufacture example responsibilities.

Used mig welding to fabricate farm equipment.
Operate equipment including valves, pumps and mixers.
Utilize GMAW, SMAW in a manufacturing fabrication environment.
Perform a variety of welding on primarily sheet metal and aluminum using MIG and TIGprocesses.
Connect heavy beams (stick weld), cut steel with torches, and lift steel beams with a crane.
Assemble then weld various aluminum and steel parts; assemble military environmental control and power generation trailers.

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.

Welder-manufacture vs welder-machine operator skills

Common welder-manufacture skills

Hand Tools, 18%
Arc Welding, 17%
Cranes, 10%
Stainless Steel, 9%
GMAW, 9%
Tig Welding, 6%

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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Welder-Manufacture vs Welder-Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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