Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-4122.00
Set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies. Includes workers who operate laser cutters or laser-beam machines.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.13
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Show 26 hidden tasks29 rated tasks · 3 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (10.3%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Record operational information on specified production reports.O*NET Task ID 10272 | 1.0 |
Compute and record settings for new work, applying knowledge of metal properties, principles of welding, and shop mathematics.O*NET Task ID 10283 | 1.0 |
Read blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications.O*NET Task ID 10274 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (29)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Turn and press knobs and buttons or enter operating instructions into computers to adjust and start welding machines. | Core |
| Set up, operate, or tend welding machines that join or bond components to fabricate metal products or assemblies. | Core |
| Give directions to other workers regarding machine set-up and use. | Core |
| Correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices. | Core |
| Inspect, measure, or test completed metal workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using measuring and testing devices. | Core |
| Record operational information on specified production reports. | Core |
| Read blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications. | Core |
| Assemble, align, and clamp workpieces into holding fixtures to bond, heat-treat, or solder fabricated metal components. | Core |
| Lay out, fit, or connect parts to be bonded, calculating production measurements, as necessary. | Core |
| Conduct trial runs before welding, soldering, or brazing, and make necessary adjustments to equipment. | Core |
| Remove completed workpieces or parts from machinery, using hand tools. | Core |
| Observe meters, gauges, or machine operations to ensure that soldering or brazing processes meet specifications. | Core |
| Select, position, align, and bolt jigs, holding fixtures, guides, or stops onto machines, using measuring instruments and hand tools. | Core |
| Select torch tips, alloys, flux, coil, tubing, or wire, according to metal types or thicknesses, data charts, or records. | Core |
| Prepare metal surfaces or workpieces, using hand-operated equipment, such as grinders, cutters, or drills. | Core |
| Clean, lubricate, maintain, and adjust equipment to maintain efficient operation, using air hoses, cleaning fluids, and hand tools. | Core |
| Set dials and timing controls to regulate electrical current, gas flow pressure, heating or cooling cycles, or shut-off. | Core |
| Devise or build fixtures or jigs used to hold parts in place during welding, brazing, or soldering. | Core |
| Transfer components, metal products, or assemblies, using moving equipment. | Core |
| Mark weld points and positions of components on workpieces, using rules, squares, templates, or scribes. | Core |
| Load or feed workpieces into welding machines to join or bond components. | Supplemental |
| Start, monitor, and adjust robotic welding production lines. | Supplemental |
| Dress electrodes, using tip dressers, files, emery cloths, or dressing wheels. | Supplemental |
| Compute and record settings for new work, applying knowledge of metal properties, principles of welding, and shop mathematics. | Supplemental |
| Tend auxiliary equipment used in welding processes. | Supplemental |
| Fill hoppers and position spouts to direct flow of flux or manually brush flux onto seams of workpieces. | Supplemental |
| Add chemicals or materials to workpieces or machines to facilitate bonding or to cool workpieces. | Supplemental |
| Anneal finished workpieces to relieve internal stress. | Supplemental |
| Immerse completed workpieces into water or acid baths to cool and clean components. | Supplemental |
0.98/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Turn and press knobs and buttons or enter operating instructions into computers to adjust and start welding machines. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Set up, operate, or tend welding machines that join or bond components to fabricate metal products or assemblies. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Inspect, measure, or test completed metal workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using measuring and testing devices. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Assemble, align, and clamp workpieces into holding fixtures to bond, heat-treat, or solder fabricated metal components. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Lay out, fit, or connect parts to be bonded, calculating production measurements, as necessary. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Conduct trial runs before welding, soldering, or brazing, and make necessary adjustments to equipment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Remove completed workpieces or parts from machinery, using hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Select, position, align, and bolt jigs, holding fixtures, guides, or stops onto machines, using measuring instruments and hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Select torch tips, alloys, flux, coil, tubing, or wire, according to metal types or thicknesses, data charts, or records. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Prepare metal surfaces or workpieces, using hand-operated equipment, such as grinders, cutters, or drills. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Clean, lubricate, maintain, and adjust equipment to maintain efficient operation, using air hoses, cleaning fluids, and hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Set dials and timing controls to regulate electrical current, gas flow pressure, heating or cooling cycles, or shut-off. | E2 structured facilities |
| Devise or build fixtures or jigs used to hold parts in place during welding, brazing, or soldering. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Transfer components, metal products, or assemblies, using moving equipment. | E2 structured facilities |
| Mark weld points and positions of components on workpieces, using rules, squares, templates, or scribes. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Load or feed workpieces into welding machines to join or bond components. | E2 structured facilities |
| Start, monitor, and adjust robotic welding production lines. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Dress electrodes, using tip dressers, files, emery cloths, or dressing wheels. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Tend auxiliary equipment used in welding processes. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Fill hoppers and position spouts to direct flow of flux or manually brush flux onto seams of workpieces. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Add chemicals or materials to workpieces or machines to facilitate bonding or to cool workpieces. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Anneal finished workpieces to relieve internal stress. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Immerse completed workpieces into water or acid baths to cool and clean components. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 33K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 30K
- Change (2025–35)
- -8.9%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $47,920
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84130 | 용접기 조작원 | Same scope | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 7212Welders and Flame Cutters
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Welders and flame cutters weld and cut metal parts using gas flame, electric arc and other sources of heat to melt and cut, or to melt and fuse metal.
Tasks
- (a) welding metal parts using gas flame, or an electric arc, thermite compound or other methods;
- (b) operating resistance-welding machines;
- (c) using blowtorch to make and repair lead linings, pipes, floors and other lead fixtures;
- (d) brazing metal parts together;
- (e) cutting metal pieces using gas flame or an electric arc;
- (f) joining metal parts by hand soldering;
- (g) monitoring the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion or expansion of material;
- (h) examining work pieces for defects and measuring work pieces with straight edges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
Example occupations
Brazier · Flame cutter · Welder
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- wave soldering machine operatorESCO 8212.5Same scope
Wave soldering machine operators set up and operate machines to solder electronic components to the printed circuit board. They read blueprints and layout designs.
- laser beam welderESCO 7212.3.2This occupation is broader
Laser beam welders set up and tend laser beam welding machines designed to join separate metal workpieces together through the use of a laser beam radiating a concentrated heat source that allows for precise welding.
- oxy fuel burning machine operatorESCO 7223.15This occupation is broader
Oxy fuel burning machine operators set up and tend machines designed to cut, or rather burn off, excess material from the metal workpiece using a torch that heats the metal workpiece to its kindling temperature and subsequently burns it into a metal oxide upon its reaction with an emitted stream of oxygen, flowing out of the workpiece's created kerf as slag.
- plasma cutting machine operatorESCO 7223.16This occupation is broader
Plasma cutting machine operators set up and operate plasma cutting machines designed to cut and shape excess material from a metal workpiece using a plasma torch at a temperature hot enough to melt and cut the metal by burning it and works at a speed that blows away the molten metal from the clear cut.
- spark erosion machine operatorESCO 7223.20This occupation is broader
Spark erosion machine operators set up and tend spark erosion machines designed to cut excess material from a metal workpiece by the use of electrical discharges, or sparks, caused by electric voltage and separated by a dielectric liquid, which removes pieces of metal from the electrodes These applications can involve transmission and optical microscopy.
- brazierESCO 7212.1Overlapping, not the same
Braziers operate various equipment and machinery such as torches, soldering irons, fluxes and welding machines in order to join two metal pieces together, by heating, melting and forming a metal filler inbetween them, often brass or copper. Brazing can join metals such as aluminum, silver, copper, gold, and nickel. Brazing is a similar process to soldering but requires higher temperatures.
- electron beam welderESCO 7212.3.1Overlapping, not the same
Electron beam welders set up and tend machines designed to join separate metal workpieces together through the use of a high-velocity electron beam. They monitor the machining processes providing an alteration in the kinetic energy of the electrons that allows for them to transform into heat for the metal to melt and join together in a process of precise welding.
- soldererESCO 7212.2Overlapping, not the same
Solderers operate various equipment and machinery such as gas torches, soldering irons, welding machines, or electric-ultrasonic equipment in order to solder together two or more items (usually metals), by melting and forming a metal filler in between the joints, the filler metal has a lower melting point than the adjoining metal.
- spot welderESCO 7212.3.4Overlapping, not the same
Spot welders set up and tend spot welding machines designed to press and join metal workpieces together. The metal resistance to the passage of electrical current and the subsequent heat created in the process allows for the local melting and joining of the parts.
- welderESCO 7212.3Overlapping, not the same
Welders operate welding equipment in order to join metal workpieces together. They can use fusion welding processes based on different techniques and materials. They also perform simple visual inspection of welds.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| H2906 | Opérateur / Opératrice en fabrication mécanique | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| H2905 | Cisailleur / Cisailleuse en métallurgie | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| H2912 | Régleur / Régleuse d'équipements industriels | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 7312 | Soldadores y oxicortadores | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
| 7323 | Ajustadores y operadores de máquinas-herramienta | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 24422 | Berufe in der Schweiß- und Verbindungstechnik - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrower |
| 24243 | Berufe in der Metallbearbeitung durch Laserstrahl - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 498 | 金属溶接・溶断設備制御・監視員 | This occupation is broader |
| 528 | 金属溶接・溶断従事者 | Related, not a match |
| 529 | その他の製品製造・加工処理従事者（金属製品） | Related, not a match |
| 495 | 鉄工・製缶設備制御・監視員 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources