Welders play key roles in the manufacturing process. Their work varies from repair and maintenance welding, to construction and fabrication.
Welders’ skills are used in the construction and maintenance of pipelines, boilers, nuclear reactors, pressure vessels, motor vehicles, oil rigs and turbine castings. They need to be competent in welding many different types of metal (mild steel, stainless steel or aluminium) using various processes. Recognising welding defects and being able to correct them is also part of the job.
Welders must also be able to identify welding electrodes and filler wire compositions and know how to store and dry electrodes and fluxes. The most common types of welding are electric, arc, resistance and gas welding. Other methods include the use of electron beams and laser beams.