Role
The role of the welder is mainly to join metals together by heating their surfaces and joining them together with pressure and is used in everything from car manufacturing to the erection of buildings.
Metal joining is a skill that has been in demand for thousands of years. Welding was used in the Bronze Age for building weapons and structures. Blacksmiths became very popular during the Middle Ages as they would use a process of heating and hammering metals to join them together. The electric arc which was discovered in the 1800’s has now become the industry standard and has ushered in a newer and safer way of welding.
The role of the welder is changing fast today as new technology has ushered in the requirement of new skills along with the old ones. New technology now allows the metal to be heated by a variety of methods including gas flame, laser, ultrasound and electron beam although arc welding is still the most common method.
Welders are always in demand and are used to reinforce weak joints, fix stress cracks, build sculptures, and cut and shape raw metals which can be conducted by humans as well as robots and can be done on land, underwater, in the air, and even in outer space!
Therefore the role of the welder is forever changing with new technology and with the need for metal pieces to be fixed together and when it is cheaper and more efficient to fix rather than replace metal fractures.