WELDER CUTTER FITTER

Job Definition:

• 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.

Job Description:

• Use hand-welding or flame-cutting equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Signal crane operators to move large workpieces.
• 2) Gouge metals, using the air-arc gouging process.
• 3) Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
• 4) Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
• 5) Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
• 6) Clamp, hold, tack-weld, heat-bend, grind or bolt component parts to obtain required configurations and positions for welding.
• 7) Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
• 8) Operate manual or semi-automatic welding equipment to fuse metal segments, using processes such as gas tungsten arc, gas metal arc, flux-cored arc, plasma arc, shielded metal arc, resistance welding, and submerged arc welding.
• 9) Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.
• 10) Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
• 11) Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
• 12) Lay out, position, align, and secure parts and assemblies prior to assembly, using straightedges, combination squares, calipers, and rulers.
• 13) Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
• 14) Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and welding operations.
• 15) Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
• 16) Remove rough spots from workpieces, using portable grinders, hand files, or scrapers.
• 17) Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.
• 18) Fill holes, and increase the size of metal parts.
• 19) Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.
• 20) Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
• 21) Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
• 22) Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
• 23) Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
• 24) Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
• 25) Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
• 26) Dismantle metal assemblies or cut scrap metal, using thermal-cutting equipment such as flame-cutting torches or plasma-arc equipment.
• 27) Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
• 28) Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
• 29) Estimate materials needed for production and manufacturing and maintain required stocks of materials.
• 30) Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
• 31) Cut, contour, and bevel metal plates and structural shapes to dimensions as specified by blueprints, layouts, work orders, and templates, using powered saws, hand shears, or chipping knives.
• 32) Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.
• 33) Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
• 34) Melt lead bars, wire, or scrap to add lead to joints or to extrude melted scrap into reusable form.
• 35) Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.
• 36) Join parts such as beams and steel reinforcing rods in buildings, bridges, and highways, bolting and riveting as necessary.
• 37) Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.
• 38) Mix and apply protective coatings to products.
• 39) Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.
• 40) Operate brazing and soldering equipment.

Activities:

• 1) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• 2) Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• 3) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 4) Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• 5) Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• 6) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 7) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 8) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 9) Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Abilities:

• 1) Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• 2) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 3) Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• 4) Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• 5) Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• 6) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 7) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 8) Multilimb Coordination — The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
• 9) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Knowledge:

• Mechanical — Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.