Will AI replace Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers?

AI can do 4% of the work Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers do at least twice as fast. Real use has not caught up: none of their tasks show up in real AI use yet, but AI could speed up 2 of them. Robots can technically handle 24 physical tasks. 4 still need a person.

AI is already doing this0 · 0% of time

People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.

  • Real AI use has not reached any of this job's tasks yet.

AI could do this next2 · 4% of time

AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.

  • Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.2% of time
  • Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.1% of time

Robots can technically do this24 · 86% of time

Physical tasks that today's robots can perform in at least some settings. Robots are cost competitive for very few tasks so far, so this change moves slower.

  • Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.Robots: purpose built settings22% of time
  • Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.Robots: purpose built settings6% of time
  • Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.Robots: purpose built settings5% of time
  • 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.Robots: purpose built settings5% of time
  • Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.Robots: purpose built settings5% of time
  • Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.Robots: purpose built settings5% of time
  • Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.Robots: purpose built settings5% of time
  • Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.Robots: purpose built settings4% of time
  • Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.Robots: purpose built settings4% of time
  • Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.Robots: structured workplaces4% of time
  • Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.Robots: purpose built settings4% of time
  • Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.Robots: purpose built settings4% of time
  • Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.Robots: purpose built settings2% of time
  • Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.Robots: structured workplaces1% of time
  • Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.Robots: purpose built settings1% of time
  • Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.Robots: purpose built settings1% of time
  • Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.Robots: purpose built settings1% of time
  • Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.Robots: purpose built settings1% of time
  • Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.Robots: structured workplaces1% of time
  • Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.Robots: purpose built settings1% of time
  • Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.Robots: purpose built settings1% of time
  • Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.Robots: purpose built settings1% of time
  • Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.Robots: purpose built settings1% of time
  • Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.Robots: purpose built settingsunder 1% of time

Still needs a person4 · 10% of time

No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.

  • Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and operations.4% of time
  • Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.2% of time
  • Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.2% of time
  • Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.1% of time

Your week is not the average

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What this means

Little of this work suits AI. The bigger change here is robots: today's robots can technically do 90% of the working time, though they are rarely cheap enough to replace people yet.

What to do next

  • Get ahead on the 2 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
  • Keep an eye on the 24 physical tasks robots can technically do. Cost keeps most robots out of work today, so this shift is slower.
  • Build on the 4 tasks that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders11%Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic4%Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic5%Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic6%Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic6%Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic2%

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