welding and machining

[MBG]

I am thinking about going back to school to learn welding. Does anybody think this would help me in machining to pick up jobs or anything like that? Do a lot of machining jobs require welding?

[HuFlungDung]

If you plan to run your own small business sometime, I think it would be a very good idea. Lots of projects require "a little bit" of welding as part of the path towards the end product.

Welding might also be more profitable as a source of employment, should you need to switch sometime. I kind of doubt that many shops out there will have machinists and welders trading places, though. It seems like a definite fork in the road, once you take one path, or the other.

Heck, if you get to like welding more than machining, there's nothing wrong with that, though.

[MBG]

I don't think welding is going to take over machining. Yes I do plan on starting a small shop eventually. So parts to call for welding operations? AWESOME . I am in luck!

[MBG]

but why is welding more profitable?

[HuFlungDung]

Its not a matter of welding taking over machining: both processes are equally important and will likely continue in parallel. But, welding skills are strongly dependant on the knowledge and coordination of the man who has learned to do it. This kind of knowledge is difficult to encapsulate into cnc welding processes. CNC has made much deeper inroads into the machining of even small quantities of parts, at low prices. This has caused a loss in the number of positions of the knowledgeable general machinist, but multiplied the number of positions of a lower skilled job class: the button pusher.

Just from an employment viewpoint, decent welding jobs seems to be able to command a better wage than a "button pusher" machine operator, which is where a lot of machinists are sort of "forced" to start.

[MBG]

ahh I got ya. Yea I was a buttom pusher for a while. I hated it.

[Aksess]

I started out welding and have had for almost 20 years now. But I got tired of all the smoke and heat and switched to a "button Pusher" programming MotoMan welding robots. So it all depends on your passion. I still look at myself as an avid welder, but the machine took over sucking in all the smoke.

[DSL PWR]

Up here it's kind of tough to get a robot to lay in a wet trench (electronics hate moisture), upside down and weld the bottom side of a pipe joint, when it's -50 C (I doubt the servos would spin at a steady rate!) (for you yanks -40 is the same on both scales so -50 C is too damn cold)

Now befor I get flamed, yes you can have a wet trench when it is -50 C, we need to bury the natural gas pipe below the frost line. Up in my neck of the woods this means things will be wet, as most of the terrain in the gas field is swamp.

[unterhaus]

Murphy dictates that if it is -50 and you're in a trench, that somehow it's going to be wet. My limit for that sort of thing is -20.

Our machinist here is also quite proficient at welding. It would be a big pain if he weren't. Some of the mechanical engineering research jobs require precise welded and machined objects for pressure vessels and that sort of thing. Back when we had a machinist that wouldn't do any work, I had some parts made by an outside machinist. He had to get someone else to do the welding, but anyone that was halfway proficient at welding could have done it. I'm sure he would have made quite a bit more money if he could have done it himself.

[MBG]

So it will help me in finding a job or starting a business?

[mxtras]

No - learning how to weld will can make you more versatile - it won't bring the crowd to your door.

Scott

[MBG]

well since I got laid off I think i'm going to go back to welding school

you know make my education richer or whatever hahah