Clamp parts into the fixture
Follow the work order, position the pieces, and clamp them into a fixture that holds them during joining.
Career profile
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Operator
Welding machine operators set up and run metal-joining machines, then inspect the results.
Cycle by cycle, the machine repeats itself. You watch for any part or setting needing attention and catch it before another batch starts.
A day in the life
Tune the machine on setup
When a job needs setup, check the first pieces off the machine and tune it before full production starts.
Watch the gauges mid-run
During soldering or brazing, watch the gauges and change settings or halt the machine if readings exceed spec.
Measure parts and log results
Match measurements to the drawing and log production results so flawed parts do not reach the next operation.
Quick facts
High school + job training
United States · 2025
$47,920/year
United States · 2025
8.9% projected decline
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school + job trainingA high school diploma or equivalent is typical, followed by training on the job.
Pay
$47,920/year2025 national median, equivalent to $23.04 an hour.
Outlook
8.9% projected declineAbout 2,500 openings a year are projected nationally during 2025–2035, despite shrinking employment.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like getting parts lined up precisely.
- You can stay attentive when a task repeats.
- You want to understand why a machine's results changed.
Things to weigh
- Standing, repeated hand motions, and loud equipment can make a shift tiring.
- Some robotic welding jobs run evening shifts, cutting into time with friends or family.
Where AI may help
Programmed robots can repeat welding movements, and some automated lines let an operator monitor multiple machines.
What people still lead
Operators still troubleshoot poor results and work with manufacturing engineers when robot programs need changes.
What we can’t predict yet
How much loading, checking, and adjustment becomes automatic will vary by factory; the balance between tending machines and solving problems may shift.
Pay in context
Earnings
These national figures cover welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders together.
The middle and the spread
The 2025 median was $47,920 a year, or $23.04 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earned $36,860 or less; the highest-paid 10% earned $66,540 or more. Those are wage percentiles, not starting and senior rates.
Experience and shift can change an offer
A temporary-to-direct wave-solder role in Melbourne, Florida, advertised $18–$20 an hour depending on experience, plus 10% for second shift. That is a local advertised range, not an electronics-industry average.
Openings in a shrinking occupation
Employment is projected to decline 8.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,500 openings annually on average. Openings are not the same as newly created jobs.
Getting started
Learn on the production floor
- What the route involves
- With a high school diploma or equivalent, seek trainee operator work and learn machine operation and inspection with experienced workers.
- What it can lead to
- You build the competence to run production on the equipment you have learned.
- What to check
- Check experience requirements carefully: advanced robotic welding positions may require previous welding work rather than accept beginners.
Study robotic welding
A-B Tech's certificate requires 16 credits.
- What the route involves
- In Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College's Robotic Welding Certificate, combine classroom study with robotics lab practice.
- What it can lead to
- Build skills in setting up, programming, and operating robotic welding equipment for production applications.
You can learn through an entry job or prepare in a program focused on the machines you want to operate.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get consistent
Learn one machine's production cycle and inspection routine until you can reliably spot a part that does not meet the drawing.
Take on setups
Develop the skills to prepare a machine for a different job, run test pieces, and adjust the setup.
Specialize in robotic welding
With further training and experience, pursue work that includes robot programming, troubleshooting, and coordinating weld changes with engineers.
Where you can work
Equipment manufacturing shops
Robotic welding can sit alongside manual fitting and weld rework. You may collaborate with manufacturing engineers and work an evening production shift.
- Indoors
- Shift work
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Electronics production lines
Wave-solder machines join components on circuit boards. The work can include loading board fixtures, checking small connections, and repairing defects by hand.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Make a paper template for positioning two cardboard pieces. Repeat the placement five times, measuring each result with a ruler. Change the template to reduce variation. Notice whether you enjoy making a repeated process more consistent.
Stay safe: Use paper, cardboard, and tape only; this explores fixture thinking without welding equipment.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: 51-4122.00. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–2035. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Metal and Plastic Machine Workers. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Epiroc. Robot Weld Operator — Dexter, Michigan. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. Robotic Welding Certificate. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Sanmina. Wave Solder Machine Operator. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Acara Solutions. Wave Solder Machine Operator — requisition 562903. Accessed 2026-10-05.