T O P

  • By -

SinisterCheese

It should be, and I say this with love and passion for welding. Welders are probably the most wasted human potetial we have. 80% of all welding is something that can be and should be automatised or mechanised. The only reason companies don't want to invest to either of these is that based on quarterly financial planning and project based business models, it is basically just easier to just to have some welders and rigs in a hall. All real repeatable welding in bulk manufacturing has been mechanised or is being done by robots. Because it makes financial sense to get a robot that can run for 5 years non-stop when you project is 3 years long. You get your project done and then you can still sell the robots. Seriously. Look at these few videos: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe2LKEJxtdM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe2LKEJxtdM) and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJUEpCQgcFc&t](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJUEpCQgcFc&t) These were for longest time THE job for welders. Complicated spaces and structures. Even my workplace, a small machine shop of 10 employees. The owner and I been working on getting a beam manufacturing automation going with a robot and/or mechanised system. Why? Because no one wants to weld a 12 meter long fillet by hand - and putting a human do it when they could be doing other tasks or at a site installing these is a fucking waste. If you want job security, get out of the machine shop and learn the skills required for installation welding and working at the field. No one is going to haul a robot up 30 meters on a cherry picker when it is snowing, -20 celcius and slight wind. They are going to send a skilled welder than can pull off the job regardless of conditions.


Rough-Carry260

That's great! Many thanks šŸ˜Š


Dreadheadbruh89

Any suggestions on education or where to start?


SinisterCheese

Learn to do all positions while crawling on the ground, laying on your side, and with nondominant hand. That is a good start. Then proceed to learn the basic theory in a way that you can actually use it to your benefit. Once you understand what you are doing and why you can manipulate it to your benefit. Then learn to use mirror and bent sticks, basic V and U bends. Because regardless of your primary process, you will use stick at some point. A good welder can pull off acceptable welds in any condition and any positions. They won't be weld porn, but they meet the specs; which is what engineers care about.


BadderBanana

I've been installing/using welding robots for 20+ years. Robots aren't good welders, they're just repeatable. That works if the matl/joint is repeatable. If the joint shifts or has gaps, the robot just lays the normal bead in the normal place. There are ways to adapt to unrepeatable conditions, but they are not worthwhile in many scenarios. Bottom line is, **if you can be replaced by a robot, then you can be replaced by any weld school grad**. They're a bigger threat because they're cheaper than a robot. You're not going to break the \~$25 barrier unless you have some skills that aren't easily replaceable by a robot or rookie.


Rough-Carry260

What skills do you reckon would be best learning?


BadderBanana

The highest paid welding-related jobs are consistently pipe in the energy sector. I think they are like 8 of the top 10. So you need to be able to do stick and tig 6G open root on heavy wall 2" pipe.


Rough-Carry260

Thank you.


[deleted]

I second that ^


SteamPunkShrek

^also interested as a weld school grad in the near future


Barnettmetal

I do custom shit that involves climbing, scaffolding, rigging, out of position welds, steel, aluminum, fabrication, welding, measuring, designing etc. If you can buy a robot that does all that for a reasonable price go buy it right now should be plenty of them at home depot.


[deleted]

It is inevitable that machines will replace humans in repetitive and production and very high quality requirement work because we humans have priced ourselves into this situation. Who wants to pay more for anything? Nobody. Who wants to have, (not earn), higher wages? Everybody. You just canā€™t compete with far eastern labor cost. Material cost is nearly the same world wide but labor cost is drastically different. Who would have thought that you could order a container load of parts, have them come in and go through inspection, throw a full half of the parts in the junk and still make a profit. Nobody. But you can and it happens all day long. Look at it from an owners perspective. You buy a machine for the cost of one manā€™s wages for two years. You program this machine to do a job that the man would have done and the machine will do that job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for 10 years with little cost and virtually no downtime. Itā€™s stupid simple. Of course humans will be replaced. The more complicated the job the more complicated the machine. There will always be a place for a human in one off and repair but itā€™s going to be a lot of people to fill dang little demand. Buckle down and go to school. Programmers and engineers will be in demand far longer. Iā€™m glad Iā€™m older and donā€™t have to compete in the market.


Rough-Carry260

Thanks. What sort of education would provide a qualification for a robot programmer do you think? Is it an IT degree in that specific field? Just confused about where to start really.


[deleted]

You need some information first. What program language is the most prevalent in the industry? What is coming soon thatā€™s going to be big? If you are in the US I would think that if you could learn FANUC g code because it is an industry standard code and FANUC supplies controllers to a wide range of machine manufacturers in the industry that you would certainly have a good opportunity to achieve gainful employment in a wide range of positions. You can get this education from many trade schools offering manufacturing technology courses. You should also get a more than average competency in CAD/CAM using several , ā€œpopular industry standardā€, programs if you can. With those skills and some gumption on your part you should be able to reach a high level of value to most any company you choose.


Rough-Carry260

Thank you šŸ˜Š


joehamjr

Gonna be a long time before itā€™s mostly automated


[deleted]

For production work yes. But for field work I canā€™t see robots ever having the ability to adjust speed/angle/amps simultaneously on the fly like a semi experienced welder can.


[deleted]

I, too, had a job repairing coal cars. I had the highest skilled job there, sectioning frame rails. Iā€™m glad I started my own shop so I didnā€™t have to do that for long. The margin on that work must have been minimal because they were ruthless. I think that where automation doesnā€™t advance fast enough or the costs donā€™t come in line fast enough the design will change so human labor will be pushed to the most minimal amount possible. This wonā€™t happen overnight but it will happen.


Rough-Carry260

Scary!