Laser beam welder

Laser beam welders set up and tend laser beam welding machines designed to join separate metal workpieces together through the use of a laser beam radiating a concentrated heat source that allows for precise welding.

The duties of a laser beam welder include, but are not limited to:

• Interpreting blueprints, drawings, and measurements to plan layouts.
• Welding small and large components such as copper plumbing, beams, and pipelines.
• Using specialized machinery for industrial welding and oversee machines that perform the same job.
• Maintaining and repairing all machinery.
• Assessing welded surfaces, structures and components to identify errors.
• Following and enforcing strict safety regulations such as wearing heat-resistant gloves, protective masks, and safety shoes.
• Monitoring machinery for appropriate usage and temperature.
• Welding components in flat, vertical, and overhead positions.

Laser beam welders may work indoors or outdoor. They are often exposed to irritants, such as fumes, sparks, and intense light created by the arc.To reduce the risk of injuries, they always wear personal protective equipment, such as welding helmets, hearing protection and heat-resistant gloves. They also need to follow strict safety procedures.

Laser beam welders work full time, mostly in manufacturing firms. They usually work in shifts. As a result, they may work evenings, weekends and holidays.

The following job titles also refer to laser beam welder:

laser welding operator
laser tube welder
laser operations
laser tube welder apprentice
laser beam machine operator
laser welder
repair fitter
laser repair welder
machine welder, lasers
laser repair technician
maintenance technician
LBW machine operator
laser beam welding machine operator
welder
machine-welder
laser beam machine technician

A high school diploma and a technical training are the minimum condition to work as laser beam welder. This training can be done in a vocational education center.

In some places, a license or certification may be required

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Laser beam welder is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to laser beam welder.

electron beam welder
riveter
laser marking machine operator
spot welder
spring maker

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of laser beam welder. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of laser beam welder with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

automated assembly line operator
pulp control operator
metal production supervisor
welding inspector
product development engineering technician

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of laser beam welder.

• Statistical process control: Method of quality control that uses statistics to monitor processes.
• Manufacturing processes: The steps required through which a material is transformed into a product, its development and full-scale manufacturing.
• Quality and cycle time optimisation: The most optimal rotation or cycle time and over-all quality of a tool or a machine’s processes.
• Types of metal: Qualities, specifications, applications and reactions to different fabricating processes of various types of metal, such as steel, aluminium, brass, copper and others.
• Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.
• Laser types: The various types of lasers, their specific qualities and their applications, such as for cutting, engraving, welding, and others.

These skills are necessary for the role of laser beam welder.

• Prepare pieces for joining: Prepare metal or other material workpieces for joining processes by cleaning the workpieces, checking their measurements with the technical plan and marking on the pieces where they’ll be joined.
• Monitor gauge: Oversee the data presented by a gauge concerning the measurement of pressure, temperature, thickness of a material, and others.
• Ensure necessary ventilation in machining: Turn on the ventilation systems, such as a vacuum pump or blower, of a manufacturing machine in order to remove noxious fumes, smoke, dust, or for other removal of debris from the surface of the workpiece.
• Remove inadequate workpieces: Evaluate which deficient processed workpieces do not meet the set-up standard and should be removed and sort the waste according to regulations.
• Troubleshoot: Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.
• Remove processed workpiece: Remove individual workpieces after processing, from the manufacturing machine or the machine tool. In case of a conveyor belt this involves quick, continuous movement.
• Perform test run: Perform tests putting a system, machine, tool or other equipment through a series of actions under actual operating conditions in order to assess its reliability and suitability to realise its tasks, and adjust settings accordingly.
• Wear appropriate protective gear: Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.
• Read standard blueprints: Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.
• Ensure equipment availability: Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.
• Use CAM software: Use computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programmes to control machinery and machine tools in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation as part of the manufacturing processes of workpieces.
• Use automatic programming: Utilise specialised software tools to generate computer code from specifications, such as diagrams, structured information or other means of describing functionality.
• Perform machine maintenance: Perform regular maintenance, possibly including corrections and alterations, on a machine or machine tool to ensure it remains in a proper productive state.
• Apply precision metalworking techniques: Comply with precision standards specific to an organisation or product in metalworking, involved in processes such as engraving, precise cutting, welding.
• Supply machine: Ensure the machine is fed the necessary and adequate materials and control the placement or automatic feed and retrieval of work pieces in the machines or machine tools on the production line.
• Ensure correct metal temperature: Ensure the necessary, usually constant, temperature of processed metal workpieces during metal fabrication processes.
• Program a CNC controller: Set up the desired product design in the CNC controller of the CNC machine for product manufacturing.
• Tend laser beam welding machine: Tend a metalworking machine designed to join metal pieces by use of a laser beam exuding a concentrated heat source, monitor and operate it according to regulations.
• Set up the controller of a machine: Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of laser beam welder. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Laser engraving methods: The various engraving methods employing lasers to make incisions, such as the X-Y table method, the cylindrical workpiece method, the galvo mirrors method, and others.
• Manufacturing of cutlery: The manufacture of different cutlery items, such as forks, spoons, knives, razors or scissors.
• Laser marking processes: The various engraving processes employing lasers to make incisions, such as raster engraving, vector engraving, and others.
• Metal joining technologies: The various technologies used for the joining and assembling of fabricated metal workpieces.
• Ferrous metal processing: Various processing methods on iron and iron-containing alloys such as steel, stainless steel and pig iron.
• Welding techniques: The different methods of welding together pieces of metal using various equipment, such as oxygen-acetylene welding, gas metal arc welding and tungsten inert gas welding.
• Manufacturing of small metal parts: The manufacture of metal cable, plaited bands and other articles of that type, uninsulated or insulated cable not capable of being used as a conductor of electricity, coated or cored wire as well as barbed wire, wire fencing, grill, netting, cloth etc. Manufacture of coated electrodes for electric arc-welding, nails and pins, chain and springs (except watch springs): as well as leaves for springs.
• Manufacturing of metal containers: The manufacture of reservoirs, tanks and similar containers of metal, of types normally installed as fixtures for storage or manufacturing use. The manufacture of metal containers for compressed or liquefied gas.
• Types of metal manufacturing processes: Metal processes linked to the different types of metal, such as casting processes, heat treatment processes, repair processes and other metal manufacturing processes.
• Manufacturing of doors from metal: The manufacture of metal doors, windows and their frames, shutters and gates, and the metal room partitions for floor attachment.
• Manufacturing of weapons and ammunition: The manufacture of heavy weapons (artillery, mobile guns, rocket launchers, torpedo tubes, heavy machine guns), small arms (revolvers, shotguns, light machine guns), air or gas guns and pistols, and war ammunition. Also the manufacture of hunting, sporting or protective firearms and ammunition and of explosive devices such as bombs, mines and torpedoes.
• Manufacturing of steam generators: The manufacture of steam or other vapor generators, the manufacture of auxiliary plant for use with steam generators: condensers, economisers, superheaters, steam collectors and accumulators. The manufacture of nuclear reactors, parts for marine or power boilers. Also the production of pipe system construction comprising further processing of tubes generally to make pressure pipes or pipe systems together with the associated design and construction work.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of laser beam welder. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Inspect quality of products: Use various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.
• Supply machine with appropriate tools: Supply the machine with the necessary tools and items for a particular production purpose. Monitor the stock and replenish when needed.
• Record production data for quality control: Keep records of the machine’s faults, interventions and irregularities for quality control.
• Apply preliminary treatment to workpieces: Apply preparatory treatment, through mechanical or chemical processes, to the workpiece preceding the main operation.
• Use welding equipment: Operate welding equipment in a safe manner; use welding techniques such as shielded metal arc welding or flux-cored arc welding.
• Spot metal imperfections: Observe and identify various kinds of imperfections in metal workpieces or finished products. Recognise the best fitted manner of fixing the problem, which could be caused by corrosion, rust, fractures, leaks, and other signs of wear.
• Operate precision measuring equipment: Measure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, and a measuring gauge.
• Monitor automated machines: Continuously check up on the automated machine’s set-up and execution or make regular control rounds. If necessary, record and interpret data on the operating conditions of installations and equipment in order to identify abnormalities.
• Provide advice to technicians: Offer help and advice to service technicians in case of machine malfunctions and other repair tasks.
• Maintain mechanical equipment: Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect malfunction. Service, repair, adjust, and test machines, parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical principles. Maintain and repair vehicles meant for cargo, passengers, farming and landscaping.
• Ensure correct gas pressure: Ensure the necessary, usually constant, pressure of gas which is part of a machine or tool, such as torching equipment, used to process metal workpieces during metal fabrication processes.
• Consult technical resources: Read and interpret technical resources such as digital or paper drawings and adjustment data in order to properly set up a machine or working tool, or to assemble mechanical equipment.
• Smooth burred surfaces: Inspect and smooth burred surfaces of steel and metal parts.
• Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
• Adjust temperature gauges: Operate temperature gauges to maintain food and drink items at appropriate temperatures.

Here are additional resources for laser beam welders:

• American Welding Society, that proposes the Certified Welder Program
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Institute for Printed Circuits
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration

7212 – Welders and flamecutters

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References

1. ESCO
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. Welder Job Description – BetterTeam
4. Featured image: Photo by Max LaRochelle on Unsplash