Operate welding equipment.

Operate welding equipment. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 23 occupations and seen in 33 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques. in Handling and Moving Objects .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 32 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 0 (0%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools. · Millwrights · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices. · Medical Appliance Technicians · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools. · Automotive Body and Related Repairers · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Assemble electrical or electronic systems or support structures and install components, units, subassemblies, wiring, or assembly casings, using rivets, bolts, soldering or micro-welding equipment. · Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools. · Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Tack-weld fitted parts together. · Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions. · Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders. · Tool and Die Makers · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• 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. · Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals. · Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Attach workpieces to grinding machines and form specified sections and repair cracks, using welding or brazing equipment. · Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Weld, repair, and fabricate equipment or machinery. · Millwrights · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Connect metal parts or components in hydroelectric plants by welding, soldering, riveting, tapping, bolting, bonding, or screwing. · Hydroelectric Plant Technicians · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices. · Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Set up, operate, or tend welding machines that join or bond components to fabricate metal products or assemblies. · Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Weld or solder broken parts and structural members, using electric or gas welders and soldering tools. · Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Set up or operate metalworking, brazing, heat-treating, welding, or cutting equipment. · Machinists · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits. · Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Tend auxiliary equipment used in welding processes. · Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Assemble pattern sections, using hand tools, bolts, screws, rivets, glue, or welding equipment. · Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Perform skilled repair or maintenance operations, using equipment such as hand or power tools, hydraulic presses or shears, or welding equipment. · First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Repair shop equipment, metal furniture, or hospital equipment, including welding broken parts or replacing missing parts, or bring item into local shop for major repairs. · Medical Equipment Repairers · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Cut and weld metal to repair broken metal parts, fabricate new parts, or assemble new equipment. · Industrial Machinery Mechanics · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Weld tubing and fittings or solder cable ends, using tack welders, induction brazing chambers, or other equipment. · Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys. · Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Cut and weld steel, using underwater welding equipment, jigs, and supports. · Commercial Divers · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal. · Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Operate cutting torches or welding equipment to cut or join metal parts. · Maintenance and Repair Workers, General · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Weld piping, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) piping, using techniques such as butt, socket, side-wall, and electro-fusion welding. · Geothermal Technicians · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure
• Start, monitor, and adjust robotic welding production lines. · Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
• Design, weld, and fabricate parts, using blueprints or other mechanical plans. · Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers · importance 3.0 · no direct exposure
• Hammer out dents and bends in frames and weld tears and breaks. · Motorcycle Mechanics · importance 3.0 · no direct exposure
• Use equipment designed to join sheet metal, such as spot welders. · 51-4031.00

Occupations that perform this

• Automotive Body and Related Repairers
• Millwrights
• Medical Appliance Technicians
• Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers
• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
• Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
• Tool and Die Makers
• Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
• Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
• Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
• Machinists
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
• First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
• Medical Equipment Repairers
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
• Commercial Divers
• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
• Geothermal Technicians
• Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers
• Motorcycle Mechanics
• 51-4031.00

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-operate-welding-equipment,
  title  = {Operate welding equipment.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/operate-welding-equipment}
}