All about the profession of gas welder

At present, the technical and working specialties remain the most demanded in the labor market, one of them is gas welder. This specialist will never be left without work, as the demand for this profession is very high.

In modern reality, the quality requirements for joining metal parts are constantly increasing. And if solid metal structures were previously common, now the types of compounds are constantly being improved. The materials, equipment and methods for welding and cutting parts are also changing. And this is exactly what I should know and be able to specialist welder. The connection of parts during welding occurs by filling the free space between the two connected parts with molten metal.

Very often, a gas welder has to deal with the following materials when working:

• pipelines;
• details of mechanisms;
• various units in metal structures for construction and industrial needs;
• body parts of cars and trucks.

Gas welding is necessary not only in enterprises related to metalworking, but also in mechanical engineering, car repair and agriculture, construction and maintenance of urban utilities. Gas welding operations assume that the worker is able to properly handle the following tools:

• gas burner;
• electrodes
• forceps;
• welding machines of various modifications (both automatic and semi-automatic).

Profession suggests both teamwork in the gas welders team and individual. Many welders open their own business and work as field teams with individuals and companies, performing the types of work ordered by the client.

As in any profession, the profession of gas welder has both advantages and disadvantages associated with working activities. The obvious advantages include the following points:

• rapid career growth is possible (you can even continue your professional education in a specialty at a higher educational institution);
• high demand on the labor market, which means that there are minimal chances to run into unclaimed demand (a good specialist will always find a job);
• decent pay;
• the opportunity to open your own business and work "for yourself".

But, unfortunately, in this profession there are also disadvantages that every welder encounters one way or another, and this:

• high risks to life and health (applies to hazardous work);
• adverse working conditions (very often welders work in open areas, in any weather);
• physical severity of labor;
• shift work (possible irregular schedule, as well as night shifts);
• the need for continuous training and maintaining their competence for effective work and competitiveness;
• shift method (very often these are northern territories with difficult working and living conditions);
• chronic occupational diseases may occur.

The description of the job descriptions of the gas welder is as follows:

• familiarization with regulatory documents;
• faultless determination of a metal alloy and its properties, a suitable type of welding of parts from it;
• observance of safety measures and use of personal protective equipment;
• test of connected parts;
• thorough and competent preparation of products for welding, since the quality of the connection directly depends on this.

Electric gas welders usually use arc or plasma manual welding, their job responsibilities look different and include the following items:

• setting up the welding machine;
• strength test of the connection of parts;
• welding of block parts;
• mechanized welding;
• joint cleaning;
• cutting with oxygen and plasma;
• ability to read technical drawings.

Electric welders on semi- and automatic machines should be able to perform the following activities:

• set up welding machines, as well as timely service them;
• weld parts using a plasma torch;
• fuse simple parts;
• work with microplasma welding;
• assemble simple and complex structures before connecting them;
• to clean the seams;
• check the tightness of the joints made.

Gas cutters produce metal cutting using liquefied gas or oxygen. They have to:

• observe safety precautions;
• properly handle pressurized cylinders;
• perform metal cutting.

As in any profession, the presence of a gas welder is very important certain character traits that will enable him to perform work efficiently, among them:

• increased sense of responsibility;
• diligence;
• hard work;
• accuracy;
• perseverance, ability to work for the result;
• attention to detail.

Also have a number of restrictions with which work in this specialty is impossible, these include:

• low vision (high myopia);
• a history of allergic reactions;
• bronchial asthma;
• osteochondrosis;
• bad habits;
• mental illness, including neurosis, epilepsy, depression.

For each of the listed reasons, the employer has the right to refuse employment to the candidate. The work of a gas welder is associated with certain risks - expose the employee and his colleagues to additional dangers will not be any adequate boss.

There are two options to master the profession of a gas welder: go to study in secondary specialized educational institution after 9 or after grade 11. In colleges and schools, education on the basis of 9 classes is 3 years and 2 years for eleventh graders. Training in the profession involves obtaining advanced knowledge in drawing, chemistry and physics. Pupils study the types of metals, their properties and possible defects, types of seams. Usually, in addition to a theoretical course and practical training in the educational institution itself, students are sent to internships at enterprises. This allows you to plunge into the profession already at the training stage. In addition, some employers are happy to hire graduate students.

Continuing education courses are popular. They can last from several weeks to several months and allow you to improve your theoretical knowledge and practical competencies, as well as pass certification and increase your rank, and therefore your salary. For gas welders professional standard involves 6 categories. Most first rank assigned to the student at the training stage. Such a specialist is only gaining experience and can perform only the simplest work of joining and cutting parts. Second category assigned at the end of special courses or educational institutions. A distinctive feature - a specialist must be able to perform cooking parts in a vertical and lower position. Welder tdischarge category must be able to cook corner, vertical and lower seams, as well as weld pipes qualitatively. Also, a specialist in this category should understand the welding machines, their work and know and comply with safety standards. A prerequisite is the ability to read the drawing and collect details on it.

Specialist fourth category can work with parts of medium complexity. This is a fairly skilled worker, the only negative is the inability to perform ceiling seams. Welder fifth category can carry out work in any position and cut out any structures from various metals. Specialist having 6th categoryis considered a professional. The owner of this category gets the freedom to choose how to cook, what consumables to use, what seams to connect parts.