It seems as though there is a great deal of questions these days about the future of not only the American economy but the global economy as well. As everyone knows there has been entire countries like Greece in 2009 that went bankrupt. My goodness, and entire country folded up financially. These are dire times we live in with a seemingly gloomy future.
The below link is a good read that gives what I feel are viable ideas of how the future of the metal trades industries will go.
It makes sense to me that lighter materials will be favored as much as possible. It also makes treat sense that the automation field of welding will be a place to look for work. With shielded metals causing a great deal of smoke and particulate pollution, it seems as though the MIG, and TIG fields of welding process may make a strong push for the future. One thing I would present to you about this question is to keep in mind all the pipeline and plant work that will always need someone to at least man the automation if not weld the entire process out manually.
We saw the age of riveting fade off the seen and give way to better processes like bolting and welding. When it comes to high pressure lines and piping I personally don’t see getting totally around human efforts to make the connections happen.
I have done orbital welding and used machinery to actually do the welding but I still collected a check while setting up and operating the equipment that may have replaced one or two people.
Anyway, the bottom line is this: there is going to be a growing need for people to take up the craft of welding so the main structure of our world can be glued together by someone that knows how to welding and fabricate.
http://www.weldinginfocenter.org/background/ind_02.html
September 28th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Hi Michael. Thanks for the email. I’m actually an electrical worker by trade but the company that I work for does quite a bit of welding for fabbing of brackets and some other light structural stuff. My experience in welding is mostly light fabrication, tables, chairs, custom stands, brackets, ladder racks, other around the house and shop custom machines. I don’t really work with TIG because it’s expensive but I’ve done a little bit. I don’t do much MIG either but I’ve done it too. I work primarily with SMAW, and flux core wire welding. I’ve got a 230A, 150A, and 100A arc welders and a light duty flux core wire welder. I’ve done welding with my father in the past and he’s a aircraft welder but I’m looking at trying to get certified for structural welding in the future. Welding and metal fabrication is my main hobby right now. I have tons of scrap metal and my company’s shop is right next door to a steel supply house. I really just want to get good at stick welding so I can get certified and later move onto TIG. I have the attachments but don’t use them much. Again thank you for putting this site together. I enjoy reading all that you put on here. I’m kind of a life long learner. I always have to be reading educational material of some kind and bettering my skills.
October 10th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Great Post, I’m trying to learn this. Your web give me a reference to be considered. Thanks
October 11th, 2010 at 5:08 am
Thanks for the kind compliment. Anything I can do to help.
October 29th, 2010 at 7:41 am
Thank you for asking me about my experience
in welding.
It’s almost zero as I’ve started practicing
several days ago, though already tried working
in TIG mode with MMA coated electrodes which
allowed stable test welding with 2.5mm electrode at 10 A (recommended 60-100A for MMA).
Besides, working at 30-40 A I added another coated
electrode as a “wire” into welding and both worked at this current.
I’m interested in:
— everything related to TIG
— welding of aluminium by on DC TIG or MMA.
Best regards,
October 29th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Hello Friend,
anything I can do to help I offer my services. I don’t know if you have been to my
website but there are some helpful articles and videos as well you may find
helpful. http://www.thewelderslens.com
thanks for your interest
Michael
October 30th, 2010 at 9:01 am
A bit more on that welding in case this might be useful.
One inserts the coated stick rod into TIG
torch instead of tungsten rod; this allowed to
work at as low as 10 A for 1 inch thick rod
(recommended 60-100A by manufacturer for MMA)
Besides, arc starting is much easier with
high-frequency TIG ignition.
November 15th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Hi Michael,
Just got notified that the welding unit I ordered has been shipped. Welding has always interested me since I was a kid. I am employed in another field which requires significant mechanical knowledge.
Note knowledge as opposed to skill, I am a total beginner, the most I have done with metal is solder, drill, bolt and screw projects together.
Since I decided to buy a machine and start welding for fun, I have been looking for information about welding and starting to learn the basics. I found your web site two weeks ago and have read your articles and watched all your introductory videos. I am planning to buy your video set and use them as a tutorial as I get started.
I am planning to learn Stick and Tig. Everything I have read tells me that Tig is tough, but I just love the look of a good weld made with a Tig rig. So that is what I want to do, learn Tig. This is quite a task to get started on and I am immersed in getting my shop setup to install the welder.
I read a couple of Miller manuals and looked at what they recommended to do to power their machines. I noticed that they require an earth ground for the welding rig. From what I read a good ground is the foundation of all the arc properties. What are your thoughts regarding initial installation.
Thanks
Frank
November 16th, 2010 at 6:50 am
Hey Frank,
thanks so much for the encouraging comments you made in your post. I need that.
Anything I can do to help please let me know.
Michael
November 23rd, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Michael, I was forced to retire a few years ago due to lung cancer, heart disease, pulmonary disease, and being too old. I survived all that and am now doing things because I want to, not because I have to. I learned to weld over 50 years ago and never touched a torch until a couple of months ago. I want to learn MIG welding to build a few things as a hobby, not another career. I also have just purchased a plasma cutter so perhaps I may try to do a little art with metal also. I am not going to do any oxy acetylene work. My insurance company frowns on acetylene bottles in my house or garage so I am restricting myself to electrical processes. I could probably teach myself stick welding again, but MIG and fluxcore looks easier and more like what I want to do. TIG may be a possibility in the distant future.
November 24th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Hey Donald,
Sounds like you have really overcome some things my friend. I give you a hand clap of credit for your determination and drive. That
inspired me. If you are going to do iron work and use wrought-iron use a nickle rod designed for that. Mig is good for clean items
but not for items that you think you can get clean with a grinder or power brush. I always found that the metal pores allowed something
to stay buried in them until you put heat to it with a weld process then it boils out into your weld. Flux core I never cared for but
it is good around the house on irons that have some thickness to them. TIG is the Daddy O. A little trick if you are using a fast
freeze rod like 6010 or something similar, you can change the polarity so the rod does no dig as much. This keeps the rod from digging
into the metal. I use this trick when the material is thin or wore out.
Michael
February 28th, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Gidday Michael, Welding is a great hobby but I don’t think I’d like it as a job. As a rigger on construction sites I worked with fitters and welders and admired their artistry and many years later as a truck driver working for steel merchants I took on a welding course and enjoyed access to dozens of steel processing companies scrap metal bins. Now decades later I’ve bought a 25′ steel yacht and looking forward to gaining more welding skills out of necessity to maintain the vessel and re-plate the hull when it is required. Steel is the perfect boat material as long as you are not averse to painting and sparks.
I’ve never welded anything as important (weld strength/integrity wise) as an underwater hull so I want to be sure I’m not going to create nice looking welds that are flawed.
I start a new welding course in April here in Lakes Entrance (Australia) and I’m about to order your dvd collection. I’ve used stick before but I think now I’ll get greedy and try and learn mig and tig as well. Although I prefer stick welding, I may want to construct an aluminum dinghy one day!
It’s been over a decade since I’ve welded so I may be in for a shock. Thanks mate.
February 28th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
What is the future of welding?
I guess good welders can get work wherever they go if they can communicate well and are willing to travel.
I saw workers being replaced by welding robots, (as a rigger doing shutdowns at automobile manufacturers) and each year we’d install more automation and there would be less workers each year.
I guess metal trades can suffer from young kids not seeing a future in getting hot and dirty all that appealing compared to glamorous IT careers.
Also, if, like in Australia many years ago, there are so many kids applying for trade apprenticeships that employers merely interview those with the highest education grades instead of those kids with inherited trades aptitude who may have been chipping slag since he was 8 years old for dad or uncle bill and dreams of a welding career but the job goes to the academic who leaves after a year never to return.
Automation may be important for corporations but I think there is always going to be a need for old fashioned hand welding as long as metals are used in manufacturing and there is always someone somewhere who will need something fixed.