20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You usually start by checking the job board or SAP for today's work orders, then lay out parts and set up fixtures or jigs to hold them. Much of the day is operating welding, brazing, or soldering machines, tending machines, and adjusting controls for current, gas flow, or timing.
Between welds you dress electrodes, clean and maintain equipment, inspect completed workpieces, and record operational details in Microsoft Word or Excel reports. You’ll also answer emails in Outlook and coordinate with supervisors about quality or scheduling.
Expect to use SAP for work orders and inventory, Microsoft Excel for production logs and measurements, and Microsoft Word for reports or procedures. Many shops use Outlook for shift notes and communication.
If you program or set up machines you may enter operating instructions into CNC or robot interfaces, and use Tool Center Point (TCP) settings for robotic welding. Those systems let you save precise torch or tool positions.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for 2025, about 31,600 people are employed as fabricators. The median wage is $47,920 per year. The lowest tenth earn about $36,860 and the top tenth about $66,540.
Wages vary by industry, location, and experience. Shops that require robotic programming or advanced fixtures often pay toward the higher end of that range.
Start with a welding course at a community college, trade school, or a certified welding program. Focus on hands-on welding, brazing, soldering, reading blueprints, and basic math for production measurements.
Learn to use Excel and basic SAP or shop-management software. Practice dressing electrodes, selecting filler metal, and building simple fixtures or jigs. Apprentice programs or entry-level shop helper roles are a common path.
A fabricator performs a broader set of tasks: laying out parts, fitting and joining with welding/brazing/soldering, making fixtures, and preparing prototypes. Welding is one skill inside fabrication specifically focused on fusion joining.
A machinist primarily removes material with lathes or mills to produce precise parts. Fabricators may use hand tools and welding machines more and often handle assembly, inspection, and production records too.
Automation and robotic welding can help with repetitive or dangerous welds; you’ll still need humans to program TCP settings, adjust controls, and inspect workpieces. Robots reduce strain and increase repeatability, but someone must set dials, select torch tips and filler metal, and maintain equipment.
AI tools can help with planning, tracking worker or group performance, and analyzing production reports in Excel or SAP. Use AI as an assistant — confirm any settings or safety steps yourself and follow legal and company safety requirements.
Be precise with hands-on skills: selecting torch tips and filler metal, dressing electrodes, setting dials for current and gas flow, and building fixtures. Accuracy in laying out and fitting parts and recording measurements in Excel matters a lot.
Also practice communication—listening, asking questions, and writing clear operating reports in Word or Outlook. Troubleshooting ability (identify problems, adjust controls, maintain equipment) separates good fabricators from average ones.