Why welding? With the demand for qualified welders at an all-time high, many careers in welding come with excellent compensation, benefits packages and room for advancement. Here are five interesting facts all about welding to garner your students’ interest in a high-demand welding career.
Fact: There are more than 30 different types of welding
Types of welding range from simple oxy-fuel to high-tech processes such as laser beam welding. However, only four welding types are used regularly: MIG, TIG, Stick and Flux-Cored arc welding
Fact: Traveling welders can earn well over $100,000 annually
Extremely skilled welders, particularly those who are willing to travel, or those who are not afraid to work in hazardous conditions, can get high-paying jobs. Examples include underwater welding, ship repair, military support, pipeline installation and motorsports.
Fact: When two pieces of metal touch in space they become instantly welded together
Known as cold welding, bare or highly polished metals will weld themselves together immediately when the pieces touch in space. This occurs thanks to metallic bonds, which hold atoms together to create a single, solid piece of metal. Note: This cannot happen on earth.
Fact: Over 50% of U.S. products require welding
Products like race cars, bridges, ships, computers, cell phones, medical devices and farm equipment all require welding at some point during their manufacturing process.
Fact: The earliest examples in the history of welding date back almost 5000 years
Take a look at this timeline:
Key dates to note:
- Bronze and Iron Ages: Welding can be traced back to these eras thanks to the large amounts of metalwork produced during this time
- 1881: True welding was “born” thanks to a man named August De Meritens, who welded two lead places together using arc heat
- 1937: The first version of the welding helmet as we know it today emerged thanks to Willson Products. (Before this helmet was available, protection was sought in the form of goggles and face masks. Unfortunately, those items did little to protect welders from toxic fumes and sparks.)
- 1981: The first auto-darkening welding helmet was released by Speedglass
Resources for continued learning:
Looking for more information about welding? Consider these resources:
- See more welding facts by downloading this free infographic
- Get free welding career exploration curriculum here
- Learn how future millwrights are using next-generation welding training tools to meet industry demand here
- Explore all of our hands-on training tools for welding education here
