HOUSTON – Welding is at the heart of our infrastructure and according to industry experts, there is a massive demand for welders worldwide. It touches every aspect of our lives: work, home and travel.
Houston is home to more welders than any other U.S. city.
Kristin Bamberger is a welder.
“I just woke up one day and thought, wow that looks like so much fun and I was right. It is the most fun I have ever had,” Bamberger said.
Welding is a career change for Bamberger.
“I was working in accounting before. Completely different. One-hundred and ten percent different than anything I have ever done.”
Women only account for about 3% of the welding industry.
“It takes so much dexterity and patience; a lot of things women are naturally good is that patience under the hood to get everything just right,” explained Bamberger, who recently graduated Arclabs Welding School in Houston.
Trevor Owen is the director of Arclabs Welding School.
“What we’re seeing is a massive increase in demand for our students, we are producing far fewer graduates than there are welding opportunities in the Houston area, around the country, and internationally. It is a career that is not going anywhere anytime soon, and this is not your grandfather’s welding profession,” Owen said.
Laser Welding Solutions is a welding facility and company that represents current-day welding.
Edward Peterson is manager of quality control and NRD at Laser Welding Solutions. He said, “We offer laser cladding and welding services as well metal 3D printing of large components. Almost all of our welding is automatic and mechanical, so we are mostly using robots for our motion.”
Peterson explained this method cuts down on operating fatigue and shows an item created at the facility.
“This is a propeller for some kind of ship or boat. We are able to print this part in this raw form in a little less than two days. A manual welder if they try to replicate this 3D printing would probably take around two weeks,” Peterson said.
While advancements in welding continues, there’s also a developing dilemma, according to Dennis Eck, vice president of American Welding Society.
“There are currently 10k boomers retiring each day. We’re in a current struggle bringing in the next generation of welders. The AWS has a significant focus on closing the gap between the retirees and next generation, we are trying to paint a different picture from years back when it was a dirty, hot environment and shops today are in a much better environment,” Eck said.
AWS is holding its Welding Summit, which is open to the public starting August 25 and 26 at Woodlands Resort. The summit will include interactive seminars with the best and brightest welding professionals in the world.
