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If you’ve decided to become a fabrication engineer, then you’re going to have to complete an apprenticeship. Fabrication apprenticeships are suited to people who love physical and technical types of work as fabrication engineers are required to work with their hands and with machinery equipment.

Fabrication apprenticeships will train apprentices to become welders, boilermakers or sheetmetal workers once they have completed their training. If you are wondering just what is involved in each of those professions you can find out below.

Welders

Welders are those who make or repair metal products by connecting and joining parts using the appropriate welding process or technique. Welders are grouped into first class, second class and third class welders. First class welders may find themselves:

• Examining plans or blueprints, then choosing which welding methods to utilise
• Using cutting torches to cut out metal shapes
• Cleaning up and prepping metal and metal surfaces to undergo cutting, gouging, filling, grinding, welding, or beveling
• Pre-heating thick metals
• Adjust variables of welding machines
• Inspecting welds

Additionally, if they find anything that needs touching up they are required to clean up and smoothen welds. Second and third class also perform similar tasks, but only less complex welding tasks.

Heavy Fabrication: Boilermaker

Boilermakers mark out, cut, shape, assemble and fix metal to produce or repair storage tanks and other high pressure storage vessels. Boilermakers are expected to:

• Know what are the requirements needed and the steps to be taken to do the job by looking at and interpreting scale drawings
• Indicate measured and sure guidelines on the metal so that people will know where to cut, drill and bend
• They can cut the same marked sections with the help of tools or cutting torches
• Bend and shape, as needed, sections and pipes using different tools and techniques
• Piece together different parts, components and structures after they are aligned by welding, bolting or riveting,

Boilermakers are also expected to be able to create full-size patterns.

Light Fabrication: Sheetmetal Worker

A sheetmetal worker makes components and products using thinner and lighter sheetmetal materials, by using hand and power tools and other machines to cut and join materials. The different sheetmetal that you will find yourself working with are galvanised, mild steel, stainless, aluminum, copper and brass steel. The sheetmetal parts are joined by riveting them together, welding, bolting, soldering or brazing.

When you get into the fabrication industry, the appropriate fabrication apprenticeship will help train you to become able and qualified fabrication engineers. These fabrication apprenticeships and the training that you will receive there will help you become successful in your career. So if you’re looking to work with metals and want to create metal components and products, then you should definitely look at any of the fabrication apprenticeships that are being offered right now.