Also called: Large-Format Metal Printing Technician, Robotic Weld Printing Technician
Uses welding robots to "print" huge metal parts layer by layer, like ship propeller parts and giant tools.
A welding robot lays down bead after bead of steel wire, slowly building a part as big as a car tire. You watch the heat, check each layer's height with a laser scanner, and adjust settings so it doesn't warp. When it's done, you send it to be machined to final shape.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1.5 years after high school. Welding certificate or associate degree plus robot training.
Ways in: Trade school, 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Welding Technology, Robotics Technology, Manufacturing Technology.
Growing faster than average. The Navy and heavy industry want faster ways to make big metal parts.
Medium risk for 10 years. Software plans tool paths and monitors layers, but setup, tuning and judging a weld build stays human.
Classes: Welding or metals class, Physics, Geometry, Computer class.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.