Solder parts or connections between parts
Little of this can be handed to software today.
This happens in the physical world, so software agents do not touch it. Automation here means robotics and machinery, which is a different market from the one mapped on this site, on a much slower clock.
| How automatable | Barely automatable |
|---|---|
| Kind of work | Physical, manual and inspection work |
| Jobs that do it | 8 occupations |
| Tool categories that apply | None |
| O*NET activity | Handling and Moving Objects (4.A.3.a.2) |
What this looks like on the job
Not our paraphrase. These are real task statements recorded against this activity, spread across the 8 occupations that perform it.
- Repair circuits, wiring, and soldering, using soldering irons and hand tools to install parts and adjust connections.
- Solder, wrap, and coat wires to ensure proper insulation.
- Splice wires with knives or cutting pliers, and solder connections to fixtures, outlets, and equipment.
- Splice wires with knives or cutting pliers, and solder connections to fixtures and equipment.
- Weld or solder broken parts and structural members, using electric or gas welders and soldering tools.
- Splice or solder cables together or to overhead transmission lines, customer service lines, or street light lines, using hand tools, epoxies, or specialized equipment.
- Solder loose connections, using soldering iron.
- Solder posts and parts to hold them in their proper places.
- Clean, tin, and splice corresponding conductors by twisting ends together or by joining ends with metal clamps and soldering connections.
What we would actually use
Nothing in our landscape addresses this work. That is the honest answer rather than a padded list: this activity needs a person present, or a machine rather than a software agent.
Nothing on this site applies. Automation here is robotics and machinery, a different market on a much slower clock, and no software subscription moves it.
Chosen for the cheapest thing that does the job, not the best funded. Nothing on this site is sponsored, and the full landscape is there when you want to disagree with us.
How people actually do it
No workflow names this activity yet, but these automate the same kind of work, with the prompts to paste and what to keep for yourself.
Who does this work
8 occupations in the O*NET database perform this activity. Each one has a full breakdown of its other tasks.
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
- Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
- Medical Equipment Repairers
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
- Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
- Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers
Work that goes with it
O*NET groups these under “Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques”. In practice they tend to be done by the same person, in the same sitting.
| Activity | Jobs |
|---|---|
| Operate welding equipment | 23 |
| Weld metal components | 12 |
| Solder parts or workpieces | 9 |
| Braze metal parts or components | 3 |
Method. The activity, its taxonomy placement and the occupations that perform it come straight from the public-domain O*NET 30.3 database. The automatability band is ours: we map each of O*NET’s 41 generalized work activities to how much of its output current software can produce, assuming a person still reviews and owns the result. It is a coarse three-way judgment on purpose. A precise-looking percentage here would be invented.