What Does a Metal Fabricator Do?

Employers require a high school diploma or equivalent. Some metalworking companies train metal fabricators in-house through apprenticeships. 

However, most employers look for metal fabricators who have received training. The most common route is to earn a one-year certificate or technical diploma from a community college or technical school. 

A two-year associate degree in metal fabrication or additional vocational training may be required for more highly skilled metal fabricating work. 

All programs will include classroom instruction plus hands-on training. Study areas include blueprint reading, welding and cutting, safety procedures, shop math, metallurgy, how to produce different metal parts out of metal and steel (fabrication techniques) and how to operate machinery and tools. 

Though it’s not required, many students who want to explore metal fabrication also earn a welding certificate.

Once all the core requirements have been met, metal fabrication students must pass an exam.

Metal fabricators may get additional training to program robotic machines and computers, including software such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Others go on to be specialists. For example, structural metal fabricators specialize in buildings and electronic fabricators specialize in technology. (This variety and the job opportunity it presents is one of the reasons metal fabrication is one of the top careers for trade school students.)

The need for metal fabrication certifications vary, but in most cases, certification will create opportunity. 

Certifications are offered by organizations such as the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International (FMA) and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). Certifications include Precision Sheet Metal Operator Certification (PSMO), Precision Press Brake Certification (PPB) and AISC Certification.

Welding is one of many skills metal fabricators use to shape metal. A welder uses heat to join metal. Metal fabricators use welding in addition to other methods of shaping metal, such as bending and cutting.

Successful metal fabricators share these traits: 

• Able to understand and translate technical instructions
• Good math skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Good manual dexterity with hand and power tools
• Good troubleshooting skills
• Can lift in excess of 50 pounds
• Detail-oriented