Orbital Welder II - Austin, TX, United States
$20 - $27 USD hourly
Originally posted 11 August 2026 by the employer.
About the role
As an Orbital Welder, you will build, repair, and test mechanical, vacuum, and pneumatic assemblies, subassemblies, and components used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. This role focuses on precision fabrication with close attention to weld quality, cleanliness, and repeatability in a high-precision, cleanroom-adjacent manufacturing environment.
What you'll do
- Set up and operate orbital welding equipment to join stainless steel and specialty alloy tubing, fittings, and vacuum components.
- Read and interpret work orders, operation method sheets, blueprints, weld procedure specifications (WPS), and P&ID drawings.
- Perform mechanical assembly, disassembly, troubleshooting, and repair of vacuum, gas delivery, and pneumatic subassemblies.
- Inspect completed welds visually and with precision measuring and leak-detection instruments.
- Purge, weld, and verify high-purity gas and chemical delivery lines to semiconductor industry cleanliness standards.
- Utilize test fixtures, electronic measurement equipment, leak detectors, and/or vacuum pumps to test finished assemblies and components.
What you'll need
- High school diploma or GED.
- 1-3 years of hands-on welding experience in a manufacturing, aerospace, semiconductor, or high-purity fabrication environment.
- Current or attainable welder certification such as AWS D1.1/D1.6, ASME Section IX, or equivalent.
- Capable of training for orbital GTAW/TIG welding of stainless steel tube and pipe (sizes typically 1/8 in to 1/2 in O.D.).
- Ability to read and apply AWS welding symbols, weld procedure specifications (WPS), and engineering drawings/blueprints.
- Basic computer literacy for data entry into manufacturing execution systems (MES/ERP).
Nice to have
- Technical diploma or associate degree in welding technology, machining, or a related trade.
- Completion of a formal welding and orbital welding training program (trade school, apprenticeship, or military).
- Orbital/TIG-specific experience.
- Manual TIG and MIG experience.
- Learned knowledge of high-purity/semiconductor cleanliness standards (e.g., SEMI F19/F20-type practices).
- OSHA 10 training and ability to become certified.
Skills: orbital welding, vacuum assemblies, gas delivery lines, cleanroom, semiconductor manufacturing equipment
This role has been open 67 days — well above the 52-day median for Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering roles.
Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
2523
|
Median days open
52 d
|
Median salary
$96k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Applied Materials | All employers we track in this specialty (2523 roles · 80 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 252 | 2523 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 1106 | 9862 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 38 d | 52 d (−14 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $96k |
Skills observed across this category: orbital welding, vacuum assemblies, gas delivery lines, cleanroom, semiconductor manufacturing equipment
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 398 open roles · median 78 d
- Applied Materials (this employer) · 253 open roles · median 38 d
- Entegris · 228 open roles · median 37 d
- Lam Research · 108 open roles · median 59 d
- Infineon Technologies · 90 open roles · median 57 d
- STMicroelectronics · 69 open roles · median 53 d
How we counted: 2523 open Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 80 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 17 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family row. Figures refresh nightly.