What does future welding look like?

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I was studying for welding finals and realized that many welding technologies for hobbyists and small business are relatively new.  For example GMAW didn't start replacing SMAW 50 years ago. Same goes for fuel cutting to plasma.  Robots are becoming very popular now.What do you think the technologies for hobbyists and small businesses in the next 10, 20, 50 years will look like?
Reply:US jobs won't exist.We make a phone call, and our order arrives on the barge from china.....Just messin.I look forward to others responses....Just a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:As long as there are people out there that should not be allowed to touch anything mechanical my job is secure.There ain't a robot on the planet that can put up with the crap I have to fix/make/repair on a daily basis........zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Future looks pretty damn good!
Reply:In the UK People are crying out for welders and its not uncommon to make £50,000 a year ($77,926) MMA welding on site.Not sure if its the chemicals in Plastic that making Young kids go for more feminate work, But there don't seem to be many new young welders filling the gaps in the UK.  Basically if you can weld in the UK and are good at what you do, then you've got no worries about being out of work
Reply:Originally Posted by Gerry1964In the UK People are crying out for welders and its not uncommon to make £50,000 a year ($77,926) MMA welding on site.Not sure if its the chemicals in Plastic that making Young kids go for more feminate work, But there don't seem to be many new young welders filling the gaps in the UK.  Basically if you can weld in the UK and are good at what you do, then you've got no worries about being out of work
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawThe answer is actually really simple.  The kids don't get the exposure to the trades in middle and high school shop class because 25 odd years ago, most got phased out and replaced with computer labs.. technology of the future!  Now we have generations that can design and build anything on a computer but no one with the skill to build the actual products in real life.    I would bet a large number of our members that are over 35 developed their interested in skilled labor fields during their primary education.     Bring back shop classes and apprenticeships...
Reply:We are seeing some of the future now.   We have welders that have all the information built in so that you just tell it what metal you are working with and it does adjusts all the parameters for you.  This will eventually lead to a class of welders who don't know or care about amps, volts or wire speed.   They will concentrate on manipulating the weld and let the machine worry about the rest.Many people are looking at 3D printing as a technology that will replace weldments, injection molds and castings.   They seldom understand the engineering that goes into determining the appropriate materials and dimensions required to make real life objects.   Eventually the 3D cad programs for 3D printing will need to  include the engineering aspects.I wonder what will happen when we get durable optical sensors that can watch the puddle for us and adjust wire speed accordingly.   One with accelerometers that can tell what position the torch is in, and what direction you are moving it. Here's an idea for us old folks with shaky hands.   How about a TIG torch with a gyro stabilizer built in, and a sensor that detects how far we are from the metal and adjusts the electrode distance for us?    I could use one that keeps the angle while I'm doing fillets.  Dan----------------------------Measure twice.  Weld once.  Grind to size.MIG:  Lincoln SP100 TIG/STICK:  AHP Alphatig 200X
Reply:Lincoln already makes a virtual welding training machineTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawThe answer is actually really simple.  The kids don't get the exposure to the trades in middle and high school shop class because 25 odd years ago, most got phased out and replaced with computer labs.. technology of the future!  Now we have generations that can design and build anything on a computer but no one with the skill to build the actual products in real life.    I would bet a large number of our members that are over 35 developed their interested in skilled labor fields during their primary education.     Bring back shop classes and apprenticeships...
Reply:The north slop is going fast and furious right now. Lot's of work for structural and pipe welders.  As long as we need energy there will be a need for those that help to pump it out of the ground and ship it to the end user
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawLincoln already makes a virtual welding training machine
Reply:What the heck is Vitural Welding Machine...Is that something you can get jobs done in a warehouse while sitting on couch at home?
Reply:Originally Posted by HelloStrangerWhat the heck is Vitural Welding Machine...Is that something you can get jobs done in a warehouse while sitting on couch at home?
Reply:I think in 15 or 20 years there will be a shortage of welders as more retire. I went to a trade school for high school that had really good instructors and employers would often hire students because of the schools reputation. There were some real dumb students too but the good ones were more interested in working with their hands than sitting at a desk all day. I think a lot of the problem is with school boards and the morons that do the decision making. They changed the school from a trade school into a science and technology school (read computers) and had a big auction and got rid of all the equipment for the trades. They had some lathes in the machine shop that were only a few years old. They claim students weren't interested in the trades anymore but I think it was more they stopped encouraging students to consider going into the trades.
Reply:i think there's a shortage of welders right now. in my area the smaller contractors are having to pay extra for licensed meni.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawHere ya go.   You might not be to far off.
Reply:Who knows what the future has in hold but with technology advancing so much the future humans will be super fat lazy programmers and only thing they might be welding is turds to the toilet bowl, hell they might even be wearing diapers with chit sensors. Machinist really took a beating from cnc, eventually cnc will get more fused into the welding world. Plasma cutting used to be done a lot by hand and now we can just buy a cnc setup or build one for cheaper. Welding will always exist no doubt about that but what will the demand for welders be ?
Reply:Originally Posted by FifelakerMiller just did a demo on their new machine "Live arc" at the school I work at. Very cool machine, instant feed back either in virtual or real welding mode. The gun has sensors that cameras track. In virtual it tracks speed of travel, ctwd, gun angle. When welding the gun vibrates when you get outside of the parameters. It is a bit pricey $44,500 which is about the same a the red one.