wave soldering machine operator
Wave soldering machine operators set up and operate machines to solder electronic components to the printed circuit board. They read blueprints and layout designs.
wave soldering machine operator wave soldering machine operators set up and operate machines to solder electronic components to the printed circuit board. They read blueprints and layout designs. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include printed circuit boards, temperature scales, quality standards, interpret circuit diagrams, monitor machine operations.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £28,620 a year for Assemblers (electrical and electronic products) (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £25,997 to £34,441 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8141). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Plant and machine operators and assemblers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only wave soldering machine operator, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 8. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Production and Processing
- Administration and Management
- Design
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
- Engineering and Technology
What you'd actually do
- Read blueprints, work orders, or production schedules to determine product or job instructions or specifications.
- Inspect, measure, or test completed metal workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using measuring and testing devices.
- Record operational information on specified production reports.
- Correct problems by adjusting controls or by stopping machines and opening holding devices.
- Set up, operate, or tend welding machines that join or bond components to fabricate metal products or assemblies.
- Select torch tips, alloys, flux, coil, tubing, or wire, according to metal types or thicknesses, data charts, or records.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does wave soldering machine operator do?
Wave soldering machine operators set up and operate machines to solder electronic components to the printed circuit board. They read blueprints and layout designs.
What skills does wave soldering machine operator need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include printed circuit boards, temperature scales, quality standards, interpret circuit diagrams, monitor machine operations, solder components onto electronic board. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace wave soldering machine operator?
Our AI-durability model gives wave soldering machine operator a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.