A pipefitter is a tradesman who lays out, assembles, fabricates, maintains and repairs mechanical piping

Piping

Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid....

 systems. Pipefitters usually go through a mix of apprentice and trade school training. Journeyman pipefitters/steamfitters deal with industrial process piping and heating/cooling systems. Typical industrial process pipe is under high pressure, which requires metals such as carbon steel, stainless steel

Stainless steel

In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....

, and many different alloy metals fused together through precisely cutting, threading, grooving

Groove (machining)

In manufacturing or mechanical engineering a groove is a long and narrow indentation built into a material, generally for the purpose of allowing another material or part to move within the groove and be guided by it. Examples include:...

, bending and welding

Welding

Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...

, whereas a plumber concentrates on piping systems for heating/cooling as well as utility liquids potable water, sewage, drains, etc. in the industrial/commercial/institutional or residential atmosphere operating at lower pressures. Utility piping typically consists of copper, PVC

Polyvinyl chloride

Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...

, CPVC

Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride

Chlorinated Polyvinyl chlorideDensity1.56 g/cm3Young's modulus 2.9-3.4 GPaTensile strength50-80 MPaElongation @ break20-40%Notch test2-5 kJ/m2Glass temperature 106 - 115 °CMelting point212 °CVicat B106 to 115 °C...

, polyethylene

Polyethylene

Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...

, and galvanized pipe which is typically glued, soldered

Soldering

Soldering is a process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the workpiece...

, or threaded

Threaded pipe

A threaded pipe is a pipe with screw-threaded ends for assembly.- Tapered threads :The threaded pipes used in some plumbing installations for the delivery of gases or fluids under pressure have a threaded section that is slightly conical . This is called a "tapered thread"...

. Other types of piping systems include steam, ventilation, hydraulics, chemicals or fuel.

In the United States, many states require pipefitters to be licensed. Requirements differ from state to state but most include a four to five year apprenticeship and testing before becoming a licensed journeyman.

Occupational Summary

Pipefitter Skills include:

• Layout
• Blueprint reading
• Detailing
• CAD
  Computer-aided design
  Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
  
   Drawing
  Mechanical systems drawing
  Mechanical systems drawing is a type of technical drawing that shows information about heating, ventilating, and air conditioning; it is a powerful tool that helps analyze a complex system. These drawings are often a set of detailed drawings used for construction projects; it is a requirement for...
  
   Coordinators
• Pipe Threading
• Pipe Grinding
• Welding (MiG
  Gas metal arc welding
  Gas metal arc welding , sometimes referred to by its subtypes metal inert gas welding or metal active gas welding, is a semi-automatic or automatic arc welding process in which a continuous and consumable wire electrode and a shielding gas are fed through a welding gun...
  
  , GMAW, TiG
  Gas tungsten arc welding
  Gas tungsten arc welding , also known as tungsten inert gas welding, is an arc welding process that uses a nonconsumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld...
  
  , SMAW
  Shielded metal arc welding
  Shielded metal arc welding , also known as manual metal arc welding, flux shielded arc welding or informally as stick welding, is a manual arc welding process that uses a consumable electrode coated in flux to lay the weld...
  
  , Orbital
  Orbital welding
  Orbital welding is a specialised area of welding whereby the arc is rotated mechanically through 360° around a static workpiece, an object such as a pipe, in a continuous process.-Equipment:...
  
  )
• Plasma cutting
  Plasma cutting
  Plasma cutting is a process that is used to cut steel and other metals of different thicknesses using a plasma torch...
  
  
• Mechanical Pipe cutting
• Gas Arc cutting
• Rigging
• Brazing
  Brazing
  Brazing is a metal-joining process whereby a filler metal is heated above and distributed between two or more close-fitting parts by capillary action. The filler metal is brought slightly above its melting temperature while protected by a suitable atmosphere, usually a flux...
  
  
• Soldering
• Mitering
  Miter joint
  A miter joint , sometimes shortened to miter, is a joint made by bevelling each of two parts to be joined, usually at a 45° angle, to form a corner, usually a 90° angle...
  
  
• Tube Bending
  Tube bending
  Tube bending is the umbrella term for metal forming processes used to permanently form pipes or tubing. One has to differentiate between form-bound and freeform-bending procedures, as well as between heat supported and cold forming procedures....
  
  
• Valve
  Valve
  A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...
  
   installation and repair
• Preparation and installation of medical gas piping

Employers that hire pipefitters include:

• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning HVAC construction firms
• Fire fighting pipelines
• Mechanical construction firms
• Pulp mills and paper mills
• Primary steel producers
• Utility companies
• Motor vehicle manufacturers
• Residential building developers
• Fabrication metal Metal fabricating companies
• Oil refineries
• Chemical plants
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Shipyards and ship repair facilities
• Nuclear Power Plants
• Coal-Burning Power Plants
• Gas Plants
• Breweries
• Semiconductor plants
• Service companies that maintain and install controls such as thermostats and balancing valves
• Hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Glass manufacturing Plants

Recommended or required skills include physical strength and manual dexterity, reading and interpreting blueprints and specifications; making detailed sketches for pipe and equipment fabrication and installation; cutting openings for pipe using various hand or power tools; measuring, cutting with blades and torches, threading, grooving, bending, soldering, brazing, welding, assembling, mitering, joining and installing pipes, valves and fittings.

Trade Groups

In North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, Union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 pipefitters are members of the United Association

United Association

The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing, Pipefitting and Sprinkler Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the United Association is a trade union of journeymen and apprentices of the plumbing, pipefitting, and sprinkler fitting industry of...

. Wages vary from area to area, based on contracts between the local union and contractors.

External links

• Steamfitter/pipefitter trade profile