What Are the Different Types of Assembly Jobs?

Assembly jobs are usually available in manufacturing settings, and the responsibilities of an assembler can range depending on the specific products being produced. A worker may work on an assembly line to create various goods such as automobiles or even certain types of electronics. Other assembly jobs may allow workers to assemble products from home, though many of these types of jobs have been revealed as scams. Some industries require clean room assemblers who work in sterile environments; these are common in the medical industry to prevent bacteria from coming in contact with devices that will be used in hospitals and other medical settings.

The electronics industry often hires solderers for assembly jobs. Soldering is the process of melting metals to make electrical connections using a soldering iron or gun, and while this process usually requires no formal training, a solderer must have steady hands and the ability to create complex circuits with the iron. Radios, televisions, computers, and other electronics use circuit boards that must be soldered, and while some assembly jobs have been lost to automation and computer-operated devices, other electronic devices are still soldered by hand.

Aside from the people who go through the manual process of putting devices together, other assembly jobs may focus on coordinating employees, overseeing processes, maintaining and repairing machinery, or even packaging the completed items. Assemblers can often get promoted with some hard work to positions with more responsibility; shift managers or process managers oversee the employees and address any issues that slow or halt productivity. Packagers are often entry-level workers who take the finished products and fit them into the appropriate packaging for transport or sale. Machine mechanics will ensure all machinery used in the assembling process runs properly by maintaining and repairing those machines as necessary.

With the prevalence of computer automated machinery today, computer experts are often needed in assembly settings as well, not only to troubleshoot the computers, but also to run day-to-day assembly operations. Less assembly is performed by hand in modern factories, and more is done with computer operated machinery, so many assembly jobs require a candidate to have computer experience as well as mechanical experience.

Other specialized assembly jobs include seamstresses, tool and die makers, gunsmiths, and extruder operators. Seamstresses work with fabric in an assembly capacity, while gunsmiths design and construct guns and other firearms. An extruder operator will work with certain types of machines that draw materials into specific shapes.