Brazer Technician

Position Summary

The Brazer Technician prepares, fits, brazes, repairs, and inspects tubing, piping, components, and metal assemblies used in railcar refurbishment. The position follows drawings, work instructions, approved brazing procedures, safety requirements, and customer specifications to produce sound, clean, and leak-resistant joints.

The ideal candidate has hands-on industrial brazing experience, understands joint preparation and heat control, and can work accurately with torches, filler metals, fixtures, measuring tools, and inspection equipment in a production environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Review work instructions, engineering drawings, specifications, and bills of material before beginning assigned work.
• Prepare joints by measuring, cutting, deburring, cleaning, fitting, aligning, and securing tubing and components.
• Set up and safely operate brazing torches, regulators, hoses, gas cylinders, fixtures, and related equipment.
• Select and apply the specified filler metal, flux, purge method, and heat sequence for the material and joint design.
• Braze tubing, piping, fittings, brackets, and other assemblies used in railcars and associated HVAC or mechanical systems.
• Control flame, heat input, fit-up, and filler-metal flow to prevent overheating, distortion, oxidation, contamination, or incomplete bonding.
• Inspect completed joints for alignment, coverage, cleanliness, cracks, porosity, voids, overheating, and other visible defects.
• Perform authorized leak, pressure, or functional checks and document results as required by the work instructions.
• Remove and replace defective joints or components and complete approved rework without damaging adjacent parts.
• Use hand tools, power tools, measuring devices, and inspection tools safely and accurately.
• Maintain traceability and complete production, inspection, rework, and material-use records.
• Handle compressed gases, hot-work equipment, chemicals, and consumables in accordance with company safety procedures.
• Maintain tools, equipment, ventilation, and the work area in a clean and safe condition.
• Coordinate with Production, Engineering, Quality, HVAC, Mechanical, and other teams to resolve technical or quality issues.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED preferred.
• Two or more years of hands-on brazing, soldering, welding, fabrication, or closely related industrial production experience.
• Working knowledge of joint preparation, torch setup, filler metals, fluxes, heat control, and basic brazed-joint inspection.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, dimensions, symbols, and written work instructions.
• Ability to use hand tools, power tools, measuring tools, fixtures, and brazing equipment.
• Ability to recognize common brazing defects and complete approved repairs or rework.
• Ability to work independently, follow established procedures, and maintain accurate records.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality and safety.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in railcar, transit vehicle, aerospace, HVAC, refrigeration, or other regulated industrial manufacturing.
• Experience brazing copper, brass, steel, stainless steel, or dissimilar-metal assemblies.
• Experience with refrigeration or HVAC tubing, nitrogen purging, and leak or pressure testing.
• Experience working under customer-specific quality requirements and documented process controls.
• Experience with production travelers, inspection records, and computerized manufacturing systems.

Certifications

The following may be required depending on the equipment, materials, and customer requirements:

• Employer, customer, or project-specific brazing qualification.
• Hot-work, compressed-gas, or equipment-specific safety training.
• Other project-specific qualifications or certifications.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, climb, reach, and work in confined or awkward positions.
• Ability to work inside and around railcars for extended periods.
• Ability to lift and carry components, gas equipment, and tools weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to perform repetitive hand work and maintain visual attention during detailed joining and inspection tasks.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment.