Machinists

Despite limited employment growth, about 38,200 openings for machinists and tool and die makers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Education: High school diploma or equivalent Details

Education Details

36%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

33%

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)

17%

Some College Courses

14%

Less than a High School Diploma

Salary

High: $71,820.00

Average: $51,430.00

Hourly

Average: $24.72

Summary of What they do:

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

Responsibilities

Dispose of trash or waste materials.

Sort recyclable materials.

Calculate dimensions of workpieces, products, or equipment.

Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

Maintain production or processing equipment.

Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.

Diagnose equipment malfunctions.

Advise others on ways to improve processes or products.

Operate grinding equipment.

Operate cutting equipment.

Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.

Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.

Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators.

Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.

Monitor lubrication of equipment or workpieces.

Conduct test runs of production equipment.

Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.

Install mechanical components in production equipment.

Advise others on ways to improve processes or products.

Program equipment to perform production tasks.

Exchange information with colleagues.

Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.

Replace worn equipment components.

Plan production or operational procedures or sequences.

Determine metal or plastic production methods.

Prepare fabrics or materials for processing or production.

Exchange information with colleagues.

Assemble machine tools, parts, or fixtures.

Design tools, fixtures, or other devices for production equipment.

Create diagrams or blueprints for workpieces or products.

Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems.

Operate welding equipment.

Operate cutting equipment.

Test materials, solutions, or samples.

Conduct test runs of production equipment.

What Machinists and Tool and Die Makers Do

Important Qualities

Analytical skills. Machinists and tool and die makers must be able to interpret technical blueprints, models, and specifications so that they can craft precision tools and metal parts.

Manual dexterity. Machinists’ and tool and die makers’ work demands accuracy, sometimes to within .0001 of an inch. This level of accuracy requires both concentration and agility.

Mechanical skills. Machinists and tool and die makers may operate milling machines, lathes, grinders, laser and water jetting machines, wire electrical discharge machines, and other machine tools.

Physical stamina. Machinist and tool and die makers must stand for extended periods and perform repetitious movements.

Technical skills. Machinists and tool and die makers must understand metalworking processes. They must be able to work with CAD/CAM technology, CNC machine tools, and manual and computerized measuring machines.

Tasks On The Job

Advise clients about the materials being used for finished products.
Align and secure holding fixtures, cutting tools, attachments, accessories, or materials onto machines.
Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
Check work pieces to ensure that they are properly lubricated or cooled.
Confer with engineering, supervisory, or manufacturing personnel to exchange technical information.
Confer with numerical control programmers to check and ensure that new programs or machinery will function properly and that output will meet specifications.
Design fixtures, tooling, or experimental parts to meet special engineering needs.
Diagnose machine tool malfunctions to determine need for adjustments or repairs.
Dismantle machines or equipment, using hand tools or power tools to examine parts for defects and replace defective parts where needed.
Dispose of scrap or waste material in accordance with company policies and environmental regulations.
Establish work procedures for fabricating new structural products, using a variety of metalworking machines.
Evaluate machining procedures and recommend changes or modifications for improved efficiency or adaptability.
Fit and assemble parts to make or repair machine tools.
Install experimental parts or assemblies, such as hydraulic systems, electrical wiring, lubricants, or batteries into machines or mechanisms.
Install repaired parts into equipment or install new equipment.
Lay out, measure, and mark metal stock to display placement of cuts.
Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.
Maintain machine tools in proper operational condition.
Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers.
Monitor the feed and speed of machines during the machining process.
Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency.
Prepare working sketches for the illustration of product appearance.
Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools.
Separate scrap waste and related materials for reuse, recycling, or disposal.
Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations.
Set up or operate metalworking, brazing, heat-treating, welding, or cutting equipment.
Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, or engineering information to determine methods or sequences of operations needed to fabricate products.
Support metalworking projects from planning and fabrication through assembly, inspection, and testing, using knowledge of machine functions, metal properties, and mathematics.
Test experimental models under simulated operating conditions, for purposes such as development, standardization, or feasibility of design.

PERSONALITY

KEY:

Strength

Caution

Warning

Your Assessment Results		CAREER CHARACTERISTICS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	89%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	71%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	58%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Your Assessment Results		IMPORTANT STRENGTHS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	100%	Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Investigative - Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Your Assessment Results		WORK VALUES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment		72%	Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

APTITUDES

KEY:

Strength

Caution

Warning

Your Assessment Results		ABILITIES \| SKILLS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.

Your Assessment Results		TASKS \| ACTIVITIES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	92%	Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment - Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Training and Teaching Others - Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment - Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Your Assessment Results		CONTEXT \| ATTRIBUTES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	99%	Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	96%	Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	90%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	88%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	88%	Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment - How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	73%	Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	73%	Exposed to Hazardous Equipment - How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Spend Time Bending or Twisting the Body - How much does this job require bending or twisting your body?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings - How often does this job require exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Exposed to Contaminants - How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	51%	Degree of Automation - How automated is the job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

Work Environment

Some machinists and tool and die makers work evenings and weekends because facilities may operate around the clock.

Machinists held about 327,000 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of machinists were as follows:

Fabricated metal product manufacturing	33%
Machinery manufacturing	20
Transportation equipment manufacturing	13
Employment services	4
Wholesale trade	4

Tool and die makers held about 62,700 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of tool and die makers were as follows:

Transportation equipment manufacturing	26%
Machinery manufacturing	23
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	21
Primary metal manufacturing	6
Plastics product manufacturing	6

Injuries and Illnesses

Because machinists and tool and die makers may work with machine tools that present hazards, these workers must take precautions to avoid injuries. For example, workers must wear protective equipment, such as safety glasses to shield against bits of flying metal and earplugs to dampen the noise produced by machinery.

Work Schedules

Many machinists and tool and die makers work full time during regular business hours. However, some work nights and weekends in facilities that operate around the clock. Some work more than 40 hours a week.

Getting Started

How to Become a Machinist or Tool and Die Maker

Machinists and tool and die makers typically are trained on the job.

Although machinists typically need a high school diploma to enter the occupation, tool and die makers also may need to complete postsecondary courses. Machinists and tool and die makers typically are trained on the job. Some learn through training or apprenticeship programs, vocational schools, or community and technical colleges.

Education

Machinists typically need a high school diploma or equivalent; tool and die makers also may need to complete postsecondary courses. High school courses in math, blueprint reading, metalworking, and CAD/CAM are considered useful.

Some community colleges and technical schools have 2-year degree programs or shorter nondegree certificate programs that train students to become machinists or tool and die makers. These programs usually teach design and how to read engineering drawings, the use of a variety of welding and cutting tools, and the programming and function of CNC machines.

Training

Machinists and tool and die makers typically gain competency through on-the-job training or an apprenticeship.

Trainees usually learn on the job, which may include technical instruction outside of typical work hours. Trainees often begin as machine operators and gradually take on more difficult assignments. Machinists and tool and die makers must be comfortable using computers to work with CAD/CAM technology, CNC machine tools, and computerized measuring machines. Some machinists become tool and die makers.

Some new workers enter apprenticeship programs, which are typically sponsored by an employer. Apprenticeship programs often consist of paid training on the job and related technical instruction lasting several years. The technical instruction may be provided in cooperation with local community colleges and vocational–technical schools. Workers typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter an apprenticeship.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Completing a certification program, though optional, allows machinists and tool and die makers to demonstrate competency and may be helpful for advancement. Colleges and organizations, such as the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), offer certifications and credentials in CNC machine operation, CAD/CAM technology, and other relevant competencies.

Contacts for More Information

For details about apprenticeships or other work opportunities in this occupation, contact the offices of the state employment service, the state apprenticeship agency, or local businesses that employ machinists and tool and die makers. Apprenticeship information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship program online or by phone at 877-872-5627. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to search for apprenticeship opportunities.

For more information about machinists and tool and die makers, including training and certification, visit

Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA)

Manufacturing Institute (MI)

National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS)

For information about manufacturing careers, including machinery and tool and die makers, visit

American Mold Builders Association (AMBA)

Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT)

National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA)

Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA)

Precision Metalforming Association (PMA)

Similar Occupations

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of machinists and tool and die makers.

Occupation	Job Duties	Entry-Level Education	Median Annual Pay, May 2022
Boilermakers	Boilermakers assemble, install, maintain, and repair boilers, closed vats, and other large vessels or containers that hold liquids and gases.	High school diploma or equivalent	$66,920
Industrial Machinery Mechanics, Machinery Maintenance Workers, and Millwrights	Industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights install, maintain, and repair factory equipment and other industrial machinery.	High school diploma or equivalent	$59,470
Metal and Plastic Machine Workers	Metal and plastic machine workers set up and operate equipment that cuts, shapes, and forms metal and plastic materials or pieces.	See How to Become One	$41,060
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join, repair, or cut metal parts and products.	High school diploma or equivalent	$47,540