What does a finishing technician do?
With great attention to detail, a finishing technician must have the ability to use all the machinery provided to finish a job. Finishing technicians must work long hours on sketches, blueprints, and other specifications. They must execute quality work to deadlines and adapt to changes that might occur between process implementations. They are responsible for training staff on machines and troubleshooting when issues arise. They are also responsible for quality control on finished products.
Finishing technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real finishing technician resumes:
- Manage the receipt and tracking of control substances as well as the DEA biennial inspection.
- Know methods and types of chemical evaporation: reactive sputtering, e-beam coating, coating for longer wavelengths.
- De-Package lenses using proper usage of manual dexterity and safety precautions.
- Touch up the pcb after tape and mask are removed from the pcb.
- Operate and maintain RF/DC MRC sputtering equipment.
- Label all parts for tracking per ISO requirements.
- Complete orders within ISO production and schedule guidelines.
- Grit blasting, use with multiple gases i.e.
- Blast grit using a high air pressure hose.
- Wear require PPE to perform jobs safely and effectively.
- Clean, mask and fixture parts for plasma spray.
- Certify through PPG in e-coat pre treatment and PPG knowledge college.
- 53404Use guidelines in accordance with FDA regulations to perform visual inspections of medical devices.
- Apply various coats of finish to wood products before they go out to assembly.
- Wear appropriate PPE to be safe and secure when performing job duties at all times.
Finishing technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Finishing Technicians are proficient in Hand Tools, Grinders, and Pallets. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Interpersonal skills, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Finishing Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Hand Tools, 22%
Put final parts on a lot of different windshields but mostly military windshields using lots of hand tools.
- Grinders, 10%
Conducted maintenance to material grinders.
- Pallets, 7%
Down piled - Finished product is put onto pallets, wrapped, and sent out of factory.
- Dexterity, 6%
Possess excellent hand-eye coordination and wrist dexterity.
- Safety Procedures, 6%
Maintain a safe work environment and exceptional housekeeping by following established safety procedures including wearing required Personal Protective Equipment.
- ISO, 4%
Maintained the necessary qualifications to work in ISO 5-8 environments and regularly completed work to maintain the environments.
Most finishing technicians use their skills in "hand tools," "grinders," and "pallets" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential finishing technician responsibilities here:
Dexterity. One of the key soft skills for a finishing technician to have is dexterity. You can see how this relates to what finishing technicians do because "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians must work well with their hands to use precision instruments." Additionally, a finishing technician resume shows how finishing technicians use dexterity: "move freight, stock, and other materials to and from storage and production areas using hand trucks and forklift. "
Interpersonal skills. Many finishing technician duties rely on interpersonal skills. "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians must be able to work effectively with others," so a finishing technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways finishing technician responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "cited for excellence in interpersonal communications, teamwork, customer service, flexibility and reliability. "
Technical skills. finishing technicians are also known for technical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to finishing technician responsibilities, because "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians need to understand how different tools and materials work." A finishing technician resume example shows how technical skills is used in the workplace: "check own work and the work of others; work results are of the highest quality standards and advanced technical competency. "
Detail oriented. finishing technician responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians must follow work orders and prescriptions precisely." This resume example shows what finishing technicians do with detail oriented on a typical day: "detailed finishing of medical products using hand tools and media to bring products within deminsional tolerances according to customers drawings. "
The three companies that hire the most finishing technicians are:
- Orchid Orthopedic Solutions28 finishing technicians jobs
- Quad13 finishing technicians jobs
- Award Staffing
13 finishing technicians jobs
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Compare different finishing technicians
Finishing technician vs. Dental laboratory worker
A dental laboratory technician replaces total or partial natural teeth loss by constructing partial and complete dentures. They restore the natural teeth by fabricating bridges and crowns. These professionals produce removable and fixed devices that assist in correcting dental irregularities. Besides keeping detailed reports, logs, forms, and records to note down actions, dental laboratory technicians also re-design, evaluate, and study processes to enhance care quality. Moreover, dental laboratory technicians keep equipment and supply inventories in working conditions. Also, they follow the right procedures and discretion at all times.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between finishing technicians and dental laboratory worker. For instance, finishing technician responsibilities require skills such as "hand tools," "grinders," "pallets," and "dexterity." Whereas a dental laboratory worker is skilled in "acrylic +," "dentures," "mouth guards," and "cad." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Dental laboratory workers tend to reach similar levels of education than finishing technicians. In fact, dental laboratory workers are 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Finishing technician vs. Dental ceramist
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that finishing technician responsibilities requires skills like "grinders," "pallets," "dexterity," and "safety procedures." But a dental ceramist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "cad cam," "cad/cam," "pfm," and "dentures."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Dental ceramists tend to reach higher levels of education than finishing technicians. In fact, they're 6.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Finishing technician vs. Dental laboratory technician
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a finishing technician is likely to be skilled in "pallets," "safety procedures," "iso," and "production equipment," while a typical dental laboratory technician is skilled in "dentures," "patients," "prosthetics," and "complete dentures."
Dental laboratory technicians earn the highest salary when working in the professional industry, where they receive an average salary of $57,707. Comparatively, finishing technicians have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $40,713.When it comes to education, dental laboratory technicians tend to earn similar degree levels compared to finishing technicians. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Finishing technician vs. Crown and bridge technician
Even though a few skill sets overlap between finishing technicians and crown and bridge technicians, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a finishing technician might have more use for skills like "grinders," "pallets," "dexterity," and "safety procedures." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of crown and bridge technicians require skills like "osha," "repair orders," "shop drawings," and "plc. "
In general, crown and bridge technicians hold similar degree levels compared to finishing technicians. Crown and bridge technicians are 1.1% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of finishing technician
Updated January 8, 2025
