Gear machinist vs tool technician

The differences between gear machinists and tool technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a gear machinist, becoming a tool technician takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a tool technician has an average salary of $42,908, which is higher than the $42,460 average annual salary of a gear machinist.

The top three skills for a gear machinist include grinding machines, calipers and aerospace. The most important skills for a tool technician are grinders, hand tools, and CNC.

Gear machinist vs tool technician overview

	Gear Machinist	Tool Technician
Yearly salary	$42,460	$42,908
Hourly rate	$20.41	$20.63
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	9,112	78,258
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	48	54
Years of experience	4	6

Gear machinist vs tool technician salary

Gear machinists and tool technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Gear Machinist	Tool Technician
Average salary	$42,460	$42,908
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $56,000	Between $29,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	Fort Wayne, IN
Highest paying state	-	Indiana
Best paying company	-	Rivian
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between gear machinist and tool technician education

There are a few differences between a gear machinist and a tool technician in terms of educational background:

	Gear Machinist	Tool Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Gear machinist vs tool technician demographics

Here are the differences between gear machinists' and tool technicians' demographics:

	Gear Machinist	Tool Technician
Average age	48	54
Gender ratio	Male, 97.8% Female, 2.2%	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 5.6% White, 77.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 2.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between gear machinist and tool technician duties and responsibilities

Gear machinist example responsibilities.

Work closely with management and engineering staff to ensure efficient and safe methods are utilized in producing high quality aerospace components.
Fabricate fixturing used in Kovar ceramic brazing operation.

Tool technician example responsibilities.

Use specialize tools and machinery (CNC milling machine, manual lathe, manual milling machine and surface grinders . )
Program and operate wire EDM machine, milling machines, drill presses, surface grinders, lathes and jig grinders.
Perform mig, tig, and stick welds.
Skil welder utilizing TIG, MIG and stick welding processes.
Work on and troubleshoot the press machinery using calipers, micrometers and other precision tools.
Learned to use a TIG welder . )

Gear machinist vs tool technician skills

Common gear machinist skills

Grinding Machines, 42%
Calipers, 22%
Aerospace, 18%
Grinders, 9%
CMM, 4%
Drill Press, 2%

Common tool technician skills

Grinders, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
CNC, 9%
Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Jigs, 6%