Instrument maker vs lead machinist

The differences between instrument makers and lead machinists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an instrument maker and a lead machinist. Additionally, a lead machinist has an average salary of $51,691, which is higher than the $41,702 average annual salary of an instrument maker.

The top three skills for an instrument maker include CNC, brazing and CAD. The most important skills for a lead machinist are cnc lathes, grinders, and calipers.

Instrument maker vs lead machinist overview

	Instrument Maker	Lead Machinist
Yearly salary	$41,702	$51,691
Hourly rate	$20.05	$24.85
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	9,633	10,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Instrument maker vs lead machinist salary

Instrument makers and lead machinists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Instrument Maker	Lead Machinist
Average salary	$41,702	$51,691
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $56,000	Between $39,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between instrument maker and lead machinist education

There are a few differences between an instrument maker and a lead machinist in terms of educational background:

	Instrument Maker	Lead Machinist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Instrument maker vs lead machinist demographics

Here are the differences between instrument makers' and lead machinists' demographics:

	Instrument Maker	Lead Machinist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.5% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between instrument maker and lead machinist duties and responsibilities

Instrument maker example responsibilities.

Mount DCS and PLC cabinets and familiar with there systems.
Work safely along with all proper ppe, and with NEC, nfpa 70e, and osha standards.
Loop checking and control logic simulation from DCS panel to field instruments.
Perform instrument quality checks using gauges, micrometers, calipers, and other measuring equipment.
Design, machine, and assemble special cutting tools, jigs, and fixtures for holding parts and removing metal.
Work independently to machine parts to tight tolerance, design and implement fixtures and jigs while meeting aggressive production quantities.

Lead machinist example responsibilities.

Manage and perform programming of CNC mills, lathes and EDM equipment, instrumentation, data acquisition and control systems.
Experience with cutting different materials (aluminum, titanium, inconel, mild and stainless steels).
Program, edit, and setup of CNC lathe with Fanuc control.
Work machines such as; Haas CNC vertical and horizontal mills and lathes.
Perform gluing, soldering, brazing and gas, arc, welding operations.
Lead setup/ supervisor for a cell of two Haas lathes and two Haas mills.

Instrument maker vs lead machinist skills

Common instrument maker skills

CNC, 18%
Brazing, 11%
CAD, 9%
Grinders, 9%
Calipers, 7%
Hand Tools, 6%

Common lead machinist skills

CNC Lathes, 9%
Grinders, 8%
Calipers, 8%
Machine Tools, 6%
Aluminum, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%