Instrument maker vs outside machinist

The differences between instrument makers and outside 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 an outside machinist. Additionally, an outside machinist has an average salary of $42,858, 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 an outside machinist are hand tools, calipers, and condensers.

Instrument maker vs outside machinist overview

	Instrument Maker	Outside Machinist
Yearly salary	$41,702	$42,858
Hourly rate	$20.05	$20.60
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	9,633	24,075
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Instrument maker vs outside machinist salary

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

	Instrument Maker	Outside Machinist
Average salary	$41,702	$42,858
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $56,000	Between $32,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	Bremerton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Oceaneering
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between instrument maker and outside machinist education

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

	Instrument Maker	Outside Machinist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Instrument maker vs outside machinist demographics

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

	Instrument Maker	Outside Machinist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%	Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%
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, 4.4% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 6.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between instrument maker and outside 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.

Outside machinist example responsibilities.

Manage other employees to ensure members' needs are met and operations run smoothly.
Operate winches, hoists, indoor cranes, and hydraulic equipment.
Machine types: Haas and Okuma ,
Observe safety procedures and maintain safe work area in accordance with OSHA guidelines.
Manufacture and repair shipyard equipment with hydraulic automatic saws, radial drills and surface grinders.
Install and align condensers, compressors, pumps, force draft blowers, main feed pumps, and various valves.

Instrument maker vs outside machinist skills

Common instrument maker skills

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

Common outside machinist skills

Hand Tools, 15%
Calipers, 8%
Condensers, 6%
Shipyard, 5%
Evaporators, 5%
Ladders, 4%