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The differences between machine designers and tool designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a machine designer and a tool designer. Additionally, a machine designer has an average salary of $69,937, which is higher than the $64,763 average annual salary of a tool designer.
The top three skills for a machine designer include solidworks, machine design and autocad. The most important skills for a tool designer are jigs, assembly fixtures, and aerospace.
| Machine Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $69,937 | $64,763 |
| Hourly rate | $33.62 | $31.14 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 81,897 | 51,666 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 41 | 54 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A mechanical designer creates and draws different designs for pieces of machinery and other equipment. They are often patterned with engineers and other related professionals to create a variety of types of machinery. Typically they work in an office setting, with the majority at architecture, manufacturing, and engineering firms. They may also be the person who develops and provides layout designs for customers and clients. A person who is creative, has a background in product development, and possesses analytic skills may be a great fit for the job.
A tool designer is an expert who works to engineer a new equipment's initial design used in industrial manufacturing. Tool designers design machine cutting tools like drills, broaches, and milling-machine cutters. They apply geometric and algebraic formulas along with standard tool engineering data for tool configuration development. Also, they modify tool designs based on production service data or trial for tool life performance and life improvement.
Machine designers and tool designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Machine Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Average salary | $69,937 | $64,763 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $100,000 | Between $47,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Ana, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Energy Inc. | Entegris |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a machine designer and a tool designer in terms of educational background:
| Machine Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | - |
Here are the differences between machine designers' and tool designers' demographics:
| Machine Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 54 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 3% |