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What does a machine maintenance technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

A Machine Maintenance Technician will conduct machinery and equipment maintenance routinely. As a Maintenance Technician, you will help troubleshoot and repair any electrical or mechanical issues that may arise. Your duties may day-to-day duties may vary but typically include installing new manufacturing equipment, performing equipment calibration, and addressing safety hazard risks. Part of your duty is to communicate potential and existing problems with your supervisor and comply with safety policies and measures. Additionally, you will also need to maintain a clean and safe working environment.

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Machine maintenance technician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real machine maintenance technician resumes:

  • Operate mills, drills, surface grinders, sanders, and all shop equipment.
  • Work with metal lathes, milling machines, drill presses, grinders, etc.
  • Follow OSHA, USDA GMPs and HACCP protocols in all maintenance activities and other duties as assigned.
  • Involve in wiring, plumbing, mounting, leveling, squaring, and installing all types of machinery.
  • Maintain physical plant including HVAC and various systems including shop air, telephone, electrical, LAN and security.
  • Maintain equipment cleanliness during all process operations so as not to jeopardize product quality and/or purity.
  • Replace and train conveyor belts, pulleys, and rollers.
  • Gas, tig, wire and arc welding and plasma cutting equipment used to fabricate and repair equipment.
  • Stay abreast of efficiency improvements maintenance actions to maximize productivity
  • Implement and maintain a plant wide machine maintenance program including preventative maintenance.2.

Machine maintenance technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Machine Maintenance Technicians are proficient in Preventative Maintenance, Hand Tools, and PLC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Dexterity, and Troubleshooting skills.

We break down the percentage of Machine Maintenance Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Preventative Maintenance, 13%

    Performed preventative maintenance, installation, troubleshooting diagnosis and repair of various types of general and specific purpose machines.

  • Hand Tools, 11%

    Replaced and repaired broken and worn internal parts using gauges, monitors and hand tools.

  • PLC, 6%

    Designed, built and modified control panels and machinery to improve production capabilities, including PLC programming and troubleshooting.

  • CNC Machines, 4%

    Certified CNC machine fire suppression installation inspection.

  • Production Equipment, 4%

    Operated and performed preventative and corrective maintenance on cam shaft production equipment.

  • Mechanical Equipment, 4%

    Repair and maintain machinery and mechanical equipment such as conveyor systems, hydraulic equipment, pneumatic equipment, etc.

"preventative maintenance," "hand tools," and "plc" are among the most common skills that machine maintenance technicians use at work. You can find even more machine maintenance technician responsibilities below, including:

Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a machine maintenance technician to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "these workers interact with customers on a regular basis." Additionally, a machine maintenance technician resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "repaired and replaced defective heating and ac equipment, components and wiring for commercial and residential customers. "

Dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling machine maintenance technician duties is dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "many repair and maintenance tasks, such as repairing small devices, connecting or attaching components, and using hand tools, require a steady hand and good hand–eye coordination." According to a machine maintenance technician resume, here's how machine maintenance technicians can utilize dexterity in their job responsibilities: "operated fork lift truck, cranes and heavy warehouse equipment. "

Troubleshooting skills. This is an important skill for machine maintenance technicians to perform their duties. For an example of how machine maintenance technician responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "workers find, diagnose, and repair problems." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a machine maintenance technician: "experience in 480v 3-phase as well as single phase electrical troubleshooting. ".

Most common machine maintenance technician skills

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Compare different machine maintenance technicians

Machine maintenance technician vs. Tool technician

Tool technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for repairing a variety of pneumatic and hand tools as well as disassemble defective electrical equipment in a manufacturing firm using these hand tools. These technicians are required to coordinate with other areas of the company to schedule and perform preventive maintenance duties. They must provide support for CNC operators by setting up the caliper and micrometer of all the CNC machines. Tool technicians must also assist coworkers in ordering materials and purchasing machine parts.

If we compare the average machine maintenance technician annual salary with that of a tool technician, we find that tool technicians typically earn a $721 higher salary than machine maintenance technicians make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both machine maintenance technician and tool technician positions are skilled in hand tools, plc, and production equipment.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, machine maintenance technician responsibilities require skills like "preventative maintenance," "cnc machines," "mechanical equipment," and "hydraulic systems." Meanwhile a typical tool technician has skills in areas such as "first hand," "cnc," "calipers," and "micrometers." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Tool technicians earn the highest salaries when working in the energy industry, with an average yearly salary of $64,215. On the other hand, machine maintenance technicians are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $43,494.The education levels that tool technicians earn slightly differ from machine maintenance technicians. In particular, tool technicians are 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a machine maintenance technician. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Machine maintenance technician vs. Maintenance engineer

A maintenance engineer is responsible for the maintenance of industrial machinery and inspects equipment defects for immediate troubleshooting or replacement as needed. Maintenance engineers install and upgrade system components to improve system optimization and perform diagnostic systems to locate any adjustments. They also conduct routine checks, assist clients with technical faults, and ensure that the equipment works safely for certain operations. A maintenance engineer must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry to address technical malfunctions immediately.

Maintenance engineer positions earn higher pay than machine maintenance technician roles. They earn a $4,946 higher salary than machine maintenance technicians per year.A few skills overlap for machine maintenance technicians and maintenance engineers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "hand tools," "plc," and "production equipment. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that machine maintenance technician responsibilities requires skills like "preventative maintenance," "cnc machines," "continuous improvement," and "machine repair." But a maintenance engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "guest rooms," "ladders," "maintenance tasks," and "boilers."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Maintenance engineers tend to reach higher levels of education than machine maintenance technicians. In fact, they're 5.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Machine maintenance technician vs. Maintenance helper

A maintenance helper performs basic support tasks to assist maintenance technicians in installing and repairing machines and equipment. Their responsibilities typically include gathering and handing tools, changing fixtures such as light bulbs and faucets, preparing workspaces, and cleaning work areas and equipment. They may also liaise with vendors or suppliers, build positive relationships with clients, and handle calls and correspondence. Moreover, maintenance helper must utilize their experiences to learn more complex tasks and gain industry insight.

On average, maintenance helpers earn lower salaries than machine maintenance technicians, with a $11,363 difference per year.By looking over several machine maintenance technicians and maintenance helpers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "hand tools," "mechanical equipment," and "industrial maintenance." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from machine maintenance technician resumes include skills like "preventative maintenance," "plc," "cnc machines," and "production equipment," whereas a maintenance helper is more likely to list skills in "ladders," "preventive maintenance," "mowing," and "maintenance tasks. "

Maintenance helpers earn the highest salary when working in the energy industry, where they receive an average salary of $37,360. Comparatively, machine maintenance technicians have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $43,494.maintenance helpers typically earn similar educational levels compared to machine maintenance technicians. Specifically, they're 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Machine maintenance technician vs. Maintenance operator

Maintenance operators are skilled technicians who use a variety of small equipment and tools to perform and assist in the maintenance activities of a business establishment. These operators are required to assist the equipment manager in preparing preventative maintenance procedures so that they can increase productivity and reduce downtime of equipment. They must enforce safety rules and regulations and ensure that staff members are following them to prevent accidents in the facility. Maintenance operators must also train maintenance employees in performing proper preventative maintenance.

Maintenance operators tend to earn a lower pay than machine maintenance technicians by an average of $6,767 per year.According to resumes from machine maintenance technicians and maintenance operators, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "preventative maintenance," "hand tools," and "plc. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between machine maintenance technicians and maintenance operators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a machine maintenance technician might have more use for skills like "cnc machines," "production equipment," "continuous improvement," and "machine repair." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of maintenance operators require skills like "cdl," "mowing," "safety procedures," and "dump truck. "

The energy industry tends to pay the highest salaries for maintenance operators, with average annual pay of $41,741. Comparatively, the highest machine maintenance technician annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.The average resume of maintenance operators showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to machine maintenance technicians. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.

Types of machine maintenance technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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