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Maintenance machinist vs maintenance technician

The differences between maintenance machinists and maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a maintenance machinist and a maintenance technician. Additionally, a maintenance machinist has an average salary of $52,077, which is higher than the $43,293 average annual salary of a maintenance technician.

The top three skills for a maintenance machinist include CNC, grinders and hand tools. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.

Maintenance machinist vs maintenance technician overview

Maintenance MachinistMaintenance Technician
Yearly salary$52,077$43,293
Hourly rate$25.04$20.81
Growth rate1%5%
Number of jobs83,042178,450
Job satisfaction54.25
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 31%High School Diploma, 34%
Average age4847
Years of experience44

What does a maintenance machinist do?

A Maintenance Machinist is responsible for implementing and maintaining industrial machinery. Their primary duties include investigating and diagnosing equipment failures and performing corrective actions.

What does a maintenance technician do?

Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.

Maintenance machinist vs maintenance technician salary

Maintenance machinists and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Maintenance MachinistMaintenance Technician
Average salary$52,077$43,293
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $74,000Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CityKent, WARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonRhode Island
Best paying companyCity of SeattleAnheuser-Busch
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between maintenance machinist and maintenance technician education

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

Maintenance MachinistMaintenance Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 31%High School Diploma, 34%
Most common majorPrecision Metal WorkingElectrical Engineering Technology
Most common college--

Maintenance machinist vs maintenance technician demographics

Here are the differences between maintenance machinists' and maintenance technicians' demographics:

Maintenance MachinistMaintenance Technician
Average age4847
Gender ratioMale, 94.0% Female, 6.0%Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 70.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage3%2%

Differences between maintenance machinist and maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Maintenance machinist example responsibilities.

  • Manage and perform programming of CNC mills, lathes and EDM equipment, instrumentation, data acquisition and control systems.
  • Set up and operate machine tools, mills, lathes, radial drills, vertical turret lathe, and surface grinders.
  • Certify with, and task with training others in, SolidWorks and CamWorks.
  • Set up and run lathes, mills, I.D.
  • Program, set-up, and run HAAS VF-3 milling center.
  • Used various micrometers for measuring.
  • Show more

Maintenance technician example responsibilities.

  • Install, repair and troubleshoot electrical wiring, including switches, outlets, lights, ballast.
  • Monitor and document all temperature readings on boilers, chillers, and dry vac systems beginning and mid shift.
  • Perform preventative maintenance checks and services on exhaust fans, boilers, chiller units, automatic transfer switches, and generators.
  • Repair electrical equipment; replace faulty electrical switches; repair refrigeration equipment.
  • Handle trouble-shooting and repair of mechanical systems refrigerant recovery and charging of HVAC systems.
  • Facilitate commercial plumbing, electrical, light HVAC, and carpentry repairs in a laboratory facility environment
  • Show more

Maintenance machinist vs maintenance technician skills

Common maintenance machinist skills
  • CNC, 11%
  • Grinders, 9%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Calipers, 6%
  • Manual Lathes, 5%
  • Machine Tools, 4%
Common maintenance technician skills
  • Plumbing, 10%
  • HVAC, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Ladders, 4%
  • Electrical Systems, 4%

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