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The differences between maintenance machinists and tool technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a maintenance machinist, becoming a tool technician takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a maintenance machinist has an average salary of $52,077, which is higher than the $42,908 average annual salary of a tool technician.
The top three skills for a maintenance machinist include CNC, grinders and hand tools. The most important skills for a tool technician are grinders, hand tools, and CNC.
A Maintenance Machinist is responsible for implementing and maintaining industrial machinery. Their primary duties include investigating and diagnosing equipment failures and performing corrective actions.
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.
Maintenance machinists and tool technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Machinist | Tool Technician | |
| Average salary | $52,077 | $42,908 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $74,000 | Between $29,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Kent, WA | Fort Wayne, IN |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Indiana |
| Best paying company | City of Seattle | Rivian |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a maintenance machinist and a tool technician in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Machinist | Tool Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance machinists' and tool technicians' demographics:
| Maintenance Machinist | Tool Technician | |
| Average age | 48 | 54 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.0% Female, 6.0% | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 2.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |