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The differences between mechanical designers and mechanical design drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a mechanical designer, becoming a mechanical design drafter takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mechanical designer has an average salary of $62,541, which is higher than the $58,371 average annual salary of a mechanical design drafter.
The top three skills for a mechanical designer include mechanical design, revit and auto cad. The most important skills for a mechanical design drafter are design layouts, creo, and assembly drawings.
| Mechanical Designer | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Yearly salary | $62,541 | $58,371 |
| Hourly rate | $30.07 | $28.06 |
| Growth rate | 2% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 65,748 | 54,189 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A mechanical designer is responsible for designing mechanical equipment and devices, together with the engineers and other technology professionals. Mechanical designers create layouts following the clients' specifications, perform structural analysis, and analyze dimensions to ensure quality. They also inspect overall equipment performance and recommend adjustments as needed to improve its quality and boost optimization. Mechanical designers assist with installation and system upgrades, respond with the clients' inquiries and concerns, and escalate it to the appropriate personnel for resolution. A mechanical designer must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical and technology industry to build designs according to the highest standards.
Mechanical design drafter develops detailed mechanical equipment designs and specifications needed for assembly and modifies them to repair defects and to minimize problems in the production. He/she often works with architects and engineers either in an office or via job sites with hands-on experience in computer-aided design (CAD) software and building processes, visual aptitude, and mathematical skills. However, the demand for drafters tempered as CAD and building information modeling (BIM) technologies allows architects and engineers to perform tasks that are usually done by a mechanical design drafter.
Mechanical designers and mechanical design drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Designer | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Average salary | $62,541 | $58,371 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $83,000 | Between $45,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Fremont, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Salt River Project |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a mechanical designer and a mechanical design drafter in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Designer | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between mechanical designers' and mechanical design drafters' demographics:
| Mechanical Designer | Mechanical Design Drafter | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |