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The differences between mechanical 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 mechanical designer and a tool designer. Additionally, a tool designer has an average salary of $64,763, which is higher than the $62,541 average annual salary of a mechanical designer.
The top three skills for a mechanical designer include mechanical design, revit and auto cad. The most important skills for a tool designer are jigs, assembly fixtures, and aerospace.
| Mechanical Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $62,541 | $64,763 |
| Hourly rate | $30.07 | $31.14 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 65,748 | 51,666 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 41 | 54 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
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.
Mechanical designers and tool designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Average salary | $62,541 | $64,763 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $83,000 | Between $47,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Entegris |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a mechanical designer and a tool designer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | - |
Here are the differences between mechanical designers' and tool designers' demographics:
| Mechanical Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 54 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% |
| 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, 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% |