Mold maker apprentice vs lead machinist

The differences between mold maker apprentices and lead machinists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a mold maker apprentice, becoming a lead machinist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a lead machinist has an average salary of $51,691, which is higher than the $49,696 average annual salary of a mold maker apprentice.

The top three skills for a mold maker apprentice include grinders, calipers and cnc machines. The most important skills for a lead machinist are cnc lathes, grinders, and calipers.

Mold maker apprentice vs lead machinist overview

	Mold Maker Apprentice	Lead Machinist
Yearly salary	$49,696	$51,691
Hourly rate	$23.89	$24.85
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	13,479	10,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	54	48
Years of experience	6	4

Mold maker apprentice vs lead machinist salary

Mold maker apprentices and lead machinists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mold Maker Apprentice	Lead Machinist
Average salary	$49,696	$51,691
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $69,000	Between $39,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between mold maker apprentice and lead machinist education

There are a few differences between a mold maker apprentice and a lead machinist in terms of educational background:

	Mold Maker Apprentice	Lead Machinist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Mold maker apprentice vs lead machinist demographics

Here are the differences between mold maker apprentices' and lead machinists' demographics:

	Mold Maker Apprentice	Lead Machinist
Average age	54	48
Gender ratio	Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.5% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between mold maker apprentice and lead machinist duties and responsibilities

Mold maker apprentice example responsibilities.

Learned all manual tool room machines including, but not limit to, mills, lathes and surface grinders.
Work in the manual machining department with the ability to run various mills, grinders and lathes.
Perform all aspects of producing prototype molds including the use of CAD/CAM software to aid in design and machining.
Operate variety of CNC equipment, programme with Cimatron CAD/CAM software, perform inspection on parts, aid in process refinement.
Coordinate international sample/model making for costume jewelry
Work with Okuma, Fanuc, Cincinnati, Terra, Toshiba & Allen Bradley CNC controls.

Lead machinist example responsibilities.

Manage and perform programming of CNC mills, lathes and EDM equipment, instrumentation, data acquisition and control systems.
Experience with cutting different materials (aluminum, titanium, inconel, mild and stainless steels).
Program, edit, and setup of CNC lathe with Fanuc control.
Work machines such as; Haas CNC vertical and horizontal mills and lathes.
Perform gluing, soldering, brazing and gas, arc, welding operations.
Lead setup/ supervisor for a cell of two Haas lathes and two Haas mills.

Mold maker apprentice vs lead machinist skills

Common mold maker apprentice skills

Grinders, 15%
Calipers, 10%
CNC Machines, 10%
Manual Lathes, 8%
EDM, 8%
Cranes, 7%

Common lead machinist skills

CNC Lathes, 9%
Grinders, 8%
Calipers, 8%
Machine Tools, 6%
Aluminum, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%