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The differences between mold makers and tool specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a mold maker and a tool specialist. Additionally, a tool specialist has an average salary of $84,797, which is higher than the $48,841 average annual salary of a mold maker.
The top three skills for a mold maker include grinders, plastic injection molds and cnc machines. The most important skills for a tool specialist are calipers, safety procedures, and hand tools.
A Mold Maker creates, adjusts, inspects, maintains, and repairs molds and production equipment. They use various machines, such as lathes, milling machines, grinding machines, and jig borders.
A Tool Specialist designs and carries out maintenance on tools that are used on certain manufacturing equipment and machines. Your key role is to track data on fixtures on tooling and create an estimated cost for repairs, help in assembling new tools as well as carrying out other duties in a manufacturing environment. Besides, you will be responsible for giving your input in the pricing of tools, conducting product reviews, and monitoring the maintenance of tools. You will also troubleshoot parts of your samples or newer parts when they malfunction.
Mold makers and tool specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mold Maker | Tool Specialist | |
| Average salary | $48,841 | $84,797 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $68,000 | Between $62,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Monterey, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Vicor | GoPro |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a mold maker and a tool specialist in terms of educational background:
| Mold Maker | Tool Specialist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Precision Metal Working | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between mold makers' and tool specialists' demographics:
| Mold Maker | Tool Specialist | |
| Average age | 54 | 54 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% | Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 2.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |