What does a mold maker do?
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.
Mold maker responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real mold maker resumes:
- Utilize Creo to create accurate part models including mold splits, BOM's and assemblies.
- Have experience repairing molds including mig welding aluminum.
- Convert part drawings to AutoCad.
- Train engineers on use of SolidWorks.
- Adher to safety standards and ISO requirements.
- Lead mold machinist utilizing Haas vertical milling machines.
- Maintain BOM's, quoted and order materials.
- Design and machine complex electrodes used on EDM machines.
- Develop a solids mold base assembly library in Unigraphics.
- Operate HAAS lathe, electrical discharge machine and surface grinder.
- Used AutoCad software to update drawings of sterile processing room layouts
- Produce the BOM and 2D drawings of each injection mold.
- Develop and teach in-house basic skills courses for non-skil production employees in hydraulics, math and blueprint reading.
- Use conventional shop equipment to construct tools, dies, molds, jigs, and fixtures to dimensions and tolerances.
- Devise and construct tools, dies, molds, jigs, and fixtures, or modify existing tools and equipment.
Mold maker skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Mold Makers are proficient in Grinders, Plastic Injection Molds, and CNC Machines. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Manual dexterity, and Math skills and computer application experience.
We break down the percentage of Mold Makers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Grinders, 13%
Maintain molds used to form glass bottles, using Blueprints, Lathes, Milling Machines, Drill Presses, Micrometers and Grinders
- Plastic Injection Molds, 8%
Learned and performed all aspects of manufacturing production plastic injection molds for various fields of industry including automotive and medical.
- CNC Machines, 8%
Programmed the CNC machines and trained tool room personnel on the proper use of operating and editing of the machines.
- Math, 5%
Calculated requirements, using basic math, geometry and trigonometry.
- Jigs, 5%
Fabricated Jigs and Fixture for automotive assembly lines and associated industries.
- Hand Tools, 5%
Use Micrometers, Dial calipers, Pin gauges, and variety of hand tools daily.
Most mold makers use their skills in "grinders," "plastic injection molds," and "cnc machines" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential mold maker responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a mold maker to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what mold makers do because "machinists and tool and die makers must be able to interpret technical blueprints, models, and specifications so that they can craft precision tools and metal parts." Additionally, a mold maker resume shows how mold makers use analytical skills: "build and repair plastic injection molds, analyze tooling issues and take corrective action. "
Manual dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling mold maker duties is manual dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "machinists’ and tool and die makers’ work demands accuracy, sometimes to within .0001 of an inch." According to a mold maker resume, here's how mold makers can utilize manual dexterity in their job responsibilities: "build new plastic injection molds, run all manual machines and ez-trak mill. "
Technical skills. For certain mold maker responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "technical skills." The day-to-day duties of a mold maker rely on this skill, as "machinists and tool and die makers must understand metalworking processes." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what mold makers do: "respond to problems by performance corrective technical or mechanical solutions.preventive maintenance,corrective and emergency maintenance on all injection molding equipment. "
Physical stamina. A commonly-found skill in mold maker job descriptions, "physical stamina" is essential to what mold makers do. Mold maker responsibilities rely on this skill because "machinist and tool and die makers must stand for extended periods and perform repetitious movements." You can also see how mold maker duties rely on physical stamina in this resume example: "assembled and maintained physical structures using hand tools and power tools. "
Mechanical skills. While "mechanical skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to mold maker responsibilities. Much of what a mold maker does relies on this skill, seeing as "machinists and tool and die makers may operate milling machines, lathes, grinders, laser and water jetting machines, wire electrical discharge machines, and other machine tools." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of mold makers: "performed mechanical repairs and preventative maintenance on various machinery. "
The three companies that hire the most mold makers are:
- B. Braun Medical7 mold makers jobs
- BD5 mold makers jobs
- North American Lighting4 mold makers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable mold maker resume templates
Build a professional mold maker resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your mold maker resume.
Compare different mold makers
Mold maker vs. Die sinker apprentice
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, mold maker responsibilities require skills like "plastic injection molds," "cnc machines," "math," and "calipers." Meanwhile a typical die sinker apprentice has skills in areas such as "drill presses," "cnc equipment," "power grinders," and "micrometers." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that die sinker apprentices earn slightly differ from mold makers. In particular, die sinker apprentices are 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a mold maker. Additionally, they're 1.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mold maker vs. Die mechanic
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that mold maker responsibilities requires skills like "plastic injection molds," "cnc machines," "math," and "hand tools." But a die mechanic might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "edm," "mechanical maintenance," "micrometers," and "hoists."
In general, die mechanics achieve similar levels of education than mold makers. They're 4.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mold maker vs. Die finisher
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, mold makers are more likely to have skills like "plastic injection molds," "cnc machines," "math," and "jigs." But a die finisher is more likely to have skills like "pre," "blueprint specifications," "aluminum," and "stamping tools."
Die finishers typically earn similar educational levels compared to mold makers. Specifically, they're 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Mold maker vs. Extrusion die repairer
Even though a few skill sets overlap between mold makers and extrusion die repairers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a mold maker might have more use for skills like "plastic injection molds," "cnc machines," "math," and "jigs." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of extrusion die repairers require skills like "cranes," "engine lathes," "foundry," and "press room. "
Extrusion die repairers reach similar levels of education compared to mold makers, in general. The difference is that they're 2.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of mold maker
Updated January 8, 2025
