Tool design drafter vs mechanical design drafter

The differences between tool design drafters and mechanical design drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a tool design drafter and a mechanical design drafter. Additionally, a tool design drafter has an average salary of $60,965, which is higher than the $58,371 average annual salary of a mechanical design drafter.

The top three skills for a tool design drafter include CAD, engineering drawings and autocad. The most important skills for a mechanical design drafter are design layouts, creo, and assembly drawings.

Tool design drafter vs mechanical design drafter overview

	Tool Design Drafter	Mechanical Design Drafter
Yearly salary	$60,965	$58,371
Hourly rate	$29.31	$28.06
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	45,672	54,189
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 70%	Associate Degree, 56%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Tool design drafter vs mechanical design drafter salary

Tool design drafters and mechanical design drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tool Design Drafter	Mechanical Design Drafter
Average salary	$60,965	$58,371
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $84,000	Between $45,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Salt River Project
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between tool design drafter and mechanical design drafter education

There are a few differences between a tool design drafter and a mechanical design drafter in terms of educational background:

	Tool Design Drafter	Mechanical Design Drafter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 70%	Associate Degree, 56%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Tool design drafter vs mechanical design drafter demographics

Here are the differences between tool design drafters' and mechanical design drafters' demographics:

	Tool Design Drafter	Mechanical Design Drafter
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5%	Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3%
Race ratio	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%	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	6%	6%

Differences between tool design drafter and mechanical design drafter duties and responsibilities

Tool design drafter example responsibilities.

Manage the ECN process by assigning the highest priority requests through coordination between engineering staff and drafting personnel.
Transfer data electronically and manipulate product data files in Unigraphics NX9.
Assist engineers with ECOs and ECRs occasionally.
Use ACAD to create/modify installation diagrams for manufacturing.

Mechanical design drafter example responsibilities.

Calculate requirements and manage HVAC systems, including design, development, compliance, testing, troubleshooting and repair.
Incorporate ECO's to update and revise the drawings and BOM's on military aircraft antenna test equipment.
Generate ECR's and ECN's to accommodate customer's requirements.
Convert 2D drawings into 3D assemblies that can be include into SolidWork's PDM environment.
Train manufacturing employees on CNC tube benders and how to utilize manufacturing jig and fixtures.
Supervise 8-member shop including : 2 CNC lathes , 2 manual lathes , 1 milling machine and 3 motor technicians.

Tool design drafter vs mechanical design drafter skills

Common tool design drafter skills

CAD, 51%
Engineering Drawings, 39%
Autocad, 10%

Common mechanical design drafter skills

Design Layouts, 6%
Creo, 6%
Assembly Drawings, 6%
Aided Design, 5%
GD, 5%
Auto CAD, 4%

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Tool Design Drafter
Tool Design Drafter vs Mechanical Design Drafter

Updated January 8, 2025

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