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The differences between tool design engineers 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 tool design engineer and a tool designer. Additionally, a tool design engineer has an average salary of $76,918, which is higher than the $64,763 average annual salary of a tool designer.
The top three skills for a tool design engineer include solidworks, jigs and GD. The most important skills for a tool designer are jigs, assembly fixtures, and aerospace.
| Tool Design Engineer | Tool Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $76,918 | $64,763 |
| Hourly rate | $36.98 | $31.14 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 114,478 | 51,666 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 41 | 54 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Tool Design Engineers are responsible for the design of new tools as well as making improvements to existing ones. They are responsible for drafting schematics and blueprints, determining tool specifications and production as well as carrying out calculations to establish tools cost, materials, and dimensions. Other duties include communicating with suppliers to implement tool modifications, tracking performance targets, and conducting cost budgeting. A good Tool Design Engineer aims to reduce tool breakdowns and minimize maintenance costs.
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.
Tool design engineers and tool designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tool Design Engineer | Tool Designer | |
| Average salary | $76,918 | $64,763 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $102,000 | Between $47,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Entegris | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a tool design engineer and a tool designer in terms of educational background:
| Tool Design Engineer | Tool Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | - |
Here are the differences between tool design engineers' and tool designers' demographics:
| Tool Design Engineer | Tool Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 54 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.3% 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% |