Tool designer vs jig builder

The differences between tool designers and jig builders 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 designer and a jig builder. Additionally, a tool designer has an average salary of $64,763, which is higher than the $62,348 average annual salary of a jig builder.

The top three skills for a tool designer include jigs, assembly fixtures and aerospace. The most important skills for a jig builder are jigs, hand tools, and calipers.

Tool designer vs jig builder overview

	Tool Designer	Jig Builder
Yearly salary	$64,763	$62,348
Hourly rate	$31.14	$29.98
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	51,666	2,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	54	54
Years of experience	6	6

Tool designer vs jig builder salary

Tool designers and jig builders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tool Designer	Jig Builder
Average salary	$64,763	$62,348
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $87,000	Between $40,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Entegris	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between tool designer and jig builder education

There are a few differences between a tool designer and a jig builder in terms of educational background:

	Tool Designer	Jig Builder
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Business
Most common college	-	-

Tool designer vs jig builder demographics

Here are the differences between tool designers' and jig builders' demographics:

	Tool Designer	Jig Builder
Average age	54	54
Gender ratio	Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1%	Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between tool designer and jig builder duties and responsibilities

Tool designer example responsibilities.

Manage customer contacts, lead, design, sketch and model Saab environmental test fixtures using Unigraphics V18.
Tune and correct extrusion tools to achieve dimensional tolerances, finish and function of products to internal and external customer specifications.
Used drill press, surface grinders, vertical mills, lathes, & NC control mills.
Train on Unigraphics version NX 7.5 Mold layout and design for plastic injection molds to make automotive lighting components.
Design automated production assembly jigs and fixtures for medical devices.
Design transfer, progressive, and blank dies for niche market OEM's.

Jig builder example responsibilities.

Measure and keep tolerance making components for dies and molds, on CNC machines or surface grinders.
Fabricate and build assembly jigs and fixtures for agricultural equipment and accessories.
Inspect parts coming off machines with calipers and micrometers.
Design and improve processes on assembly jigs and tools on the shop floor.
Use of radial drills, lathes, mills, grinders, and relate precision measuring equipment.
Detail fabrication require use of various close tolerance measuring devices such as micrometers, calipers, and height gauges.

Tool designer vs jig builder skills

Common tool designer skills

Jigs, 10%
Assembly Fixtures, 8%
Aerospace, 6%
CNC, 5%
NX, 5%
GD, 4%

Common jig builder skills

Jigs, 56%
Hand Tools, 23%
Calipers, 9%
Laser Tracker, 6%
Machine Shop, 4%
Drill Presses, 2%