Tool inspector vs tool designer

The differences between tool inspectors and tool designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tool designer has an average salary of $64,763, which is higher than the $49,213 average annual salary of a tool inspector.

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

Tool inspector vs tool designer overview

	Tool Inspector	Tool Designer
Yearly salary	$49,213	$64,763
Hourly rate	$23.66	$31.14
Growth rate	-3%	1%
Number of jobs	24,549	51,666
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 48%
Average age	45	54
Years of experience	-	6

Tool inspector vs tool designer salary

Tool inspectors and tool designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tool Inspector	Tool Designer
Average salary	$49,213	$64,763
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $69,000	Between $47,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Entegris
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between tool inspector and tool designer education

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

	Tool Inspector	Tool Designer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 48%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Drafting And Design
Most common college	-	-

Tool inspector vs tool designer demographics

Here are the differences between tool inspectors' and tool designers' demographics:

	Tool Inspector	Tool Designer
Average age	45	54
Gender ratio	Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0%	Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.1% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	4%	3%

Differences between tool inspector and tool designer duties and responsibilities

Tool inspector example responsibilities.

Inspect parts using height gauges, travel gauges, indicators, calipers, and comparators.
Read and interpret engineering drawings and inspection procedures in accordance with API.
Perform close tolerance inspection of support tooling including drill jigs, gages and templates.
Perform inspections on machine tooling and spare parts using CMM, vision systems, and other NIST certify equipment.
Interface effectively with other HVAC inspectors in coordinating inspection operations.
Complete FAA require conformity inspections and comply with certification data requirements to present to FAA for approval.

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.

Tool inspector vs tool designer skills

Common tool inspector skills

Jigs, 18%
Hand Tools, 11%
Micrometers, 7%
CMM, 7%
Calipers, 6%
Coordinate Measuring Machine, 6%

Common tool designer skills

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