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Tool maker skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Miles Free

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical tool maker skills. We ranked the top skills for tool makers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.5% of tool maker resumes contained grinders as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a tool maker needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 tool maker skills for your resume and career

1. Grinders

Here's how tool makers use grinders:

Form Grinders and lathe for the building of Cold Heading dies and punches for the cold heading and stamping industries.
Operated overhead crane, ground in heat treated tooling to specifications, welded tool steels and worked in with grinders.

2. Jigs

Here's how tool makers use jigs:

Jig fabrication organization Defect Reduction Focal.
Create production tooling, jigs, dyes and fixtures needed to facilitate accurate assembly of precision actuator systems.

3. Hand Tools

Here's how tool makers use hand tools:

Operated hydro form presses, lathe, router tables, milling machines, and all small hand tools
Used all the hand tools- calipers, micrometers, dial indicators, Accomplishments 1).

4. Machine Tools

Here's how tool makers use machine tools:

Manufactured machine tools and assembled automation equipment as a toolmaker with experience in grinding, turning, milling, and welding.
Machine tools include laser alignment system, caster camber drill machines, fuel injection test stations and transmission test stands.

5. Calipers

Here's how tool makers use calipers:

Used calipers to check dimensions of the flare as to width, depth on nuts, and ends before shipping.
Design and Construction of Sections for Dies *Blueprint Reading *Precision Instruments (Calipers, Micrometers, Depth Gauges)

6. CNC Machines

Here's how tool makers use cnc machines:

Set up and operate conventional, special purpose and CNC machines; in which, to fabricate metallic and nonmetallic parts.
Program, setup, and operate various CNC Machines for low quantity runs and projects.

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7. Manual Lathes

Here's how tool makers use manual lathes:

Operate and setup manual lathes and Bridgeport Mills.
Set up and operate manual Lathes

8. Math

Here's how tool makers use math:

Inspect finished parts to ensure accuracy I.A.W blueprints through use of precision measuring equipment and shop math practices.
Make frequent references to handbooks and apply advanced shop math and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing techniques.

9. CAD

Here's how tool makers use cad:

Participated in collaborative start-up designing of customer molds, in turn, building them from part prints and CAD programmer schematics.
Used CAD and CAM software to design, develop and machine tooling products for external customers.

10. Assembly Fixtures

Here's how tool makers use assembly fixtures:

Perform preventative maintenance of assembly fixtures.
Manufactured and machined various jig and assembly fixtures for the Aviation Industry.

11. Cam

CAM stands for "community association manager," which is a commonly held position in developments with an HOA. The CAM answers questions on how a neighborhood or building is run and is often responsible for enforcing the HOA bylaws. A CAM may be chosen by the HOA board of directors or the property management company who built the development.

Here's how tool makers use cam:

Developed tooling designs using Master Cam X software.
Initialize minor programming with Master Cam V7.2.

12. Cad Cam

Here's how tool makers use cad cam:

Programmed, and ran Chevalier VMC using Esprit CAD CAM program.
Coordinated CAD CAM Plots to specific blueprint dimensions.

13. Drill Presses

Here's how tool makers use drill presses:

Machined plates to 1.125 of whatever the specs called for.Set up drill presses to drill out or tap to specifications.
up and Run conventional machines Lathes, Bridgeport milling machines, sand blasting machines and drill presses.

14. Wire EDM

Here's how tool makers use wire edm:

Managed wire EDM department which included scheduling, coordinating workload, updating software and training.
Programmed and operated a wire EDM machine and machining center.

15. Grinding Machines

Here's how tool makers use grinding machines:

Produced tooling for large screw machine company using lathes, milling machines and various grinding machines.
Set up and operate all manual and grinding machines up to .0001 inch tolerance.

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What skills help Tool Makers find jobs?

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What type of skills will young tool makers need?

Miles Free

Director, Industry Affairs, Precision Machined Products Association

Skills are essential, but most of our precision machining shops hire for attitude. We will help reliable candidates develop the skills that they need. If we look at employers having wants and needs: want - someone that knows their software. Needs - someone that knows how to adjust code; we'll teach them our software. Wants - excellent math skills. Requires the ability to do high school algebra, geometry, and trig.

Needs - people that can communicate an issue verbally and in writing.
That's where we see it. Critical thinking, ability to understand problems and their potential causes, ability to work well with others, without this, even a super-competent technically skilled person will probably find themselves changing jobs many times.

Do you want to know more?

List of tool maker skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a tool maker resume and required skills for a tool maker to have include:

Grinders
Jigs
Hand Tools
Machine Tools
Calipers
CNC Machines
Manual Lathes
Math
CAD
Assembly Fixtures
Cam
Cad Cam
Drill Presses
Wire EDM

Grinding Machines
Preventative Maintenance
Engineering Drawings
Aerospace
Solidworks
MIG
G Code
Machine Shop Equipment
Dial Indicators
Precision Tools
Sketch
TIG
CNC Lathes
Manual Machines

Prototrak
Engineering Changes
Test Runs
Mold Components
Tig Welding
Production Equipment
Plastic Injection Molds
Haas
Stamping Dies
Comparators
CMM
Machine Repair
Brazing
Customer Specifications

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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