Tool specialist vs fixture maker

The differences between tool specialists and fixture makers 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 specialist and a fixture maker. Additionally, a tool specialist has an average salary of $84,797, which is higher than the $41,672 average annual salary of a fixture maker.

The top three skills for a tool specialist include calipers, safety procedures and hand tools. The most important skills for a fixture maker are hand tools, grinders, and store fixtures.

Tool specialist vs fixture maker overview

	Tool Specialist	Fixture Maker
Yearly salary	$84,797	$41,672
Hourly rate	$40.77	$20.03
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	32,118	7,111
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 53%
Average age	54	54
Years of experience	6	6

Tool specialist vs fixture maker salary

Tool specialists and fixture makers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tool Specialist	Fixture Maker
Average salary	$84,797	$41,672
Salary range	Between $62,000 And $115,000	Between $30,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	GoPro	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between tool specialist and fixture maker education

There are a few differences between a tool specialist and a fixture maker in terms of educational background:

	Tool Specialist	Fixture Maker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Tool specialist vs fixture maker demographics

Here are the differences between tool specialists' and fixture makers' demographics:

	Tool Specialist	Fixture Maker
Average age	54	54
Gender ratio	Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 4.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 87.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between tool specialist and fixture maker duties and responsibilities

Tool specialist example responsibilities.

Comply with all applicable FAA regulations.
Assist in training on running CNC machines.
Operate and set up a CNC machine.
Provide tool design inputs that enable process friendly windows.
Set many frac plugs both composite and cast iron.
Perform CNC programming and operation of Charmilles wire EDM and Mazak machining center.

Fixture maker example responsibilities.

Fabricate precision jig fixtures enabling production to produce numerous parts from jigs using sheet metal carpentry and various other skills.
Perform all machining operations necessary to build production machinery and tooling to manufacture a wide selection of aerospace fasteners.
Machine high tolerance checking fixture details on Bridgeport and automatic wet grinder.
Perform all machining operations necessary to build production machinery and tooling to manufacture a wide selection of aerospace fasteners.

Tool specialist vs fixture maker skills

Common tool specialist skills

Calipers, 11%
Safety Procedures, 7%
Hand Tools, 6%
Scaffolding, 6%
CMM, 6%
Windows, 6%

Common fixture maker skills

Hand Tools, 53%
Grinders, 33%
Store Fixtures, 7%
Jigs, 4%
Prototype, 4%