Tool and Die Makers
Pay and outlook shown for
New workers start near $39,050; experienced workers reach $82,720. About 110 people do this job in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Job outlook
Alamo region (San Antonio and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034; U.S. figures from the BLS.
- Employment change
- -1.0%
- Openings a year
- 9
- Employed in 2024
- 96
Typical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award · Training: Long-term on-the-job training
Alamo Colleges programs that lead here
No program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.
Browse all programsSkills this career uses
The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.
- Quality Control Analysis3.8
- Operation and Control3.1
- Operations Monitoring3.0
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Equipment Selection3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Time Management2.9
What the work is
Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
- Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.
- Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.
- Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.
- Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes.
- File, grind, shim, and adjust different parts to properly fit them together.
- Conduct test runs with completed tools or dies to ensure that parts meet specifications, making adjustments as necessary.
Education people in this job have
Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.
- High school or less49%
- Certificate41%
- Associate degree10%
Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.
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