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Date: 08/23/2025

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Prepare working sketches for the illustration of product appearance.
    • Test experimental models under simulated operating conditions, for purposes such as development, standardization, or feasibility of design.
    • Support metalworking projects from planning and fabrication through assembly, inspection, and testing, using knowledge of machine functions, metal properties, and mathematics.
    • Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, or engineering information to determine methods or sequences of operations needed to fabricate products.
    • Dispose of scrap or waste material in accordance with company policies and environmental regulations.
    • Monitor the feed and speed of machines during the machining process.
    • Lay out, measure, and mark metal stock to display placement of cuts.
    • Confer with engineering, supervisory, or manufacturing personnel to exchange technical information.
    • Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency.
    • Install experimental parts or assemblies, such as hydraulic systems, electrical wiring, lubricants, or batteries into machines or mechanisms.
    • Advise clients about the materials being used for finished products.
    • Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations.
    • Dismantle machines or equipment, using hand tools or power tools to examine parts for defects and replace defective parts where needed.
    • Set up or operate metalworking, brazing, heat-treating, welding, or cutting equipment.
    • Establish work procedures for fabricating new structural products, using a variety of metalworking machines.
    • Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
    • Dismantle machines or equipment, using hand tools or power tools to examine parts for defects and replace defective parts where needed.
    • Check work pieces to ensure that they are properly lubricated or cooled.
    • Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency.
    • Evaluate machining procedures and recommend changes or modifications for improved efficiency or adaptability.
    • Align and secure holding fixtures, cutting tools, attachments, accessories, or materials onto machines.
    • Lay out, measure, and mark metal stock to display placement of cuts.
    • Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers.
    • Install repaired parts into equipment or install new equipment.
    • Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools.
    • Test experimental models under simulated operating conditions, for purposes such as development, standardization, or feasibility of design.
    • Diagnose machine tool malfunctions to determine need for adjustments or repairs.
    • Maintain machine tools in proper operational condition.
    • Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.
    • Set up or operate metalworking, brazing, heat-treating, welding, or cutting equipment.
    • Support metalworking projects from planning and fabrication through assembly, inspection, and testing, using knowledge of machine functions, metal properties, and mathematics.
    • Design fixtures, tooling, or experimental parts to meet special engineering needs.
    • Confer with numerical control programmers to check and ensure that new programs or machinery will function properly and that output will meet specifications.
    • Fit and assemble parts to make or repair machine tools.
    • Install repaired parts into equipment or install new equipment.
    • Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
    • Separate scrap waste and related materials for reuse, recycling, or disposal.
    • Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.

    Skills

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    Knowledge

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 56200/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 27.02/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 26,180
    • Yearly Projected Openings 2550

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Independence
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Innovation
    • Cooperation

    Tools

    • Adjustable angle plate
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Angle cutter
    • Anvils
    • Arbors
    • Ball peen hammer
    • Bench dog
    • Bench vises
    • Binocular light compound microscopes
    • Blow torch
    • Boring machines
    • Calipers
    • Casting machines
    • Center gauge
    • Chamfering machine
    • Chucks
    • Cold chisels
    • Column and knee milling machine
    • Combination pliers
    • Combination wrenches
    • Coordinate measuring machines CMM
    • Cylinder gauge
    • Deburring tool
    • Desktop computers
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Double ended stud
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Drilling machines
    • End cut pliers
    • Facial shields
    • Feeler gauges
    • Flat hand file
    • Forklifts
    • Gage block set
    • Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
    • Grinders
    • Grinding machines
    • Hacksaw
    • Half round file
    • Hammers
    • Hand clamps
    • Hand reamer
    • Height gauges
    • Hex keys
    • Honing machine
    • Horizontal machining center
    • Horizontal turning center
    • Hydraulic press frames
    • Induction heating machine
    • Ladders
    • Laser printers
    • Levels
    • Locking pliers
    • Machine end mill
    • Magnetic tools
    • Manual press brake
    • Metal band sawing machine
    • Metal broaching machines
    • Metal cutters
    • Metal inert gas welding machine
    • Micrometers
    • Mill saw file
    • Milling machines
    • Multi-tasking or universal machining center
    • Needlenose pliers
    • Personal computers
    • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
    • Pipe wrenches
    • Pitch measuring instruments
    • Planing machines
    • Plasma arc welding machine
    • Platform lift
    • Pneumatic sanding machines
    • Power buffers
    • Power chippers
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power planes
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Protractors
    • Pry bars
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Putty knives
    • Radius gauge
    • Ratchets
    • Rubber mallet
    • Rulers
    • Safety glasses
    • Saws
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Shaper cutter
    • Sharpening stones or tools or kits
    • Shears
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Sine bar
    • Sledge hammer
    • Slings
    • Socket sets
    • Spot welding machine
    • Squares
    • Surface gauge
    • Surface grinding machine
    • Swaging tools
    • Taps
    • Telescoping gauge
    • Thermal spray machine
    • Thread counters or gauges
    • Threading die hand tool
    • Threading machine
    • Tongs
    • Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe
    • Traveling column milling machine
    • Tube bending machine
    • Tungsten inert gas welding machine
    • Turret lathe
    • Utility knives
    • Vertical machining center
    • Wave soldering machine
    • Wedges
    • Welder torch
    • Welding masks
    • Workshop cranes

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Industrial control software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Procedure management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • InDemand occupations are considered a priority by the state of Ohio.
    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.
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