Will “Precision Machine Operator” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

65% Chance of Automation

“Precision Machine Operator” will maybe be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #358 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

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Job Description

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments. 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.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 51-4041.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 43,220.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 20.00
Currently, there are 391,120 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Machinists”.

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Precision Machine Operator”

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

Related Technology & Tools

Handheld welders
Grinders
Vertical turret lathes VTL
Hex keys
Personal computers
Combination wrenches
Brass hammers
Ball peen hammers
Multi-axis computerized numerical control CNC machines
Planers
Chippers
Screwdrivers
Threading machines
Jointers
Marking blocks
Milling angle form cutters
Metal shears
Single-cut mill saw files
Socket wrench sets
Power sanders
Punches
Cylindrical grinders
Combination drills
Beverly shears
Magnetic retrievers
Cold chisels
Shielded arc welding tools
Deburring tools
Torches
Planer gauges
Putty knives
Centrifugal spin casters
Height gauges
Pillar drill machines
Portable welding equipment
Flywheel lathes
Phillips head screwdrivers
Screw pitch gauges
Drum lathes
Edge finders
Turret lathes
Grinding wheel arbors
Ladders
Sine bars
Swaging tools
Square chisels
Hex wrenches
Dial indicators
Knee mills
Shapers
Cold saws
Personal digital assistants PDA
Sledgehammers
Sharpening equipment
Vernier height gauges
Sandblasters
Outside spring calipers
Pipe wrenches
Crankshaft grinders
Steel wedges
Machine shop rigging equipment
Gauges
Desktop computers
Boring tools
Engine lathes
Outside micrometers
Lathes
Chucks
Vernier bevel protractors
Reamers
Calipers
Radial drill presses
Grinding dogs
Hydraulic presses
Brazing equipment
Machinists' squares
Hand saws
Composition hammers
Half-round files
Side cutting pliers
Radius gauges
Vernier gear tooth calipers
Adjustable wrenches
Metal inert gas MIG welders
Surface grinding machines
Surface gauges
Metal spray equipment
Anvils
Steel rules
Forklifts
Prick punches
Horizontal boring bars
Valve grinding machines
Horizontal mills
Platforms
Broachers
Brake presses
Pipe threaders
Rubber mallets
Utility knives
V blocks
Arbor presses
Telescoping gauges
Computerized numerical control CNC turning lathes
Shears
Full face shields
Vernier calipers
Spirit levels
Pry bars
Inside micrometers
Binocular light compound microscopes
Channel lock pliers
Hacksaws
Thread gauges
Breaker lathes
Vertical milling machines
Spindle blade screwdrivers
Heat-treating equipment
Center drills
3-axis computerized numerical control CNC machines
Milling vises
Buffers
Tongs
Horizontal lathes
Cylinder honers
Scribers
Cutoff saws
Radial drills
Ring gauges
Power drills
Welding shields
Micrometers
Hermaphrodite calipers
Ratchet sets
Turning lathes
Needlenose pliers
Metal cutting taps
Flat files
Resurfacing machines
Welding lenses
Aviation snips
Chamfer tools
Tube benders
Hand clamps
Boring bars
Angled feeler gauges
Bandsaws
Plasma welders
Inside spring calipers
Workshop cranes
Laser printers
Sensitive drill presses
Power hacksaws
Angle plates
Dial calipers
Computerized numerical control CNC machining centers
Staging equipment
Combination pliers
Wedges
Feeler gauges
Undercut tools
Shims
Parallel blocks
Tungsten inert gas TIG welding equipment
Soldering equipment
Milling machines
Machinists' hammers
Oxyacetylene welding equipment

Microsoft Outlook
JETCAM
ERP software
CNC Consulting Machinists' Calculator
Microsoft Word
Kentech Trig Kalculator
CNC Mastercam
CCG Systems FASTER
Microsoft Excel
EditCNC
Armchair Machinist software
Autodesk AutoCAD
Computer aided design CAD software
Microsoft Office
CNC TurboCAD/CAM
Kentech Kipware Studio
Computer aided manufacturing CAM software