DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

Engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers. Photoengravers are included in ?Prepress Technicians and Workers? (51-5111).

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
Wages Updated to First Quarter, 2020

					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Southwest Minnesota	N/A	44	$14.27/hr	$2.32/hr	$10.58/hr	$11.29/hr	$12.48/hr	$16.23/hr	$20.72/hr
Minnesota	300	112	$17.42/hr	$0.70/hr	$11.40/hr	$13.43/hr	$16.51/hr	$20.60/hr	$25.84/hr
U S	10,310	629	$16.48/hr	$0.31/hr	$10.06/hr	$11.83/hr	$14.94/hr	$19.66/hr	$25.69/hr
*SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate.

Related Occupations

Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
	Employment	Median Wage	% Change 2022 - 2032
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	960	$20.02/hr	5.8%
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	190	$19.04/hr	0.0%
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic	160	$19.12/hr	4.2%
Sewing Machine Operators	110	$17.86/hr	-13.5%
Plating and Coating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	20	$16.55/hr	-7.1%
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers	N/A	N/A	0.0%
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians	N/A	N/A	N/A

• Engraves or cuts lettering, design, or characters in workpiece surface, using hand tools and engraving tool.
• Sketches, traces, or scribes layout lines and design on workpiece, plates, dies, or rollers, using compass, scriber, graver, or pencil.
• Determines machine settings and moves bars or levers to reproduce designs on rollers or plates.
• Operates machine to engrave design into steel rollers or plates.
• Trims precut designs or cuts around design to remove undesirable part, using graver.
• Reviews sketches, diagrams, blueprints, or photographs to determine design to be cut or engraved.
• Measures and computes dimensions of lettering, designs, or patterns to be engraved.
• Prints proof or examines design to verify accuracy and reworks engraving as required.
• Sketches original design or pattern for use in printing or engraving.
• Transfers design from sleet or film to die or roller by decimal staining.
• Casts male die from engraved female die for use in seals.
• Positions and clamps workpiece, plate, or roller in holding fixture.
• Scrapes plate or die to remove imperfections and smooth surface.
• Sharpens and forms cutting edge of gravers or cutter grinder.
• Polishes and oils surface of plate or die, or brushes with acid proof paint.
• Holds workpiece against outer edge of wheel and twists and turns workpiece to grind glass according to marked design.
• Carves design on workpiece, using electric hand tool.
• Cuts outline of impression with graver and removes excess material with knife.
• Selects and mounts wheel and miter on lathe, and equips lathe with water to cool wheel and prevent dust.
• Prepares workpiece to be engraved or carved, such as glassware, rubber, or plastic product.
• Dresses and shapes cutting wheels by holding dressing stone against rotating wheel.
• Attaches engraved workpiece to mount, using cement.
• Suggests original designs to customer or management.
• Polishes engravings using felt and cork wheels.
• Traces, sketches, or presses design or facsimile signature on workpiece by hand, or by using artist equipment.
• Immerses waxed ware in hydrofluoric acid to etch design on glass surface.
• Sandblasts exposed area of glass, using spray gun, to cut design in surface.
• Removes wax or tape, using stylus or knife, to expose glassware surface to be etched.
• Immerses ware in hot water to remove wax or peels off tape.
• Coats glass in molten wax or masks glassware with tape.
• Positions pattern against waxed or taped ware and sprays ink through pattern to transfer design to wax or tape.
• Starts machine and guides stylus over template, causing cutting tool to simultaneously duplicate design or letters on workpiece.
• Positions and secures work piece, such as nameplate, stamp, seal, badge, trophy, or bowling ball, in holding fixture, using measuring instruments.
• Inserts cutting tool or bit into machine and secures with wrench.
• Sets reduction scale to obtain required reproduction ratio on workpiece.
• Sharpens cutting tools on cutter grinder.
• Examines engraving for quality of cut, burrs, rough spots, and irregular or incomplete engraving.
• Verifies conformance to specifications, using micrometers and calipers.
• Brushes acid over designated engraving to darken or highlight inscription.
• Observes action of cutting tool through microscope, and adjusts movement of stylus to ensure accurate reproduction.
• Selects and inserts letter or design template beneath stylus attached to machine cutting tool or router, according to work order.
• Adjusts depth and size of cut by adjusting height of worktable or adjusting gauge on machine arms.
• Sets stylus at beginning of pattern.
• Exposes workpiece to acid to develop etch pattern, such as designs, lettering, or figures.
• Prepares workpiece for etching by cutting, sanding, cleaning, or treating with wax, acid resist, lime, etching powder, or light-sensitive enamel.
• Fills etched characters with opaque paste to improve readability.
• Transfers image to workpiece, using contact printer, pantograph stylus, silkscreen printing device, or stamp pad.
• Measures and marks workpiece, such as plastic, fiberglass, epoxy board, metal or glass, using measuring and calibrating equipment.
• Inspects etched work for uniformity, using calibrated microscope and gauge.
• Compares workpiece design, such as lettering, trademark, numerals, or lines to sample to verify development of pattern.
• Reduces artwork, using reduction camera.
• Positions and secures workpiece to be etched on setup board.
• Prepares etching solution according to formula.
• Neutralizes workpiece to remove acid, wax, or enamel, using water or solvents.
• Cuts grooves of specified depth and uniformity into printing roller following lines of design impression.
• Presses sketch on copper printing roller to produce impression of design.
• Cuts strip of engraving gum (two- or three-ply rubber, cemented to cloth backing) using knife.
• Refers to sketch to ensure that lines of only one printing color are engraved into each roller.
• Punches holes in plate to fasten plate to press, using hand tools.
• Glues rubber or linoleum pattern to wood block.
• Inspects designs for defective engraving and re-engraves to meet specifications.
• Prepares additional rubber plates for jobs requiring colors by omitting different portions of design or lettering on each plate.
• Traces pattern of design and letters in reverse on linoleum or two-or three-ply rubber, using ruler, pencil, drawing instruments, or cutting tools.
• Cuts around drawn pattern leaving raised design or letters, using cutting tools.