Metal Machinist (First Class)
What the work is
Sets up and operates machine tools to shape and form metal stock and castings to fine tolerances, using drawings and specifications.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Reads blueprints and technical specifications to understand the requirements for the metal component to be machined
- Prepares and configures machine tools for specific jobs and ensures correct fixtures, settings and tools are applied
- Forms metal stock and castings to fine tolerances using machining tools to press, cut, grind, plane, bore and drill metal
- Checks fabricated and assembled metal parts for accuracy, clearance and fit using precision measuring instruments
- Polishes, deburs and finishes the machined parts to ensure they meet the specified finish quality
- May program and operate computer numerical control machines to guide machine tools in producing parts
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional machine shop making and repairing parts for mines, farms and food factories. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A part you machined to a tiny tolerance slides in perfectly on the first try
- A worn-out machine returns to the factory floor because you made the part it needed
- Teaching a new apprentice to read a measurement and watching them get it right
Hard days
- A job that has to be remade because a measurement was missed by a hair
- A breakdown call at the end of a long week, when a factory has stopped
- Metal chips, noise and coolant, and a machine that does not behave
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 332234, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.