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Model Makers, Metal and Plastic

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipLower pressure

What they do

Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, milling and engraving machines, and jig borers to make working models of metal or plastic objects. Includes template makers.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $63,340 Median per year · $30.45/hr Most earn $39,760–$99,010

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Align, fit, and join parts, using bolts and screws or by welding or gluing.
  • Rework or alter component model or parts as required to ensure that products meet standards.
  • Drill, countersink, and ream holes in parts and assemblies for bolts, screws, and other fasteners, using power tools.
  • Consult and confer with engineering personnel to discuss developmental problems and to recommend product modifications.
  • Record specifications, production operations, and final dimensions of models for use in establishing operating standards and procedures.
  • Assemble mechanical, electrical, and electronic components into models or prototypes, using hand tools, power tools, and fabricating machines.

Job outlook

United States
17% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Plastics product manufacturing18.2%
  • Specialized design services10.2%
  • Engineering services8.3%
  • Machine shops4.6%
  • Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing4.3%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Model making is not usually a straight-out-of-school job. Most people start with a high school diploma, get machining training, and work 1 to 2 years as a machinist before moving into model making, so plan on roughly 2 to 4 years after high school.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Take math, shop, drafting, and computer classes to build the measuring and blueprint-reading skills that machine work depends on.

  2. Machining certificate or apprenticeship

    1-2 years

    Learn to run lathes, mills, and other machines safely and accurately, either in a technical school certificate program or while earning pay in an apprenticeship.

  3. Machinist

    1-2 years

    Work on real parts to a precise tolerance, which builds the hands-on accuracy and problem-solving that model makers need.

  4. Model Maker, Metal and Plastic

    Ongoing

    Set up and operate machines to build working models and prototypes of metal or plastic objects, often from engineers' drawings or CAD files.

Where it can lead

  1. Tool and Die Maker

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move into building the cutting tools, molds, and dies that other manufacturing machines use, which requires deeper precision skills and often more formal training.

  2. Patternmaker, Metal and Plastic

    2-4 years of experience first

    You specialize in making the master patterns used to cast metal or plastic parts, which takes detailed craftsmanship and knowledge of casting methods.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop, drafting, or CAD classesThese teach you to read technical drawings and use the same kinds of tools and software used in model making.
  • Take algebra and geometry seriouslyMeasuring, angles, and tolerances in machining rely heavily on math you learn in these classes.
  • Join a robotics, engineering, or maker clubBuilding and fixing things in a team setting gives you hands-on practice and something to show employers or programs later.
  • Look for a summer job at a hardware, manufacturing, or auto shopAny job where you handle tools, follow specs, and work safely shows you what shop work feels like.
  • Ask about a career-technical or vocational programMany high schools offer machining or manufacturing courses that can give you a head start on a certificate or apprenticeship.

In college

  • Enroll in a machining or manufacturing certificate programA certificate in machining or CNC technology is a common route into this career and teaches the core machine skills employers look for.
  • Take courses in CAD, CNC programming, and materialsKnowing how to design and program parts, and how metal and plastic behave, makes you a stronger candidate for model-making work.
  • Apply for a co-op, internship, or apprenticeshipPaid hands-on experience in a machine shop builds the 1 to 2 years of related work that employers typically expect.
  • Take a part-time job in a machine shop, prototype lab, or makerspaceWorking around prototypes and precision equipment helps you learn the workflow and build a practical portfolio.

Tips for getting started

  • Get comfortable with reading blueprints and measuring tools now, since those skills show up in every machining job.
  • Look for a machining or manufacturing apprenticeship or co-op early, because on-the-job training is one of the most common ways into this field.
  • Ask local machine shops or manufacturers about shop tours or job-shadowing so you can see what the work is really like.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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