Production
Etchers and Engravers
Also called: Acid Etch Operator, Award Machine Operator, Chemical Engraver, Electronic Engraver
US median pay
$43,310
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-0.7%
declining
Openings a year (US)
800
8,900 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers.
What they do day to day
- Inspect etched work for depth of etching, uniformity, and defects, using calibrated microscopes, gauges, fingers, or magnifying lenses.
- Examine sketches, diagrams, samples, blueprints, or photographs to decide how designs are to be etched, cut, or engraved onto workpieces.
- Clean and polish engraved areas.
- Prepare workpieces for etching or engraving by cutting, sanding, cleaning, polishing, or treating them with wax, acid resist, lime, etching powder, or light-sensitive enamel.
- Engrave and print patterns, designs, etchings, trademarks, or lettering onto flat or curved surfaces of a wide variety of metal, glass, plastic, or paper items, using hand tools or hand-held power tools.
- Prepare etching chemicals according to formulas, diluting acid with water to obtain solutions of specified concentration.
- Use computer software to design patterns for engraving.
- Expose workpieces to acid to develop etch patterns such as designs, lettering, or figures.
- Adjust depths and sizes of cuts by adjusting heights of worktables, or by adjusting machine-arm gauges.
- Measure and compute dimensions of lettering, designs, or patterns to be engraved.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Operations Monitoring3.1/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.0/5
- Operation and Control3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Time Management2.8/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.8/5
- Troubleshooting2.6/5
- Equipment Maintenance2.6/5
Knowledge
- Production and Processing4.2/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.4/5
- Mechanical3.0/5
- Design3.0/5
- Administration and Management3.0/5
- Mathematics2.8/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- High school diploma54%
- Less than high school33%
- Associate's degree13%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Artistic
Creating, designing and self-expression
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.