Etchers and Engravers

What the job really is

Engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers.

At a glance

• Sector: Production
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-9194
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• 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.
• Neutralize workpieces to remove acid, wax, or enamel, using water, solvents, brushes, or specialized machines.
• Examine engraving for quality of cut, burrs, rough spots, and irregular or incomplete engraving.

Tools and technology

Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Windows, Adjustable wrenches, Applicator brushes, Automatic feeding eyelet machines, Bench grinders, Bench vises, Benchtop drill presses, Binocular benchtop microscopes, Burnishing tools, Chasing hammers

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
• Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
• Tool and Die Makers
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing
• Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
• Prepress Technicians and Workers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Etchers and Engravers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.