Also called: Finishing Technician
Cleans, removes supports, sands, cures and finishes 3D-printed parts so they're ready to use.
Fresh prints come out covered in support structures and powder. You snap and cut away supports, blast parts with fine media, cure resin parts under UV light and sand them smooth. Your work is what makes a print look like a real product.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school plus on-the-job training.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing faster than average.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Automated depowdering, support removal and finishing machines are spreading; hand finishing will shrink.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at 3D printing service bureaus and product makers or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Art or shop class, Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9199.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.