Also called: Acrylic Panel Fabricator, Aquarium Acrylic Installer
Casts, bonds, polishes and installs the giant clear acrylic windows and tunnels that hold back millions of gallons in aquariums.
A single aquarium window can be over 50 feet long and a foot thick. Fabricators pour liquid acrylic into molds, bond panels together so the seams vanish, and spend days sanding and polishing until it is crystal clear. Install crews then travel to the aquarium to set the panel with cranes.
Installers travel to job sites.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. Trained on the job; shop or composites experience helps.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Trade school. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Composites Technology (trade school).
Growing about average. Tiny specialty serving aquariums, zoos and luxury homes.
Low risk for 10 years. CNC routers cut shapes, but bonding and polishing huge panels to perfect clarity is hand work.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at acrylic and aquarium fabrication shops or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Shop class, Chemistry, Art.
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.