Millwrights
Overview
Millwrights are skilled technicians who install, maintain, and repair heavy industrial machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. They use precision tools like levels, transits, and power drills to move massive equipment with hoists and dollies, then calibrate everything to exact specifications. These professionals read complex technical manuals, perform diagnostic tests, and troubleshoot mechanical problems to keep production lines running smoothly. The work combines hands-on problem-solving with high-tech equipment in collaborative industrial environments.
Did you know?
Most employers in the US require completion of a technical program or apprenticeship, along with industry certifications in areas like hydraulics, pneumatics, and electrical systems.
At a Glance
Median Wage
$66,506.04 Avg/yr
Growth
Stable
Top Skill
Troubleshooting
Key Responsibilities
- Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools.
- Shrink-fit bushings, sleeves, rings, liners, gears, and wheels to specified items, using portable gas heating equipment.
- Dismantle machines, using hammers, wrenches, crowbars, and other hand tools.
- Install robot and modify its program, using teach pendant.
- Dismantle machinery and equipment for shipment to installation site, performing installation and maintenance work as part of team.
- Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts.
- Fabricate and dismantle parts, equipment, and machines, using a cutting torch or other cutting equipment.
- Weld, repair, and fabricate equipment or machinery.
- Assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
- Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
- Attach moving parts and subassemblies to basic assembly unit, using hand tools and power tools.
- Operate engine lathe to grind, file, and turn machine parts to dimensional specifications.
- Position steel beams to support bedplates of machines and equipment, using blueprints and schematic drawings to determine work procedures.
- Troubleshoot equipment, electrical components, hydraulics, or other mechanical systems.
- Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs.
- Move machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks.
- Connect power unit to machines or steam piping to equipment, and test unit to evaluate its mechanical operation.
- Construct foundation for machines, using hand tools and building materials such as wood, cement, and steel.
- Signal crane operator to lower basic assembly units to bedplate, and align unit to centerline.
- Bolt parts, such as side and deck plates, jaw plates, and journals, to basic assembly unit.
- Conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment.
- Lay out mounting holes, using measuring instruments, and drill holes with power drill.
- Level bedplate and establish centerline, using straightedge, levels, and transit.
Career Considerations
Technical Certification Requirements
Most employers in the US require completion of a technical program or apprenticeship, along with industry certifications in areas like hydraulics, pneumatics, and electrical systems.
Physical Demands and Safety Protocols
The role involves significant physical work including lifting heavy equipment, working in confined spaces, and strict adherence to OSHA safety regulations in industrial environments.
Strong Job Market Growth
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects steady growth for this occupation due to increasing automation in manufacturing and the need for skilled technicians to maintain complex machinery.