wrote in message
oups.com...
Is this really die making?

I've gone to school with a number of guys from automotive production shops
which include stampers. It seems that production toolmaking typically pays
more than jobbing, but requires less skill and indeed less work.

I work for a jobber. We get paid less, we physically do more work, we're
constantly under tight deadlines BUT we learn a whole bunch more.

The toolrooms in production shops won't do anything beyond either doing
preventative maintenance on a die, or getting a *broken* die running
(hobbling) to complete a production run before they send it to the jobber to
be properly repaired. They will perform simple engineering changes which
basically means moving punches or adjusting trim/removing burrs.

In our line of work, all draw work and form work as well as significant
trim/pierce changes are done buy the jobber shops. The production shops
typically don't have the skill or the machines to complete that type of
task.

While I speak in generalities, there are some people who are willing to do
what we would consider an honest days work in a production shop. It's not
the norm, however.

YYMV.

Regards,

Robin