Journeyman Die Maker

Job Description

Job Description

Do you enjoy building complex tooling, solving challenging problems, and working in a high-precision manufacturing environment?

APEX Placement and Consulting has partnered with an exciting company in Livonia, MI looking to add a Journeymen Die Maker to their already amazing team. Their primary responsibility will be to build, troubleshoot, repair, and maintain high-precision progressive stamping dies and tooling to ensure optimal production performance, quality, and efficiency. Keep reading for more details!

What’s in it for you:

• 1st shift opportunity – Monday to Friday from 6am-2:30pm and Saturday OT from 6am-11am
• Competitive hourly rate ranging between $35-$38/hr. depending on experience
• Contract-to-hire opportunity – you’ll be hired based on attendance, performance and client needs!
• Amazing benefit package once hired in permanently
  • Medical, Dental and Vision
  • 401K
  • Paid vacation

What your day will look like:

• Read and interpret blueprints, engineering drawings, and sketches to build progressive, compound, and draw dies from the ground up.
• Set up and operate manual toolroom equipment, including surface grinders, jig grinders, Bridgeport mills, and engine lathes, to manufacture components with extremely tight tolerances.
• Diagnose and resolve complex die issues such as feeding problems, burrs, misfeeds, and premature wear during die tryouts and production.
• Perform preventative maintenance, repairs, sharpening, and modifications to production dies to maximize uptime and part quality.
• Partner with press operators during die setup and first-piece inspections to make timing, clearance, and performance adjustments.
• Inspect finished components using precision measuring instruments, including micrometers, dial indicators, height gauges, and optical comparators, to verify dimensional accuracy.
• Manufacture and maintain tooling for small, intricate, high-precision metal stampings used in automotive, electronics, medical, or similar industries.
• Utilize advanced knowledge of manual surface grinding, die steels, heat treating, progressive die timing, clearances, stripping systems, and nitrogen/spring components.
• Use shop mathematics, geometry, and trigonometry to complete complex layouts, machining, and tooling calculations.
• Exhibit exceptional attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and pride in producing high-quality tooling while managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

What we are looking for:

• 5–7+ years of experience as a Tool & Die Maker in a high-precision manufacturing environment.
• Journeyman Tool & Die certification or equivalent experience preferred.
• Experience building and troubleshooting progressive, compound, and draw dies.
• Proficient with manual toolroom equipment, including surface grinders, mills, lathes, and jig grinders.
• Ability to machine and inspect components to tight tolerances (up to 0.0001") using precision measuring instruments.
• Strong blueprint reading, GD&T, shop math, and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of die steels, heat treating, progressive stamping, and tooling maintenance.
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and committed to producing high-quality precision tooling.

At Apex, we actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups. Your unique experiences and perspectives are valuable to us, and we’re excited to see how you might contribute to our team. While we have outlined a set of qualifications for this role, we recognize that experience and skills can come from a variety of backgrounds. If you meet most of these qualifications and are eager to learn and grow with us, we invite you to apply.