What is a Millwright?

A millwright utilizes a diverse skill set to work with complicated, large machines. They have an advanced understanding of many different types of machinery. The best way to describe them is as an industrial machinist.

What’s a millwright job like? Services are usually performed contractually and involve only days or weeks at a single location. The profession requires a broad background and experience with industrial machines in many different settings. Therefore, the position can be highly variable.

Education can involve an apprenticeship or journeyman program, classroom learning, and continuous training while on the job. Vocational education programs typically last two to four years. Those with advanced skills and plenty of experience will often become an independent contractor and start their own business.

Man's hand working a lathe machine

What Does a Millwright Do?

Millwrights repair, maintain, upgrade, fabricate, install, disassemble or dismantle, reassemble, construct, or move large industrial machines and fixed heavy machinery for a wide variety of industries. Other duties of a millwright involve determining where big equipment or industrial machinery will go in a facility, assembly of parts, testing, safety inspections, troubleshooting, and damaged part replacement. Preventative maintenance and repairs on older machines are also a large part of their daily work.

A millwright works with many types of hand tools, precision tools, and equipment for cutting, welding, reading, or measuring, and they also operate industrial equipment such as cranes, trucks, forklifts, winches, hoists, and more. Understanding equipment load bearing capacities and being able to interpret blueprints, drawings, instructions, or manuals are essential to their job duties.

  • Put together machines
  • Take machines apart
  • Install machinery or equipment
  • Repair machinery or equipment
  • Categorize and organize parts for machines being moved
  • Maintain or replace defective parts
  • Move machinery and equipment
  • Adjust or align moving parts

Millwrights serve machining, manufacturing, production, factory, utility, power, and construction operations. Their job role can vary from machinist, laborer, pipefitter, electrician, carpenter, welder, and more. The job requires a high level of accuracy, planning, problem-solving, decision-making, quantification, and submission to bodily risk. They use extreme caution in all settings to guarantee that equipment is correctly installed and working properly to ensure expensive machines and worker safety are protected.

Local Millwright Services

Gary is one of few millwrights working independently in the state of Minnesota. He has 30 years of experience and puts it to work for you. If you need emergency service, or require assistance with an ongoing project, we guarantee you’ll be satisfied with our costs and results.

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