Brake operator vs set-up operator

The differences between brake operators and set-up operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a brake operator and a set-up operator. Additionally, a set-up operator has an average salary of $39,269, which is higher than the $38,911 average annual salary of a brake operator.

The top three skills for a brake operator include calipers, basic math and tape measure. The most important skills for a set-up operator are calipers, cnc machines, and hand tools.

Brake operator vs set-up operator overview

	Brake Operator	Set-Up Operator
Yearly salary	$38,911	$39,269
Hourly rate	$18.71	$18.88
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	46,164	55,670
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	46	43
Years of experience	2	2

Brake operator vs set-up operator salary

Brake operators and set-up operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Brake Operator	Set-Up Operator
Average salary	$38,911	$39,269
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Rochester, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Schneider Electric Industrial Services
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between brake operator and set-up operator education

There are a few differences between a brake operator and a set-up operator in terms of educational background:

	Brake Operator	Set-Up Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Brake operator vs set-up operator demographics

Here are the differences between brake operators' and set-up operators' demographics:

	Brake Operator	Set-Up Operator
Average age	46	43
Gender ratio	Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2%	Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 6.0% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	3%	6%

Differences between brake operator and set-up operator duties and responsibilities

Brake operator example responsibilities.

Experience using micrometers, squares, calipers and protractors.
Perform light mig and tig welding and metal refinishing.
Align motor, air end and coupling using calipers, dial indicators and straight edges.
Operate brake press to meet OE specifications.
Perform basic troubleshooting of extrusion machinery and plastics processes.
Measure part angle with protractor, flange length with measureing tape and material thickness with micrometer.

Set-up operator example responsibilities.

Manage daily scheduling of production workload to be setup and run on machinery.
Use and replacement of drills, taps, broaches, and reamers.
Manufacture parts according to blueprints, work with stainless steel aluminum, brass and plastics.
Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders.
Use of exact measuring instruments as CMM, optical comparators, mics, bore gauges and many other tools.
Produce parts from different materials such as cold roll steel, stainless steel, no lead brass and regular brass.

Brake operator vs set-up operator skills

Common brake operator skills

Calipers, 15%
Basic Math, 14%
Tape Measure, 12%
Hand Tools, 10%
Pallets, 6%
Read Blueprints, 6%

Common set-up operator skills

Calipers, 9%
CNC Machines, 7%
Hand Tools, 7%
Math, 6%
Quality Checks, 6%
Preventative Maintenance, 6%