Expander vs header set-up operator

The differences between expanders and header set-up operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an expander has an average salary of $40,248, which is higher than the $35,764 average annual salary of a header set-up operator.

The top three skills for an expander include hand tools, and . The most important skills for a header set-up operator are calipers, SPC, and comparators.

Expander vs header set-up operator overview

	Expander	Header Set-Up Operator
Yearly salary	$40,248	$35,764
Hourly rate	$19.35	$17.19
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	306	27,599
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Expander vs header set-up operator salary

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

	Expander	Header Set-Up Operator
Average salary	$40,248	$35,764
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $68,000	Between $28,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between expander and header set-up operator education

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

	Expander	Header Set-Up Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Expander vs header set-up operator demographics

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

	Expander	Header Set-Up Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7%	Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between expander and header set-up operator duties and responsibilities

Expander example responsibilities.

Review loan documents including preliminary title report and appraisal for accurate property information.
Acquire experience within the heat treat department and also perform inspection, gauging of parts and SPC charting.

Header set-up operator example responsibilities.

Experience with SPC; measuring every dimension in print.
Work with internal, external, and bore grinders.
Enter quality check results into the computer matching them up to SPC charts.
Perform quality control inspection using calipers/gauges/micrometers and digital comparators.
Experience with AutoCAD, NVivo research software, RSLogix5000 for PLC programming.

Expander vs header set-up operator skills

Common expander skills

Hand Tools, 100%

Common header set-up operator skills

Calipers, 80%
SPC, 7%
Comparators, 4%
Quality Checks, 3%
Formax, 2%
Blueprint Specs, 2%

Updated January 8, 2025

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