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The differences between furnace operators and extruder operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an extruder operator has an average salary of $36,707, which is higher than the $35,972 average annual salary of a furnace operator.
The top three skills for a furnace operator include math, basic math and cranes. The most important skills for an extruder operator are extrusion, quality checks, and hand tools.
| Furnace Operator | Extruder Operator | |
| Yearly salary | $35,972 | $36,707 |
| Hourly rate | $17.29 | $17.65 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 58,975 | 66,729 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 55% | High School Diploma, 52% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A furnace operator records time and production data, adjusts thermostats, and observes a pyrometer to maintain the temperature between specified limits. The operators set furnace control to regulate the temperature and heating time. They measure the temperature of the products to determine the necessity for adjusting furnace temperature using thermal instruments and charts. Their duties include the removal of materials from the furnace using signals overhead crane operator and transfer it to the next station and open furnace doors. This process will allow them to admit slabs, sheet, plate, and coil to lower ingots and uncover soaking pits into them.
An extruder operator's work is essential to industries such as automobile parts manufacturing and aerospace machine manufacturing. They control the machines that make and shape thermoplastic materials. They may also be responsible for training new staff to work on these machines. They also do maintenance on their tools, ensure products meet specifications, and create reports for their supervisors.
Furnace operators and extruder operators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Furnace Operator | Extruder Operator | |
| Average salary | $35,972 | $36,707 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $44,000 | Between $29,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rochester, NY | Woburn, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | BWX Technologies | Baker Hughes |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a furnace operator and an extruder operator in terms of educational background:
| Furnace Operator | Extruder Operator | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 55% | High School Diploma, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between furnace operators' and extruder operators' demographics:
| Furnace Operator | Extruder Operator | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% | Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 3.6% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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 | 7% | 3% |