Injection molder vs injection machine operator

The differences between injection molders and injection machine operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an injection molder has an average salary of $32,151, which is higher than the $31,693 average annual salary of an injection machine operator.

The top three skills for an injection molder include injection molds, plastic injection and ISO. The most important skills for an injection machine operator are PET, hand tools, and mold injection.

Injection molder vs injection machine operator overview

	Injection Molder	Injection Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$32,151	$31,693
Hourly rate	$15.46	$15.24
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	1,225	58,188
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Injection molder vs injection machine operator salary

Injection molders and injection machine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Injection Molder	Injection Machine Operator
Average salary	$32,151	$31,693
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $24,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Loveland, CO	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	BD	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between injection molder and injection machine operator education

There are a few differences between an injection molder and an injection machine operator in terms of educational background:

	Injection Molder	Injection Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Injection molder vs injection machine operator demographics

Here are the differences between injection molders' and injection machine operators' demographics:

	Injection Molder	Injection Machine Operator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4%	Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between injection molder and injection machine operator duties and responsibilities

Injection molder example responsibilities.

Require molding expect rate of part producing and achieving ISO QualityStandards.
Design injection mold tooling; extensive CNC programming and machining.
Work with Chrysler engineers on the original design of vacuum harnesses.
Operate 10 semi-automatic extrusion machines from 75 to 300 tons and maintain control charts for statistical analysis.
Demonstrate efficient manual dexterity at a rapid and continuous rate.
Spray molds with compounds of lubricate molds, using acetylene torches.

Injection machine operator example responsibilities.

Require molding expect rate of part producing and achieving ISO QualityStandards.
Use hoists and motorize pallet jacks to move dies.
Produce and maintain accurate documentation for production reports using math and computer skills.
Put a retainer on by using metal clips.

Injection molder vs injection machine operator skills

Common injection molder skills

Injection Molds, 29%
Plastic Injection, 21%
ISO, 6%
SPC, 6%
Machine Operation, 5%
Assembly Line, 4%

Common injection machine operator skills

PET, 17%
Hand Tools, 15%
Mold Injection, 14%
Customer Specifications, 11%
Plastic Bottles, 9%
Quality Checks, 6%

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Injection Molder
Injection Molder vs Injection Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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