Lathe operator vs laser operator

The differences between lathe operators and laser operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lathe operator has an average salary of $36,280, which is higher than the $34,813 average annual salary of a laser operator.

The top three skills for a lathe operator include cnc lathes, micrometers and manual lathes. The most important skills for a laser operator are laser cutting, calipers, and laser machine.

Lathe operator vs laser operator overview

	Lathe Operator	Laser Operator
Yearly salary	$36,280	$34,813
Hourly rate	$17.44	$16.74
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	45,596	56,479
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	46	43
Years of experience	-	2

Lathe operator vs laser operator salary

Lathe operators and laser operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lathe Operator	Laser Operator
Average salary	$36,280	$34,813
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $47,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Youngstown, OH	Oregon City, OR
Highest paying state	Ohio	Oregon
Best paying company	Valmont Industries	Kloeckner Metals
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between lathe operator and laser operator education

There are a few differences between a lathe operator and a laser operator in terms of educational background:

	Lathe Operator	Laser Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Lathe operator vs laser operator demographics

Here are the differences between lathe operators' and laser operators' demographics:

	Lathe Operator	Laser Operator
Average age	46	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 1.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 77.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between lathe operator and laser operator duties and responsibilities

Lathe operator example responsibilities.

Operate and programme Mazak lathes.
Operate dual side Okuma lathe.
Perform SPC inpections reports for cus to meet monitoring.
Fabricate metal parts using punch press, CNC brake press.
Check parts using CMM, micrometers and other appropriate gauges.
Grind and send dog food into the extrusion for cooking.

Laser operator example responsibilities.

Calculate requirements, using basic math, geometry.
Follow and comply to GMP, FDA, and ISO regulations
Uphold all ISO and OSHA standards applicable to the responsibilities list above.
Complete SPC charts to track tool capability and hold tight tolerances on small parts.
Used micrometers and protractors to check dimension and angle of part during all job set ups and quality control checks.
Perform quality control inspection using calipers/gauges/micrometers and digital comparators.

Lathe operator vs laser operator skills

Common lathe operator skills

CNC Lathes, 11%
Micrometers, 11%
Manual Lathes, 10%
Hand Tools, 9%
Calipers, 8%
Math, 6%

Common laser operator skills

Laser Cutting, 13%
Calipers, 8%
Laser Machine, 7%
Math, 6%
Hand Tools, 5%
CNC Laser, 4%